It happens that some artists achieve success only once they pass away.
Just think of characters like Van Gogh, Franz Kafka or Vivian Maier, nowadays hailed for their talent, but criticized or ignored while they were still on this earth.
Fortunately, things have changed since the days when guerrilla marketing was predominant.
Getting known today is definitely easier than in the past, especially on the Web.
But why should an artist invest part of his time in promoting himself online?
I explain it in this short guide, accompanied by some case studies ranging from cartoonist to make-up artist.
What is web marketing for artists.
I could tell you that web marketing is a set of communication strategies that are used to promote businesses, products and services on the Internet.
I could also tell you that there are dozens of different channels to do this: from social media to blogs, from newsletters to corporate websites, to SEO.
But the most important thing you need to keep in mind, dear artist, is. web marketing for artists is first and foremost creativity.
Of course, there are definite methodologies to be applied if you want to get real results, but web marketing is not just about formulas, statistics and performance.
È Put yourself in listening to your audience, to try to understand what language he speaks and what places he likes to go, is to create a message that is able to strike him deep down and that he cannot help but share.
Any online marketing expert will tell you that if you want to hope to make inroads into the hearts and minds of your followers, you will need to open a Facebook page and perhaps a YouTube channel, two among the fundamental tools in the contemporary Web landscape.
The truth is that the canvas of online communication is the same for everyone, but you will decide what colors and brushstrokes you use to fill it.
Tools and strategies are just a framework, it will be your content - and the way you choose to promote it-that Will really make a difference.
Why focus on web marketing for artists, especially at this moment in history
According to the Global Digital Report 2019, most people with Internet access spend at least half a day online, every single day.
This means that, on average, a huge chunk of the world's population spends at least six and a half hours in front of a screen, be it a PC, tablet or smartphone.
What are we doing in all this time online?
We surf social media for at least two hours a day, buy things on Amazon, read news, search for information on a wide variety of topics, invest in cryptocurrencies, watch videos on YouTube.
Basically, much of our life revolves around the Web.
Here's why it becomes critical to build a strong online presence and learn how to communicate through the digital channels we have at our disposal.
No company, freelancer or entrepreneur can afford to forego attending such a crowded plaza of potential customers.
Neither do you, who up to now have been working using some traditional marketing tricks, disregarding new technologies and without a clear plan of action (marketing plan).
The historical moment we are living through, then, has highlighted even more the strategic role that digital has assumed in the modern era.
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced us to question several aspects of our lives that until now seemed untouchable: work, education, commerce, then even traditional art and visual art.
Suddenly, digital has become the only remedy for the social distancing imposed by authorities, which has caught many businesses and institutions unprepared.
My dispassionate advice, therefore, is not to wait for the next global catastrophe to invest in online communication.
Web marketing for Artists, musicians, writers: how to do it right
Whether you are a writer, musician, painter or actor, one thing is certain: if you want to promote your art on the Web, you will have to devote a fair amount of time and effort to achieve concrete results.
It's not enough to open a Facebook page and upload photos of your artwork to start selling your paintings, just as it's not enough to make a video in which you sing a Queen cover song to get level-headed engagements.
Web marketing is creativity, sure, but it also requires careful planning to achieve good results.
The first thing you need to do to promote yourself as an artist on the Internet is. create a web marketing plan including analysis of the context in which you are moving, definition of the goals you want to achieve and the target audience you are addressing, the strategies to be implemented, and, finally, analysis of the results.
That done, an editorial plan for publishing content needs to be established.
Which channels to choose?
What tone of voice to use?
What form should the content take?
In the next few paragraphs you will find answers to some of these questions, as well as some tips on how to connect with your audience.
If I were you, I would focus on three mandatory web marketing strategies, which you absolutely must not miss:
- Storytelling
- Social media curation
- A blog with a good editorial plan
Let's look at them in detail.
Web marketing for artists: storytelling.
I have already discussed this technique in several articles I have written in the past, and the reason is very simple: I am convinced that the storytelling is a very powerful communication tool, capable of generating a deep connection with its target audience.
Imagine telling your followers how the song you just composed came about, or the picture you painted out of the blue during your last sleepless night. Imagine telling them what happens to you when inspiration comes your way, what stimuli and opportunities it brings, and how you manage the whole process. In this way you will give them a chance to get to know you better, to realize that you share the same aspirations or fears, that you understand creativity in the same way.
Don't be afraid to open up to your community: use the storytelling technique to create some inspirational post on social media and also to write theabout page Of your website. Let them catch a glimpse of who you really are.
