With today’s technology, art gallery owners have a unique opportunity to reach beyond the walls of their physical space and captivate a global audience. Building a solid online presence is key to attracting both local visitors and art lovers from around the world.
Here are five expert strategies to help gallery owners boost their visibility online, increase engagement, and ultimately drive more visitors and sales.
Artists often face the challenge of feeling that their work goes unappreciated or misunderstood, which can be discouraging, especially in an industry that’s highly subjective. However, several strategies can help transform these feelings into positive momentum. Here’s how to handle underappreciation while maintaining a focus on growth and fulfillment.
As an artist, achieving financial security without relying on side jobs may seem challenging, but there are practical and effective strategies to make it possible. By diversifying income sources, managing finances carefully, and building a strong professional network, artists can pave the way to a sustainable career focused solely on their art.
Securing high-profile mural commissions can elevate an artist’s career, providing increased visibility, prestige, and financial reward. However, breaking into the world of public art often requires strategy, persistence, and a deep understanding of the industry. Here are some essential steps to help you land your first major mural commission.
Getting your art displayed in prestigious galleries in New York, New Jersey, or other art hubs can be a turning point in your career. However, it requires a strategic approach to stand out in the competitive art world. Here’s how to navigate the process:
Packing and shipping framed canvas art requires careful attention to ensure the artwork arrives at its destination safely and in pristine condition. Here’s a step-by-step guide to pack and ship framed canvas art:
1. Gather materials. Before you begin, gather all the necessary materials. You’ll need a sturdy cardboard box slightly larger than the artwork, acid-free paper, bubble wrap, air cushions, packing paper, packing tape, cardboard corner protectors, and a marker for labeling.
2. Wrap the artwork. This step has many layers. Take your time during this step.
Tip: When packing a very large framed artwork, it’s better to remove the glazing since there’s a greater risk of the glass breaking during transit. Put a clean sheet of cardboard on the painting to protect it.
3. Protect the corners. Place cardboard corner protectors over the corners of the framed canvas to provide additional reinforcement and protection against impacts.
4. Prepare the box. Line the bottom of the cardboard box with a layer of packing paper or bubble wrap to cushion the artwork. If shipping multiple pieces, separate them with additional layers of packing material to prevent them from rubbing against each other.
5. Position the artwork in the box. Carefully place the wrapped and protected framed canvas art in the center of the box, ensuring that it is positioned upright and does not touch the sides of the box. Fill any empty spaces with additional packing material, such as bubble wrap or packing peanuts, to prevent shifting during transit.
Tip: Make sure that you’ve filled the box with air cushions and/or insulation foam so the artwork doesn’t move at the center of the box.
6. Seal the box. Once the artwork is securely positioned in the box, seal the box with packing tape. Reinforce the seams and edges of the box to prevent it from opening during shipping.
7. Label the box. Use “Fragile” and “Handle with Care” stickers all around the shipping box. Include the sender’s and recipient’s addresses, as well as any special instructions for the carrier.
8. Choose a shipping method. Select a reputable shipping carrier that offers insurance and tracking services for valuable items. Consider opting for expedited shipping or additional insurance coverage for added peace of mind.
9. Schedule pickup or drop-off. Arrange for the packaged artwork to be picked up by the shipping carrier or drop it off at a designated shipping location. Be sure to obtain a receipt or tracking number as proof of shipment.
10. Monitor shipment. Keep track of the shipment’s progress using the provided tracking number. Notify the recipient once the artwork has been successfully delivered.
Packing a canvas art may take so much of your time, but it will give you and your client peace of mind. Also, remember that the time spent packing your artwork is a fraction of the time you spent creating it.
Transporting artworks is part of an artist’s life. If you have an out-of-town exhibition or seminar, running an art business, or selling and collecting paintings, shipping paintings is very important. Shipping paintings can be a bit risky. Paintings are delicate and you must take utmost care in packaging, and handling them.
Here are some guidelines to help you in packaging paintings. Note that, despite best efforts, there are still some uncontrollable factors such as bad weather, untrained art handlers, rough roads, etc. that could damage your paintings while in transit. These guidelines will help you send your paintings safely and lessen the damage (if any).
Before shipping
1. Assess your shipping needs. Know the size, medium, and condition of the painting. Fragile, old, or antiquated paintings will be more damaged when shipped so it’s better to transport paintings which are less fragile. But, if you really need to ship a painting that is fragile, you have to take a different approach in packing and shipping it.
2. Consider the distance the painting has to travel. The farther the painting has to move, the more vulnerable to damage it gets. When the painting has to be shipped in great distances, remember that many handlers will be in between Point A to B.
3. Decide which transportation is best to use in moving your painting. Can you move your painting by hand, by car, by truck, or by plane?
4. If you will need a shipping company, search for a trustworthy company and determine the policies, restrictions, and cost of their service.
Packaging
Packaging your painting by yourself can save you money, if done correctly and with the right supplies. Here are the steps:
1. Make sure you have these packing supplies on hand, especially if you’re running an art business.
2. Measure the dimensions of the painting. Give a 2″ allowance all around the piece which will serve as a buffer against the outside world.
3. Starting from the back of the canvas, wrap the palette wrap tightly around the painting and cover the entire surface.
4. Cut small slits on the plastic at the back of the painting to let the piece “breathe.”
5. Put the cardboard padding on the table. Place the painting on top of the cardboard padding and measure the width and depth of the painting. Double these measurements and add few more inches if you want and mark these on the cardboard.
6. Cut the cardboard using the measurements. Create a second box using the cardboard padding. Put the painting inside and secure the box with the packing tape.
7. Tightly wrap the bubble wrap around the second box. Tip: Put another layer of bubble wrap on the edges of the box as extra cushion since the edges of the painting or the frame are more prone to damage when shipping.
