mab art studio and boutique gallery

Vendor Tips: Sell Your Art

by Monika Blichar, Art World Expo Owner and Producer

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Selling art can be tricky. I mean, lets be honest about buying art. It isn’t a necessity like food or shelter nor can it improve your employment skills via education or training. Investing in art doesn’t bring you a fancy certificate for a future job position, nor does it help you do your job better because its settings has better apps than your last device. It can’t help you put gas in your car or buy new running shoes for your kids, nor can it help you get dog food for your puppy. So, what is the motivation for people to buy art and how can you sell your art regularly despite these drawbacks?

Have a look at these vendor tips; be sure to send me your ideas and I might just post them in my next blog with credits to you-website and photos included of your art too!

1-Market to a Specific Audience

Whether you make wood sculptures or plaster casts is irrelevant. Who you are marketing to is what is important. Afterall, if you are targeting college or university students just because you’re currently in college or university, it may work for bumper sticker art, cards or prints, but once you decide you don’t want to sell 500 items at $5, your chances of selling a piece at even $100 to a student is slim. Before you continue your marketing today, think about who your audience is and then find ways to reach that audience.

2-Social Media

I harp on artists all the time about using social media to promote their art. What other free tools are there? Social media is definitely the number one tool to reach the maximum number of people for no monetary investment. Artists in our events will promote their work and use our #artworldexpo hashtag; you’re more than welcome to use it too and we’ll share and retweet your art. That’s the beauty of it really-you can reach so many people and if you use good hashtags, others will share your work too. Be sure to comment, like, and share other people’s posts, images and content in order to spread the love! In terms of social media, whatever you put in, you’ll get back.

3-Follow Up

Many artists sign up for markets, events, and trade shows; preparing everything correctly including draw boxes for contests, email marketing newsletter campaigns, and then; fail to follow up for numerous reasons. Whether you didn’t do as well as you thought at your event sales wise or you just didn’t get the number of people through your booth as you though, the biggest waste of time after an event is that you didn’t follow up with people you met or who entered your draw box. That is where the REAL fortune is. Adding people to your mailing list, inviting them to your Facebook Page, or keeping them in the loop for your next event is the KEY to creating relationships that will help you grow your business and sell more art.

I always love to try new things when selling art. I diversify my work and my workload; making adjustments all the time. What worked two months or two years ago, might not work today. The important thing is that you always experiment with your sales strategies and sales goals with the knowledge that there is something for everyone and someone out there is looking for exactly what you have.

If you liked these tips, be sure to SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER to get more tips like these plus special offers, industry news and notifications about our latest events and projects on a regular basis. Be sure to share these tips and send us your ideas for your chance to be featured in our next post! Email us at artists@theartworldexpo.com

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Monika Blichar is an Entrepreneur and Artist. She is owner of MAB Art Studio & Boutique Gallery in North Vancouver and producer of Art World Expo and Painting Dreams International Art Tours. She is always pushing boundaries as an artist and creative entrepreneur. Her love of the arts has been a part of her life since childhood.

 

Art World Tips: Why Should You Network?

by Monika Blichar, Producer & Owner Art World Expo

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A shot of the Diamond Dolls Networking Group in 2013.

 

When I used to think of traditional networking, I used to think of early morning breakfast meetings, serious business suit types, and 60 second pitches with those little dingers to make sure you don’t go over your allotted time to talk about your business. 6:00am is not the best time for me to tell people about what I do, let alone try to condense my passion and creativity into 60 seconds! This is likely the case for many artists and creative types. (I’m also quite a recluse, believe it or not, and dread going to large events!) Instead of forcing myself to attend early morning meetings and go out to late night events, I dedicate my time to networking in different ways.

First, I focus on who I know already. My immediate circle of contacts are invaluable to me as I have known them the longest or have already had dealings with them. Who is in your network already? As an artist or creative entrepreneur, look at who you know already and see what they can help you with. Do you need places to post content, locations to show your work, or introductions to business professionals? Ask people you already know to help you out and send you referrals or recommendations. I’ve discovered that this can be done on Facebook too and that people are quite helpful with their comments and recommendations.

Since I really enjoy working from home and my studio and rather not waste precious time driving and running around the city to events or meetings that may or may not be worthwhile, I scour my social media networks. If I am looking for specific businesses or people, I search on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I send message to people or businesses directly through these channels first, and if I really feel that there could be a good collaboration, I also proceed to send them emails. If I really think that we should meet, I call and try to book an appointment or invite them to come by our studio and gallery.

Last, what I really tried to focus on in terms of networking last year and what I will continue to do this year is fostering relationships with my existing clients and affiliates. I worked hard to stay in touch with people; either via phone or email. I invited artists to participate in other opportunities throughout the year including our first Artisan Holiday Sales Catalog and being featured at local markets in our exhibition stalls. I worked hard to create relationships that were meaningful to me and also that benefited both parties when assessing business strategies and long term goals.

This year, I challenge you to look at your networking goals and really find out what you are looking for in terms of what you want from your business and career. For me, I know that the best things in my life come from authentic relationships, concise planning and intuitive instincts. When I look at my business and my relationships, I see a network and community that I love. This, I truly believe, also helps me succeed! After all, if you aren’t doing what you love, no amount of networking will help you!

Have some thoughts about this article? We love to hear from artists in our community! Be sure to touch base with us at artists@theartworldexpo.com or comment on this post! Get in touch with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and join our conversation there too!

Monika Blichar is an Entrepreneur and Artist. She is owner of MAB Art Studio & Boutique Gallery in North Vancouver and producer of Art World Expo and Painting Dreams International Art Tours. She is always pushing boundaries as an artist and creative entrepreneur. Her love of the arts has been a part of her life since childhood.