Are you underutilizing all the free sales and marketing data available to you?
Knowledge is power. We all know the value of the analytics we see on our FASO site dashboards. We take workshops and watch videos. We consume social media work-in-progress videos. We stop and listen whenever someone is sharing things that might help us create, sell and market our art.
I believe we are all still underutilizing the FREE, in capital letters, no strings attached, knowledge at our disposal. In fact, I don't believe we could ever fully utilize it all if we tried.
You see, nowadays we have access to more real statistics than ever. By careful, targeted observation, you can design a system for gathering data that pertains to your business, and it won't cost you a dime. In this article, I am going to share some data that I have collected over the last ten years in the oil painting world of galleries, museums and art shows that I live in. But you can apply these same observations to whatever creative branch of the tree you nest in.
Art Galleries
Many art galleries will advertise prices and mark pieces as sold on their websites. If they don't, call them and ask. If you go to the gallery a few times over the course of a year, you will get a feel for how much of the art is brand new, and how much is being rotated throughout the gallery. Just because art is gone, doesn't mean it sold. Some galleries return art to their artists and ask for new pieces to display. You can look on an artist's website and see if the work you saw in the gallery on your last visit is still available
In my own experience, some art sells within minutes of being hung. Other paintings have been on the walls of a gallery, moving from one corner to another, for over four years before they sold. Higher priced art takes longer to sell. But it's true there is a buyer for every painting.
I know artists who will pull their work out of a gallery and send it to another if it doesn't sell in six months. This has not been my experience. In fact, more than once I have received several commissions that were inspired by a piece hanging on a wall for over a year in the same gallery.
Another little secret - most of the artists I know do not like themed shows. Galleries love themes because a good one can result in great show attendance. But if the theme is wildlife and you paint still life, odds are you won't be too enthused. For me, that translates into fewer sales. I have found that it works best if I paint what I love, and then look for shows or galleries those works fit well in.
By paying attention to which art sells in a gallery, you can make informed decisions about whether a gallery is right for you to approach. You can decide whether to enter shows that venue is hosting. You can notice if art in your price range is selling or not. It's also interesting to notice whether the art that sells is the same as what is used in the site's newsletters and blogs and social media posts. Do they promote some of their artists more than others? Do they have annual themed shows you would enjoy being a part of?
Before you invest time in studying a gallery's marketing and sales, be aware that many brick and mortar art venues do not have current websites. Some owners I have worked with are still using flip phones and don't answer emails. Those folks have a core group of collectors they interact with in person or through phone calls. Their sales are almost all done offline. Avoid trying to glean information from those sites. They are usually pretty obvious, because the sites look as clunky and old as they are.
Finally, tracking the sales and marketing of art businesses near where you live and sell, feels like a smart thing to do. You will begin to see trends in subjects, framing, price ranges, sizes, styles, and even colors at different times of the year. If you plan to sell in the same geography, it stands to reason you will sell more if you align with some of those trends.
Real Statistics: I approached 14 galleries in my first attempt at representation. I was turned away by them all, but one person thought my work would be a good fit for a gallery she was using as a source for some art in Maryland. That gallery contacted me, and offered me representation. Since then, I have been in over a dozen galleries, and they all approached me. They found me on social media, via internet searches, or from shows they hosted where I was a juried artist. There is a lot of talk about how best to approach a gallery. I still feel it's ideal if they approach you. If there is a gallery you want to be represented by, take a look at their stable of artists. Go to those artists' websites and do an internet search to see what events they are a part of. You can even call or visit the gallery to learn where they first saw those artists. Participate in the fairs and exhibitions that they mention, if you can.
Art Shows
There are always more art shows to enter than you could possibly paint for. During the pandemic, new online curated art shows have increased exponentially. The national societies have moved many of their shows online, and after some success, have added more shows to their annual rosters.
There's a fear of missing out that may make you feel you must enter every show you can in your genre. But even that can be a lofty goal. So how should we choose where to spend our entry fees?
