SlideShare is a presentation tool that can you help you promote your art to a whole new audience at no cost.

If you have images and access to Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple Keynote, you can make a SlideShare presentation.

Harriete Estel Berman of the Ask Harriete blog says SlideShare is her favorite method for promoting her art online. Her SlideShare site includes a number of presentations of her artwork. I recommend Obverse Obession, a 2-minute look at Harriete’s chocolate pot with the same name. It’s very entertaining!

Harriete Estel Berman's channel on SlideShare

There are six steps involved in creating a SlideShare presentation.

Create Your Profile on SlideShare under "Personal Information"

1. Create an account on SlideShare.
To add your profile after creating your account, look under your name in the upper right corner of the page. It’s under “Personal Information” rather than “Public Profile.” The best general art category is strangely titled “Photography/Arts.”

2. Write a script for your presentation.
What is the story behind your presentation? What’s the focus? Will you use audio? Will you add text to your slides, or will you just have images of yourself and your art? Any way you look at it, you need to map out the order and content of your slides.

3. Create your presentation in PowerPoint or Keynote.

4. Record any audio.
This requires some technology know how. While audio is optional, it adds a whole new dimension to your presentation.

5. Upload your file to your SlideShare site.
Be patient because it can take time for a large file to upload.

6. Tell people about it!
You can add your SlideShare presentations to your website and social media accounts—including YouTube.

While you want to share your work with those who know you, don’t forget the added benefit of having a SlideShare site. Harriete says ” . . . most of the people watching my SlideShare presentations are not watching the presentation on my website but discovering my work on SlideShare itself or some other social networking site.”

Get ready to welcome a new audience!

Listen to the audio version of this post.

Marketing is a combination of everything you do to sell or gain recognition for your art.

Olivia Alexander, Ocean Dance 4. Mixed media on Belgian linen, 20 x 20 cm. ©The Artist

Artists frequently think of marketing in these terms:

• Keeping up a mailing list (and using it!)
• Printing postcards, brochures, and flyers
• Maintaining websites and blogs
• Interacting through social media sites
• Writing newsletters and articles
• Sending media releases
• Exhibiting your art
• Entering competitions
• Networking
• Speaking to audiences

But excellent marketing also consists of the following:

• Making the best art you can
• Pricing your art appropriately
• Speaking kindly to others in your festival booth or co-op space
• Handling business phone calls and emails in a professional manner
• Being a valuable source for students in your classes and workshops
• Meeting deadlines
• Exceeding expectations
• Following up with leads
• Budgeting

Where is your marketing falling short?

Artists publish testimonials in brochures and on websites to share the experience clients have had with them. A powerful testimonial is particularly effective for artists who work in the following realms:

• Teaching classes and workshops
• Accepting commissioned work such as portraits or custom jewelry
• Competing for public art projects

Joey Frisillo, Cloud Races. Oil, 16 x 20 inches. ©The Artist

Testimonials are valuable in these three areas because they are heavily weighted toward service to someone or something else. You need to please people in order to succeed in these areas.

There are correct and incorrect ways to ask for testimonials. Let’s look at both using teaching as an example. For our purposes, we’re asking for the testimonial in a letter or  email.

INCORRECT

Dear xxx,

I’m happy you attended my class last weekend. I enjoyed meeting you and seeing your work. I hope it was time well spent for you, and that you learned something you could use right away.

Would you be willing to give me a testimonial for my website?

Thank you for your consideration,

yyy

This is incorrect because it puts the recipient on the spot. She must either answer Yes or No or ignore your question and wait to hear from you again. From any aspect, it’s uncomfortable for all involved, especially when the other person isn’t feeling all warm and fuzzy about your experience together.

CORRECT

Dear xxx,

I’m happy you attended my class last weekend. I enjoyed meeting you and seeing your work. I hope it was time well spent for you, and that you learned something you could implement right away.

If you enjoyed the class and found value in the content, I would love hearing from you. Testimonials from satisfied students are a powerful way for me to attract new teaching opportunities. The best testimonials are those that mention a specific problem or concern that I helped solve. A one or two sentence testimonial would be appreciated, and I would need permission to mention your name.

Please only share a testimonial if you are so inclined and it feels authentic.

Thank you for your consideration,

yyy

See the difference? The recipient doesn’t feel pressured in the second example. You know that whatever testimonials result from this message will be from the heart.

Listen to the audio version of this post.

Launching a website or blog is fairly straightforward. You build the content, publish it, and then tell everyone about it. That’s about it–right?

Not quite!

©2007 John Wood, Just to Avoid Being Abandoned. Mixed media on paper mounted on panel, 34 x 34 inches.

