Artists tend to be sensitive beings that are not exactly extroverts. This is why many artists shy away from marketing their art. But to achieve a minimum of exposure and make a few sales, you will need to promote your work in some way. Marketing and art are not as far apart as you might think. In this post, I’ll talk about why marketing is an art and how you can benefit from your artistic skills to promote your artwork!
Art is defined as the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form, such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.
So far so good. Artists are believed to mainly use the right side of the brain, which is responsible for creative thinking and artistic skill.
In short, art is in the ‘right brain’, while science and analytical thinking are in the ‘left brain’.
So why am I actually telling you that? Because in this post, I want to talk about why marketing is an art, and why you as an artist have a clear advantage in marketing your art that you should make use of!
Many artists think of themselves as creative people ‘only’ who can merely create art but not market it. They believe that creativity and marketing exclude each other. Art is a creative endeavor that comes from the right part of the brain. Marketing, on the other hand, requires mainly the left brain, the analytical part. That’s what many artists believe. But it’s actually not true.
Marketing is an art and a science. To run a successful marketing campaign, you'll need to combine both. But the good news for all artists is that art is more important in marketing than science – especially when it comes to promoting artwork!
Should artists market their art?
Now, when you are an artist, you main job is to create art. But that’s not all there is to being an artist. If you want your artwork to get seen, connect with like-minded people, and maybe make a few sales, you will need to promote your art at least a little bit.
That’s why marketing is important in art. Now, you might be one of those artists who say: ‘Marketing my art? No, no, no. I’m an artist and not a marketer!’
In fact, getting out of your comfort zone and putting your work on display can be daunting. Even more so if you are the introvert kind of person (like myself!).
But as an artist, you have a clear advantage in marketing your artwork. Why? Because marketing is an art as well!
As the great marketing author, consultant, and former professor of international marketing Philip Kotler put it:
“Marketing is not the science of finding clever ways to dispose of what you make. It is the art of creating genuine customer value.”
Is marketing an art or a science?
Actually, marketing is both an art and a science.
Marketing is an art, because it requires creativity and expression. But there’s also the data. There is market research that needs to be done, demographic analyses, identifying your target audience, and so on. This is where marketing is a science.
Coming back to the functions of the brain that we talked about at the beginning of this post, we can say that marketing involves both the ‘right brain’ and the ‘left brain’.
The science ensures that a marketing campaign is based on data and research. The art accounts for the creative appeal and the emotional relatability of an ad.
Psychologists believe that artistically inclined marketers are ‘right- brain’ thinkers. They are able to produce marketing materials that engage both the heart and the mind of the target audience. It is not the hard data, but this creative and emotional appeal what makes a marketing campaign successful.
Let me give you a real-life example. Let’s say a marketer is to create an advertisement for a new product launch.
A ‘left-brain’ marketer might look at all the scientific details: at the measurements of the product, what the buyer can use it for, how profitable it is, and how it can be bought.
An artist, on the other hand, might design the advert in way that catches the eye of the viewer and tell an engaging story that entices the customer to make a purchase.
That’s why marketing is an art and you, as an artist, can use the benefits of your artistic mindset to promote your own work!
Let me give you two more advantages that come with marketing your art as an artist:
1. It is easier for artists to create emotional connections.
As artists, we tend to be empathetic and sensitive beings. This is what gives you a clear edge in promoting your art! Marketing is all about creating emotional connections, and your sensitive side can help you build meaningful relationships with your audience.
Just for the record: studies found that 50% of B2B (business-to-business) buyers are more likely to make purchase if they feel emotionally connected to a brand.
Or, to say it with Philip Kotler again:
“The art of marketing is the art of brand building. If you are not a brand, you are a commodity. Then price is everything and the low-cost producer is the only winner.”
How you can use this in marketing your art?
The easiest way to create an emotional connection with your audience and potential buyers is through telling stories around your artwork.
Now, you might think that your art speaks for itself. Or, you might not want to speak about your work because you think you’ll never find the right words. Or because you don’t dare to describe your innermost feelings and thoughts that led you to make a specific work of art. Or because you are afraid to come across as too salesy, too conceited, too desperate…
Whatever your reasons may be, fact is unfortunately, your art does not speak for itself. I used to think the same way, but I had to realize myself that art needs explanation.
You’ll need to get comfortable explaining your work in order to connect to your audience and succeed with your art business. For example, you can talk about what inspired you, what techniques or tools you used, the meaning behind your artwork, your work in progress (WiP), etc.
Learning how to write or speak about your art is not as hard as you might think. Before I started to write about my work, I was convinced that I would never be able to do it. I believed I could never find the words to express what I had in mind when creating a particular piece.
But once I got started, I noticed that it is not even that difficult (still a little bit though…). But by now, I even enjoy speaking about my creative process!
2. Art is important in marketing.
Marketing cannot do without creativity. No matter what you want to create – be it an online ad, a flyer, an e-book – you’ll need to be creative to design something appealing.
This is where you have another clear advantage as an artist. And even if you want to build your own artist website (which is also a form of marketing), your artistic skills will be immensely helpful!
Just on a side note: if you don’t have an artist website yet, you might think that creating your own website is incredibly complicated, but it is not! I’ve created this entire website on my own, from scratch, and in this post I show you how to do it! You don’t need any coding skills at all, and there are lots of easy-to-use website builders for artists.
Two of the best website builders are Squarespace and Pixpa. Many creatives have their websites hosted on these platforms because they specifically cater to visual artists and are super-easy to use!
So, what is the importance of art in marketing?
Art is important in all respects of marketing. You need some sort of art to create unique and attractive designs. Artwork is perfect to speak to potential customers and appeal to their emotions. Art allows an advertising or marketing campaign to stand out.
What does artwork mean in marketing? Well, the short answer is: everything!
If you are an artist, you already have the most important skill to market successfully: your creativity and artistic experience. You already know how to work with digital art software, you know about composition and color theory, you know how to create something that speaks to your audience and makes them feel something.
Since marketing is an art, you have everything it takes to market your art!
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I’m here to help you deal with particular challenges you might face as an artist, and I hope with this post, I was able to encourage all artists that are still hesitant to step out of their comfort zone and start promoting their artwork. For more tips and advice, check out the Showcase & Sell Your Art section on my website.
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