6 ways to market yourself and your art

Getting your work and yourself out there can seem a little daunting but these 6 steps will help you get off in the right direction...

Being proactive in marketing yourself as well as the things you produce is absolutely key to being a successful artist. It obviously helps to create noticeable and innovative work but that alone is unlikely to get you noticed. For a few lucky artists they may catch a break without having to do much to promote themselves but on the whole it requires a lot of hard graft. In this article we will explore 6 ways that you can market not only your art but also yourself.

Step 1: Be different

In a sense this is a little cliché but I think it needs talking about. As creatives it is so tempting to imitate others. We see something we like and the easy option is to copy them. As artists we need to be brave, courageous and not fear failing. As we embrace this attitude we will try new things. Sure well take inspiration from others but well be more likely to create something that is unique and different. Embrace this and dont be afraid of it. Be different!

Setting yourself apart is a vital part of getting noticed as a creative. Dont settle for the status quo
© Salvatore Ventura

Step 2: Social media

It goes without saying, hopefully, that social media is one of your best friends. Not in the sense that its a real friend, because that would be pretty sad, but that its one of the best tools for marketing your work. With that agreed, the first step is to pick the right platform(s). Instagram is brilliant for communicating visually so that is likely to be a good option for you. I would take a look at the people you want to reach and find out what platforms theyre using. That should dictate what you use.

Get on the same social media platforms as those people you are trying to reach
© William Iven

Step 3: Website

After engaging with social media you want to make sure that youve got a website set up. In the world of WordPress, Squarespace and Wix (others are available) theres not a huge amount of reasons to not have your own website, even if youre not particularly tech savvy. Get your bio on there, only your best work, and a clear link for people to contact you. Finally, work hard at making your website appear well in search rankings (not the scope of this article Im afraid).

Only put your best work onto your website. You want it to be a good reflection of the very best your able to achieve
© Jens Kreuter

Step 4: Online galleries

There are plenty of options around like Behance and others. Getting your work on these online galleries will not only expose your work to like-minded individuals but itll help with generally increasing your online presence. Even a platform like Pinterest can help to increase your exposure. These types of galleries are particularly good at helping others share your work on popular social networking platforms. This helps to further increase your popularity.

Showcase your creative work on this massive platform
© Behance Adobe

Step 5: Be active on forums

Another great way to share your work and to enter into dialogue about your art is to put it on forums. For 3D visualisation for example there are loads of great forums such as Ronen Bekermans or CGArchitects. This will help you connect with other artists and will give you valuable feedback about how to make your work better. The more active you can be on forums the better, and definitely engage with other peoples work too.

Forums, like Ronen Bekermans, are perfect places to get honest feedback about your work.
© Ronen Bekerman

Step 6: Networking

Get out there and meet people! Ive put this as number 6 but in reality its probably the most effective thing you can do. There are countless examples out there of artists that are not particularly good but have made the right connections in life and therefore achieved greatness, whatever that means. Very few of us are likely to achieve greatness but the principle still stands that if you want your work to get noticed then you need to get meeting people; as many people as you can. Go to exhibitions, events, network with people online. Make use of as many settings as you can.

Get out and about and meet people. Exhibitions, events and training courses are perfect for this.
© Christian Battaglia

Know your audience

These 6 ways are by no way a complete comprehensive set of tactics. You obviously need to find what works for you and how youre going to find and target your desired audience. The nature of the people youre trying to reach will have the biggest impact upon how you go about marketing. So let me encourage you at the end of this article to be proactive in getting to know your audience. Make sure you know what theyre interested in and what makes them tick. Then you can tailor your marketing accordingly.

Related links

Inside animation studio: Engine House
Going Freelance : how to build a career but keep your free time
How to level up your artwork