8 Ways to Promote Your Art Web Site

You can’t just expect to build a site and suddenly have people flock to it. You have to promote it just as you do your artwork and everything else related to your business.

In today's Do This! newsletter, I give you 13 ways I promote my sites. Here are some ideas for you. This list is from the online class Setting Up Your Art Business, which starts today. It's never too late to join! $10 from all enrollments in this session will benefit artists in need through the Craft Emergency Relief Fund.

1. Send an announcement when your site is new or when you’ve updated it. You can do this with a postcard, but you’ll get more visits if you do it through email since it's easier for people to click through than to put the postcard by the computer and remember to find you next time they're online. Why not do both? Which leads me to . . .
2. Start collecting email addresses from friends, patrons, and other interested parties. Don't wait until you have a website! You’ll need them to stay in touch. Ideas and how-tos can be found in Cultivating Collectors.
   
3. Print your website on your business cards, letterhead, brochure, postcards, and any other marketing materials you distribute.
4. Have an online promotion. For instance, people can print a “10% Off” coupon or some such thing when they visit your site. Of course, it will have a printed invitation on it for your next exhibit, which they are encouraged to attend and use their coupon.
5. Post your newsletter online and link it to various artworks and intriguing stories.
6. Consider an online art project for kids that is related to your work. It will get the parents to visit! See Marilyn Scott Waters' The Toymaker site for inspiration.
7. Trade links with other artists or those in your niche market. Don't be one of those annoying neophytes who emails everyone they know and asks to trade links. Be discerning.
8. Respond to newsletters and blogs or post in online forums, always including a link to your site.

Image credit: Joseph Pendergast, Take Off. Oil, 145 x 104 cm, 2004.

Comments

[Deb Trotter]

Alyson-

I am so glad to discover that I already DO all these things!
The only thing I would add is that if you have a blog, add your website link to your blog page & vice versa. Blogging can be a tremendous tool for your website...plus, you can "tease" readers with new work that can entice them to visit your site.

Deb

[Ragon B Steele]

I am glad I visited this site, a lot of really good ideas.

[Karl Hopkins]

I really agreed with all of your points and found that I already do a majority of these. As such I thought Id take it to the next level and use this as a means of promoting my site;

http://www.freewebs.com/karlhopkinsart/

please do come visit, and why not leave a comment or two!

Thanks, Karl

[craftjuice]

9th on the list could be joining social sites..

http://www.craftjuice.com

:)

Enjoy.

[jon linton]

An Arizona Art Resource and Online Collectors Art/Gallery Guide

[jon linton]

An Arizona Art Resource and Online Collectors Art/Gallery Guide

[jon linton]

An Arizona Art Resource and Online Collectors Art/Gallery Guide