I can’t just send an email that says “Hey, I have a new website. Please check it out at http://artbizcoach.com!” There’s no incentive. Nothing to get you to click the link and visit the site.

I have to entice you or pique your curiosity. I think the new look of the newsletter I sent today is a good first step, but let me see if I can do more.

After more than 3.5 years of a deep red background on Art Biz Coach, I had had enough. Do you know how many images and font colors don’t look good with red? Add blue and yellow and it ends up looking like a kid’s playroom. (See the red background and the many changes in Art Biz Coach throughout the years.)

I want Art Biz Coach to be classy and professional. I want you to feel like you’re walking into a space made for art and artists.

I couldn’t do that with a red background or with my previous logo.

What you’ll find on the new Art Biz Coach is a lot of space and toned-down palette. But I think you’ll see it’s more colorful and more vibrant without the weight of the red background.

sneak peek

Matisse said art should be “something like a good armchair in which to rest from physical fatigue.”

I hope Art Biz Coach and Art Biz Blog become comfortable armchairs for you, and that they’re places you want to hang out. I hope you’re proud to be associated with them.

So, please, visit Art Biz Coach and explore what’s available for you. If you find something that doesn’t work, send me an email with the URL of the offending error. I’ll be eternally grateful for your troubles and your understanding of my imperfect website launch.

Are you subscribed? You can still get this month’s gift, Rock Your Art Career: 23 Actions for Big Progress, by subscribing now.

Peggy Klaus is the author of Brag! How to Toot Your Own Horn Without Blowing It, which I recommend for every artist. I was thrilled to interview her about this book back in 2008 since it’s a topic artists struggle with: bragging about themselves and their accomplishments.

Klaus says brag is not a four-letter word: “Remaining quiet about your successes only leads to being underappreciated and overlooked.”

Michelle Marshall, Misty Morning in Purple and Yellow. Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40 inches. ©The Artist

On her book website, Klaus offers a free questionnaire to help you brag better. I’ve adapted her questions here for your use. The answers you construct will help you write a better bio, media release, blog post, or brochure. I’ve also noted uses for your responses alongside some of the questions.

Your Bragging Questionnaire

1. What would you and others say are five of your personality pluses? [Your responses will come in handy when you're interviewed for a job, workshop appointment, or any position that requires working with others.]

2. What are the ten most interesting things you have done or that have happened to you that have contributed to your art career?

3. How did you end up becoming an artist? [This is a frequent topic of conversation. Be prepared to respond with a good story.]

4. What do you like/love about being an artist? [Substitute the specific medium if you prefer: What do you like/love about being a sculptor, painter, fiber artist, metalsmith, photographer, etc.?]

5. What projects are you working on right now, and why are you enthusiastic about them?

6. What career successes (education, exhibitions, collections, . . . ) are you most proud of having accomplished?

7. What new art or business skills have you learned in the last year? [This is something you'll want to document if you're an instructor in any capacity.]

8. What professional and personal obstacles have you overcome to get where you are today? What essential lessons have you learned from any mistakes?

9. What training/education have you completed, and what did you gain from those experiences? [Include self-education. How have you taught yourself? Also include non-art training/education that contributes to your worldview.]

10. What organizations are you associated with and in what ways? (member, officer, founder) How does each organization contribute to your art career or personal development?

11. How do you spend your time outside of the studio, including hobbies, interests, sports, family, and volunteer activities? [This kind of information can spice up anyone's biography.]

12. In what ways are you making a difference in people’s lives?

FINAL WORD: Brag better about your art by spending time reviewing your accomplishments. If you can’t stand the word “brag,” just think of it as truth-telling. You’re not going to embellish or lie about what you’ve been up to. You’re just going to be able to provide a more coherent response that doesn’t beat around the bush.

Why sit back and wait to hear from a gallery, curator, arts writer, art center or museum when you can connect through Web 2.0?

©2009 Hagit Shahal, Woman with Nailclipper. Hard ground etching with aquatint, 20 x 25 cm. Edition 25.

Not sure how to go about this? Let’s use galleries for these examples.

First, find a gallery’s fan page on Facebook and Like it. At the same time, follow gallery tweets on Twitter.

Granted, many galleries don’t use these social networking sites, so focus on the ones who do. In order to find galleries to follow, you must know that they’re a good fit for you. Don’t waste your time on galleries that show only Florida artists if you live in Nebraska.

I conduct a standard Google search to find people on social media. Here are two samples of my searches.

Search words: Translations Gallery Twitter
This led me to the gallery I was looking for:
http://twitter.com/translationsart

Search words: Sync Gallery Facebook
Success again!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sync-Gallery/262299831412

Since fan pages on Facebook are public, they’ll show up at the top of the search results if the pages exist. Ditto for Twitter accounts.