Can an artist do without social media?
No.
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and the newly formed Tik Tok are the main platforms that connect the content creators around the world with their potential customers and followers.
Clearly, there are also more vertical communities, e.g. Flickr, Behance, SoundCloud or Wattpad.
How, then, to choose the most appropriate social media to promote your art?
It all depends on the target audience you want to address and the goal of your communication.
If your goal is simply to create a connection with your audience, then you would do better to target a more generalist channel such as Facebook or Instagram to reach as many people as possible.
If, on the other hand, your goal is to sell your pieces, get engagements or display your art in a gallery, you will necessarily need to promote yourself on industry channels.
You can find my specific guide on social media marketing here.
Web marketing for artists: creating a blog.
Starting a blog is always a good idea.
If you are intent on developing a good strategy to web marketing for artists that allows you to communicate your every thought effectively, blogging is a must.
It helps you rank in Google search and convey valuable content to your users.
Among other things, it is also the ideal channel for applying the storytelling technique. You can choose to write for yourself or try to collaborate with some industry blogs, e.g. Artribune o ObjectsMag.
While thinking about having a good social presence, blogging allows one to communicate one's art online without deadlines and without falling into oblivion.
Do you remember what you saw yesterday on social?
Probably not.
But a good article that you read all in one breath on a blog, you will remember it for a long time, and it will always be findable on search engines.
Whatever your choice, remember to draw up a clear editorial plan before you start publishing your posts.
Define the frequency of publication, the columns you want to cover, any guest post To host on your blog.
Above all, try to keep to the schedule!
Virtuous examples of web marketing for artists: those who have made it
If you really don't know where to start when planning your online communication, take a cue from these artists who, in their own way, have managed to build a significant following through the Web and especially social media.
A great many independent artists are adopting them as an example to follow, both in terms of online cultural communication and online cultural marketing-the difference is subtle, but it is there!
Jago
At only 33 years old, Jago has revolutionized the world of sculpture through his rebellious approach and unconventional.
He rose to fame in 2013, when he produced what is perhaps his most significant and controversial work, viz. Habemus Hominem.
It is a marble bust depicting Pope Benedict XVI after he resigned: Ratzinger is naked, a metaphor representing the transition from pontiff to man.
Jago is very active on social media and has 111,000 followers on Instagram, 268,000 fans on Facebook, and thousands of views on YouTube, and is an important example of how to conduct a dedicated web marketing strategy for artists.
The artist's activity is featured in several videos of him finishing one of his sculptures, or where he shows how the creation of a detail takes place.
He often addresses his audience by asking questions and seeking dialogue, which fans seem to appreciate.
ZeroCalcare
Here is an example of a cartoonist who has managed to build a huge online following, and who is now recognized as one of the content creators most beloved on the Italian web.
I'm talking about ZeroCalcare, a pseudonym for Michele Rech, who in 2011 started a comic book blog for the purpose of publishing his short stories with an autobiographical background.
Before long, visits multiplied, and in 2012 the first official awards began to arrive.
In the following years Michele published several comic books that sold more than 690,000 copies.
Tea Flego
Tea is a Croatian girl who dreamed of being a make-up artist as a child. Her dream came true thanks to the complicity of her grandmother, who always modeled for her, and the visibility of her profile on Instagram.
Since 2016, in fact, his content has gone viral, leading her to surpass the 180,000-follower mark and produce her own signature line of false eyelashes.
Luisa Azevedo
It was the year 2015 when Luisa Azevedo, a young Portuguese artist, posted her first image on Instagram.
From then on he became increasingly interested in the technique of photographic manipulation, resulting in dreamlike images with a surrealist touch that won thousands of users worldwide.
Today Luisa has about 160,000 followers on Instagram and works full-time as an artist, collaborating with various entities.
Conclusions
As you can see, each of these artists has been able to harness the power of online communication to reach audiences and increase their visibility.
Two elements that certainly unite them are continuity and consistency of published content.
Social media is particularly sensitive to the continuity with which information is posted that creates entertainment and engagement. The algorithm is able to understand not only LIKEs, comments and shares, of course, but also how long each user stays on particular post.
Google loves consistency.
Posting articles on your blog that are too "thin" does not help your indexing at all; in fact, it deadens it.
From an analysis that you can easily conduct yourself, you will notice that the best articles-the ones that rank high in searches-have a word count usually exceeding 1,000.
So gone are the days of 500-word mini blog posts, now you have to play everything on your authority.
Now that you have all this information, what will be your next move?