By Monika Blichar

Carolyn Bruce Designs at Art World Expo 2016

No matter what industry you are working in, the primary goal is to sell products and services that customers will keep returning for again and again. As artists, we must remember that this is our main goal-to sell art that people will want, again and again. As we near our annual Art World Expo in Vancouver, here are some vendor tips for gaining recognition for your brand as an exhibitor and well into the future of your art career.

1-BRANDING 101

Making sure that your exhibition looks good is crucial. No one wants to buy art or products from a shabby stall that is disorganized, lacking presentation, nor one that is ill managed. Some of the simplest things to be sure you have when you are displaying your work and business publicly include:

-business cards with your logo, contact information and website

-a banner behind or in front of your booth with your name

-links to social media accounts with the same logo and banners

-price tags, inventory sheet and receipt book

-a way to take payments

-a sales person working for you if you are not comfortable selling your own work

2-PRESS RELEASES & MEDIA

If you are doing the marketing for your brand, don’t forget that the media is your best friend! The more that you can gain media attention, the better! Draft a simple press release with your information, dates for an upcoming exhibition, and invite media such as newspaper journalists and bloggers in your industry to interview you in your studio prior to the event. There is a lot to be said about artists and businesses who are being talked about in the media and likely, they have sent their information to the press deliberately. A buzz from many websites is amazing, so be sure to send to many media outlets. After all, getting attention on varied sites and in publications just helps you get more visibility and brand awareness in new networks and social circles. Be creative too-consider creating good karma by helping raise money for local shelters, food banks or other worthy charities by donating proceeds of your sales.

3-MERCHANDISING

Many artists are shy or leery of merchandising their work. In my opinion, the best thing about being an artist is that you can work on something one time, and then sell it over and over. As an independent artist, this has been a very lucrative way to continually improve and add to my business model. You don’t have to go all out and purchase stock like you used to in the olden days either! There are many sites which help you design work and will even market it for you for a commission. Some of these sites include Zazzle.com and Society 6. I’ve heard mixed things about merchandising; some artists believe that selling prints or cards can be like selling out-while others make fortunes by selling prints, Iphone cases and home décor items. I tend to recommend that with more merchandise options, you are able to do more with your art and reach wider audiences: cards, books, ebooks, tshirts, IPhone cases, home décor throws and much more can get to the hands of people who normally couldn’t afford your work or perhaps are looking for unique designs on different items. Have a look at multi-million dollar artist Damien Hirst’s site and link to his online shop http://www.damienhirst.com/ A great site to start with if you haven’t yet is Society 6 https://society6.com/prints

As always, best of luck! If you found this useful, please share. If you have a comment to add, get in touch! artists@theartworldexpo.com