You can also use Twellow for Twitter searches within categories. (Thanks @PattyHankins for the advice.) Or there is TweepSearch for names and keywords. (Thanks, @cornerstoneva.)
Once you’ve found some good galleries to follow on Twitter and Facebook, you need to join the conversation.

Contribute your voice to the dialog when you have something to say. You want to add value to the conversation, not just Like a post. Also, instead of just declining or ignoring an invitation from a gallery on Facebook, write a personal note on the event wall—leaving your name there for all to see.

Do the same on Twitter by responding to questions posed by these people and retweeting the good stuff. Be sure to link generously.

Beware: This might take some effort! The results will be worth it.

FINAL WORD: Don’t lurk on Web 2.0 sites. Become a valuable contributor to the dialog. Join the conversation with galleries and other art world types through social media. Remember that social media is social.

Wanna hear a friendly voice? (Mine!) Listen to the audio version of this content.

If your website or blog has been under-performing, there’s no need to take drastic measures like creating an entirely new site. Consider these 11 tweaks to give your online presence a boost.

Gloria Lamson, Falling Apart and Coming Together. Installation includes jigsaw puzzle pieces and teabags. ©The Artist

1. Get rid of any splash page. Those are passé, slightly annoying, and you don’t want to count on people clicking through to your main menu.

2. Make sure your name is visible at the top of every page. We shouldn’t have to search under a rock to see whose art we’re looking at.

3. Tweak your Title <TITLE> tags. The title of your page is embedded in your code and shows up at the top of a browser—not on the page itself. Title meta tags are very important for search engines. Let’s say your page title default is “Home.” Do you think people really do a Web search for “Home”? A better choice for a page title would be rich in keywords such as “Paintings by Wyoming Artist Charles Frazier.”

4. If you use a blog for your primary Web presence, your artwork should be easy to find. Don’t make us scroll to find your art buried in old posts. Create a link for a Web page of all your art—perhaps using a Flickr plugin. Speaking of which . . .

5. Make sure the link to your artwork is clearly defined with any one of these labels: Art, Portfolio, Paintings, Photography, Sculpture (or your medium of choice). Don’t use the word “Gallery” to describe your artwork pages. Save that word for the galleries representing you.

6. Enlarge your thumbnails. Leave the stamp-sized images behind and create an impact with larger thumbnails. In I’d Rather Be in the Studio! I suggest the smallest dimension be at least 100-140 pixels. You have to WOW us before we’ll click.

7. Add a credit line next to each artwork. (I hope you’re paying attention to this!) If you want other people to give you credit for your images, you first have to give yourself credit. This means a complete credit line with every piece you have on your site. It should look something like this:

©2010 Alyson B. Stanfield, On a Windy Day. Hand-dyed fabrics, reclaimed wood, ink, and thread, 36 x 24 inches.

Avoid using “quotation marks” for your titles. They are visually distracting.

8. Add images of your art to every page of your website. Use this free virtual real estate to display your art at every opportunity.

9. Put your artist statement next to the art that it discusses. There’s no need to make it a major link.

10. Add a picture of yourself to your About page. Don’t schedule a fancy sitting at Glamour Shots. Get something casual that makes you look like a vibrant artist who is going places. (No dowdy photos allowed!)

11. Add your social media accounts to your About or Contact pages. We look for these additional ways to follow you.

FINAL WORD: Creating an entirely new website or blog is overwhelming. Tweaking what you already have is easier! Implementing even a couple of these ideas will make a big dent in the way your website functions.

Listen to the audio version of this content.

“Do it so good that people can’t doubt it anymore.”

This advice to artists is from the movie about the struggles of women artists, Who Does She Think She Is?*

I’d like to offer a corollary—a quote that I think is more powerful:

“Do it so good that YOU can’t doubt it anymore.”

J'Nell Jordan, Ten-twenty-five. Oil and acrylic on masonite, 24 x 35 inches. ©The Artist

In my experience, it doesn’t matter whether others believe in you or not.

What matters is that you believe in yourself. You can’t make something happen if you’re constantly reinforcing the negative thoughts.

Doubting yourself usually takes one of these forms:

• You doubt your talent.
• You doubt your ambition.
• You doubt your courage.

Most artists have a certain level of confidence, but doubt creeps in from time to time. It could be set off by an event, a conversation, or the alignment of the stars. Whatever it is, you must counter the doubt before it overtakes you.

To Conquer Doubt

Work more. Work less.
Work harder. Work smarter.
Work with others. Work in silence.
Work more meticulously. Work feverishly.
Work on something different.
Work toward a deadline.
Work for a bigger purpose.