One great thing about online shows- it is easier to track those red dots when artwork sells. You don't have to show up the last hanging day of the exhibition and count them in person. Make sure you are on the email list, and have a google alert set with the show name. Then, you will be aware of almost all the marketing that is done to promote the show you are studying.
Real statistic - I typically enter at least 60 art shows every year. In my world, 10 to 30% sales is typical. The nationally recognized ones with larger prize purses usually sell 5 to 10% of the paintings and sculptures in them. Smaller genre shows, like the international miniature fine art shows I enter always sell over 30% of the works. All this means that for me, I sell one in three paintings for every art show I participate in. I track the cost of entering and shipping art to these shows. I also track the awards and sales I receive from them. I profit overall, because the smaller shows pay for the net losses in the larger society shows. But the larger shows are the ones where more people see my work. That results in more commissions, sales and residual promotions. Immediate sales are never the only reason to enter an art show.
Art Museums
Have you dreamed of seeing your art in a museum show? Many art museums have curators who welcome proposals for art exhibits. They usually need a commitment of 50 paintings to fill a gallery. Typically, they book shows two to three years in advance. Right now, the museums I am working with are booking for 2023 because the pandemic has pushed many events into 2022. I have had a few solo shows, but I like organizing museum shows with three to five artists. That way, we each commit to about ten paintings for the show, and there are several of us co-promoting it.
Museums will often have annual fundraising exhibitions. Participating in those is a fun way to learn more about whether you would like to submit your own show proposal. Another good way is to look at their website for information on past exhibits. Also, what are their permanent exhibits like? Are the temporary exhibits similar to the permanent ones or polar opposites?
Most museums will offer a price list to patrons who ask for it. Nobody ever asks. Don't plan a museum show expecting a huge payday. Do it because you want to support their programming. Do it because when you share, link, post and write about your show there, you get your name forever linked to that museum in cyberspace.
Real fact - Not all art in museums is purchased, resulting in money for the artist. The overwhelming majority is actually donated by artists or by estates. I have art in the permanent collections of three museums, several corporations and public establishments. Some I was paid for. Some I donated. But all of them have raised my credibility and resulted in people who are interested followers of mine.
Be Interactive
Here is an observation that is true no matter the sales venue. The more interactive you can make the art viewing experience, the more sales you will have. During your marketing and the actual sales reception, the more engagement you get out of your audience, the more likely it is they will buy from you.
I'm sure this is a marketing 101 law somewhere. Whether you have an in person or online sales event, do an art talk, do a demonstration, have a discussion.
It's not enough to be really good. Sales and skills are rarely directly related. People buy your story. Tell it to them. The more you allow folks to interact with you, and the more you can create a two way exchange, the more art you will sell. Send emails. Do facebook lives. Consider an abbreviated little teaching type demonstration where people can try doing a bit of what you are demonstrating.
Real statistic - It's taken me 10 years of full time, consistent, 7 days per week, 12 hours per day focused work to get to where I am today as a professional master artist. I believe it would have taken at least double that amount of work and time if I had not thrown myself into every networking opportunity I could, and been ready to engage in two way interactions with potential collectors every time.
It's a marathon. It's not a sprint.
Be Successful
Having all of this knowledge at our fingertips, how could we NOT have an advantage over all the master artists of centuries past? Now more than ever, if you let yourself be successful, you will be successful.
Don't be discouraged when you work hard promoting an event and nobody shows up. You are in control of your marketing. Use your FASO site events page to advertise and promote. Post that link everywhere you can. Then, no matter how hard a commission gets, even if your workshop doesn't fill and has to be canceled, even if your demonstration only has one attendee and it's your mom, even if nobody comes to your reception - Even in all these sad circumstances, you have successfully marketed those events. That can result in followers and sales several years later.
What free data are you collecting that will help you sell your art today? Has this article inspired you to consider new strategies? I'd love to know, and others will, too!