8. Put the bubble-wrapped second box into the outer box. Fill any spaces with additional bubble wrap. If there are a lot of extra spaces, you can opt to cut the outer box to fit the second box.
Selling your art is no different from selling other items. All you need to do is to find the right people who want to buy them and the right places to display your art and make it look good, where art buyers tend to congregate, and places where you know the client can afford your asking prices. Here are some of the best places where you can find your buyers.
Galleries
Still, the best place to find a buyer for your artwork is in an art gallery. You can look around to find an art gallery exhibition and display your work. Find a good art gallery to represent you, and who can arrange an art show for you. Art buyers often show up at the opening just to see if there is anything that they like. There are always potential buyers who come to these exhibitions looking for good paintings.
Social Media and Art Websites
There are many social networks, online galleries, and other websites online to market art. There are by far too many to mention here, but the major ones are Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and many online gallery websites. Sign up and start advertising online. If you manage to sell many, you are not only making money, but are receiving free advertising! People will be talking about your art, or share it through the mail. Many will see your artworks, who would not have been able to before.
Art competions, Auction sale and Art Expos
Try to join as frequent as possible in competitions and art events. Even if you do not win, you and your artwork will get exposure. Whoever is on the judging panel will see it, be it gallery owners or curators. The more they have to judge your artworks the more they will be familiar with you and know how serious you are about your art career. Its usually best to show alongside other artists who work in the same style as you. That way, the art buyers that often buy from them, may purchase artworks from you.
Neighbors, Family and Friends
Of course, the first people who have to see your artwork are the ones who are nearest to you. Show them what you are creating. Show them to your family members, friends and you neighbours. . Even if they do not buy artwork from you, they may tell others about your creations.
It’s best to never pressure someone into buying though. If they like it, or can afford it, they will most likely purchase from you without any convincing. Observe how art is sold in as many different circumstances as possible. Watch how people sell at all types of galleries, art shows, art fairs and other venues where art is for sale. See what sales techniques work to different kinds of buyers and take note which one doesn’t. Research on what sells best and why and learn everything you can from gallery owners and fellow artists about how they present, market, and sell art to clients.
Image source: www.forbes.com
Now that your website is ready, it’s time to attract viewers and visitors to your site. The reasons why you want traffic to your site is to put have as many audiences and potential buyers as possible. There are tons of other online art galleries around and your goal is to divert some online visitors to see your page. You might have read a lot of these tips online and there are boatloads of them but here are some of the most basic things that you should do.
• Write search engine friendly titles
Make your titles easy to search by using keywords in your titles. But be sure to keep it unique and avoid having similar titles of other websites. Take note that search engines focus on specific keywords so make sure to integrate your keyword in your title.
• Search engine optimization
Write blogs or articles using significant keywords. This will help your blog or article to show up first when the keyword is typed in search engines. This is done by repetitively typing the keyword all throughout your article but be careful not to overdo it because you still want your articles to be sensible and informative and not annoy your readers with repeating words.
• Link your Twitter and Facebook profiles to your website
Create a social media page and exchange links to other closely similar sites to create more website traffic. Choose other credible websites to link with to attract quality audiences. Post interesting pictures, videos, or articles to your social media page and link them to your website.
• Enhance your internet presence by advertising
Create free advertisements for your websites in social media pages and to other websites. This will constantly remind users that there are websites like yours. You don’t have to stick to electronic medium to advertise. You can use prints like stickers and postcards of your logo and your website and give it out to the community to increase awareness of your website.
• Keep your website updated
Post new things on your website every now and then like uploading new pictures and new blog posts to keep it updated. Let the visitors of your website know that you have something to offer every time so that they will keep on visiting your site even if they have seen it before.
• Make your website interactive
Create a forum in your website wherein visitors can leave comments about your artwork and your blogs. Keep it as interactive as possible because knowing that you read their comments and replying will make your visitors feel that they are not being ignored. You can also participate in discussions with other websites. Letting them know about your presence will build curiosity about who you are and what you can offer.
Now that you have decided that you want to expand your horizons when it comes to promoting and selling your artwork through the internet, the next challenge for you is on how you’ll be able to attract people to visit your page or website and check your paintings out. Here are some creative ideas that you can use when selling your paintings online.
Create a name and a logo for your website
I suggest that you should take this one seriously. Think of a domain that will carry your name and your work and which will also serve as your trademark. It has to be unique and interesting and very much related to your style and kind of work. Make it as personal as possible to create a character and personality to your website.
Write something about your website and what you can offer
Writing a short history and description about your site will make it more interesting. Say something about how you started and why you decided to put it up. Elaborate on your art and your love for your craft. Show how passionate you are in what you do and that it reflects in your work. This way, you’ll be able to imbibe to your readers that they are not just looking at a piece of decoration but an art worth buying.
Post well-photographed and high definition photos of your art
Remember that your website is your portfolio online. You can show your artwork to anyone and anywhere in the world. They will not be able to see the actual painting so a nice photograph of it will allow them to appreciate the details. You can hire a professional photographer or you can do it yourself provided that you are able to capture the most important details and that it will come out like you are looking at the original painting.
Use videos to advertise and to tell something about you and your artwork
Create fun videos of yourself making your paintings. A time lapsed video is a great idea wherein you video yourself creating a masterpiece from start to finish. Videos tend to create more traffic in websites because watching is more fun than reading alone. You can also share your videos on YouTube or Vimeo and create links to other social networks like Facebook and Twitter to your page to draw visitors to your website.
Write interesting blogs
You can attract a variety of possible clients by writing interesting reads about art in your website. You can write about history of art, about your favourite artists or teach art techniques through your blog. This will make you website more fun and worth visiting again.