Try all of the above. And do it so good that YOU can’t doubt yourself anymore.

FINAL WORD: A certain level of doubt can be useful as motivation. Dwelling in doubt can be debilitating. Conquer the doubt. What matters is that you believe in yourself.

Don’t miss an issue! Subscribe to the Art Marketing Action newsletter. Listen to the audio version.

*I believe it was Tiffany Schlain who said this in the film.

You think you can do everything yourself. You maintain this mindset because you either can’t imagine what tasks you’d be willing to turn over to someone else, or you don’t want to spend the money on hiring someone.

You might need an assistant if any of the following apply:

• You don’t feel like you can leave the office or studio for vacation.
• You can’t make enough work to keep up with the demand.
• You’re avoiding the work you don’t like to do.
• You make a good deal more money per hour than you’d pay an assistant.
• You’re spending more than 50% of your time doing tasks other than making art.

In honor of the start of the Tour de France . . . Andrea Hupke de Palacio, Eiffel Tower, View from Trocadero on a Misty Day. Watercolor. ©The Artist

The first step to getting an assistant is to admit you need help to run your art business.

The second step to getting an assistant is to identify what tasks need attention.

Start a List

I ask my clients to keep a list of EVERYTHING they do that someone else could be doing. These should be tasks that you’d be willing to delegate.

For example, if you would never trust anyone with mixing your glazes, don’t put it on your list.

On the other hand, you might be willing to turn over the responsibility for photography, packing, mailings, and database entry. Whatever the task is—whether it takes place in the office or studio—add it to your list.

After you’ve make a complete inventory of the tasks you’re willing to delegate, it will be easier to ask for help—even if you’re not ready to hire someone right away. Being aware of what “help” might look like will allow you to recognize it when it comes your way.

FINAL WORD: If you want to grow a profitable business, you can’t do everything yourself. The key to finding the perfect team to help you out is identifying which tasks could be managed by someone else. Hiring an assistant will bring you peace of mind that will allow you to focus on your art.

All artwork must go!
Select pieces up to 50% off!
No reasonable offers will be refused!

Sounds like the giant art sale at the airport hotel, huh? Loud sales proclamations just don’t work well when selling fine art. Mentioning SALE seems to cheapen the art.

But we do know that even high-end galleries offer discounts to valued collectors as well as to museums. So why can’t artists have their own sales? You can with the right strategies in place.

©2010 Michael Newberry, Himalayan Flight. Oil on linen, 36 x 48 inches.

First, consider any ramifications your sale would have on relationships with gallerists, collectors, or retailers. Plan accordingly with the following 8 tips in mind.

1. Have a reason for the sale.
It can be an anniversary, holiday, birthday, or moving sale, but it should be tied to a reason or event. For example, my sale starting today is a close-out on audio products I will no longer sell.

2. Be very clear about what is on sale and what isn’t on sale.
Will all of your work be on sale? All work prior to 2008? Anything smaller than a breadbox? All reproductions? Double- and triple-check the language you use in your sales message to ensure there is no room for misunderstanding.

3. Be honest and sincere with the language you use.
There is no need to hype the sale of your artwork. Remind people of the value they are getting during this one-time offer. The value in my audio sale is 29-38% off all audio products.

4. Create a sense of urgency.
If your sale doesn’t have an ending, there’s no reason for people to act quickly. A typical online sale is about 3-5 days. You’ll need a longer time period if it requires opening up your studio to guests.

5. Extend your offer to your collectors first.
Your collectors have already purchased similar works from you at a higher price. They might not be happy to learn that they could have gotten it at a lower price if they had waited. Make your collectors happy by sending them a personal letter well in advance of your starting sale date and offering them first choice (and maybe even a little extra discount). Perhaps you call it a Pre-Sale for Collectors Only.

Rather than using email for your collectors’ announcement, opt for a distinctive letter sent through the postal system. This will make your collectors feel special.

6. Set up a special sales page on your website or blog.
This is critical! There are too many distractions on your website home page. By directing traffic to a special sales page on your site, you can better facilitate the next action. See my sales page at http://artbizcoach.com/sale

7. Don’t hold too many sales.
If you’re announcing sales frequently, buyers will know there’s probably another one coming up around the bend. They’ll wait for your next sale to purchase from you.

8. Provide a call to action.
Don’t assume people will know what to do. Tell them where to click, whom to call, or how to email you for more information. For instance, if you want to take advantage of my closeout audio sale, go to http://artbizcoach.com/sale.html
Don’t forget that the sale ends at midnight ET on Friday, July 16.

FINAL WORD: There’s no reason you can’t have a sale, but you want to make sure you’ve covered all of the details before it’s announced.