How to Grow Your Art Business With 10 Easy Strategies
Client Raiser’s Danielle Glosser speaking with an artist client about how to grow his art business
Approaching the business side of your art practice with as much thought and vigor as you do in creating your artwork will definitely help you reach your goals, but it’s often a challenge for artists. That’s why we get so many artists asking us “How do I grow my art business?”
Just like any other company, implementing basic business practices in a thoughtful, strategic way leads to increased visibility and sales of your art. Whether you’re an emerging or established artist, these 10 strategies will ignite new ways to enhance the business side of your art practice.
We arrived at these 10 items after working with 150 artists in 20 states over the past six years. From emerging sculptors and photographers to established painters, performance artists, and mixed media artists, these are sure-fire ways to improve the business side of your art practice. Whether you’ve heard of them or they’re completely new to you, each of these strategies is designed to help answer the question of how to grow your art business and level up your art practice simultaneously.
1. Establish SMART Goals For Your Career
Common language in creating a Strategic Plan in the business world is to develop SMART goals. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and tied to a Timeframe. Regardless of whether you have a short-term or long-term goal in mind, thinking through these items will help you evaluate if you have succeeded in reaching it.
The first step in how to grow your art business: establish SMART goals
Let’s take two examples from our artist clients. After going through our Inventory Assessment process, an established painter wanted more assistance in developing content for her website that quarter, while another artist wanted to become “the best artist in the world.” The painter’s goal is SMART in that she could assess her goal by determining if she completed the content for her website in the desired timeframe, while the other artist’s goal was not specific, measurable, achievable or realistic.
Think through, sketch out, and compare your ideas to ensure that you are indeed pursuing a SMART goal.
2. How To Grow Your Art Business, Digitally: Create a Captivating Website
An example of a simple, aesthetically pleasing artist website
Whether you are targeting individual collectors or established art professionals, a simple and aesthetically pleasing website is fundamental. If it looks antiquated and you are thinking about redoing it, or you don’t love your website, then definitely update it. After all, your website is a reflection of you, your art, and your art business. It doesn’t make much sense to spend a significant amount of time and money on your artwork if you are not going to invest in a website in order to share your artwork with the world.
Images that are high quality (but still under 300kb for SEO purposes) coupled with a complete Artist Statement, CV and bio are essential in this digital era. Don’t forget to add the title, dimensions, media, and price to each image as well. Also, having a current action photo of you working on your art is an important touch so your audience feels a connection to you. Try it out on your landing page or contact form!
3. Implement A Strong, Focused Social Media Strategy
Growing your social media following is a great way to grow your art business
In this digital age, every business needs to have a social media presence - and that includes your art business. For artists, Instagram is the most effective because it is a visual platform. Gallerists, art consultants, interior designers, curators, and individual collectors frequently find new artwork through reels, stories, and feeds. Don’t neglect using hashtags in every facet of this platform to maximize your visibility as well. Here’s a great resource for the best hashtags for artists to use.
Facebook is still relevant because it has the largest user base and it’s more conversational, which may appeal more to those nearest and dearest to you as well as their networks. Although LinkedIn is more focused on corporate America, it can be used to make connections to institutions and art professionals as well. Moreover, video platforms such as YouTube and TikTok can be beneficial because they provide an opportunity for you to directly speak and engage your audience through video.
Since there are so many social media platforms available these days, be sure to hone in on just a few that are the most effective for you after experimenting with them. Think through those that you enjoy the most, assist you in meeting your goals, and feel the most natural to you. Just having a presence on a platform is not going to serve you unless you are consistent with your content and authentic with your interactions.
4. Organize Your Artwork + Reap The Rewards
Being organized and ready to respond to any request about your artwork can sometimes make or break a sale. By creating an Excel worksheet, Google Sheet, or - better yet - using convenient platforms such as Artwork Archive, you can easily track the title, pricing, dimensions, media, and provenance of each of your works. Maintaining details in an organized fashion streamlines the business side of your art practice and will decrease your stress level. The end result? It makes it easy for you to grow your art business, and that makes it a win in our book.
Here’s a great story about one of our artist clients, whose organizational skills led to a lifelong relationship with an art consultant:
I was about to go to sleep one night when an art consultant called me. She was desperate to find artwork for a company that needed it installed the very next day. As you can imagine, this was quite a request to make with such short notice. However, luckily I knew just the artist to contact. I called the artist and she had images over to me in a matter of minutes with all of the details about each work. The art consultant made her selections that evening and hung the show on time.
This would have never happened if the artist didn’t have a strong, easy-to-access organizational structure of her work. The end result was a win-win for everyone and created a strong relationship between the artist and the art consultant which has lasted to this day.
5. Expand Your Network + Build Community to Grow Your Art Business
Danielle’s clients supporting her after being invited to speak at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
The beauty of technology is that it expands your community across the globe. Nurturing those relationships is just as essential as maintaining your romantic and in-person ones. Setting up a free email database through Mailchimp or Constant Contact is simple and allows for frequent communications via newsletters that share the latest and greatest aspects of your art practice along with visuals of your work.
Another way to stay “top of mind” with your network is to personally reach out to them several times a year. Whether it is through a holiday card, personalized email invitation to an exhibition, or thank you card for attending, these frequent “touches” forge stronger ties between you and your network of supporters. While it’s often hard to measure this quantitatively, you’ll be ecstatic the next time a frequent supporter suggests you for an exhibition or tells a friend in search of new art about you and your work.
6. Create An Inspiring Studio Space
Natural light and space to create your work can add great value to your art practice
Whether you like all of your art implements organized or in an artistic disarray, it’s important that you feel comfortable in your space and create one that inspires you. Home studios offer a level of convenience that some appreciate, while securing studio space in an arts center provides others with more motivation to complete their work or quenches their desire for connection with other artists.
Decide what suits you and your budget, and then create a space that speaks to you. Most importantly, be sure that you are not in a physically or mentally toxic environment. If so, then make securing a new space your priority. You may not think that where you create your art fits into the “how to grow my art business” category, but it does. If you’re not in a comfortable and inspiring physical space, it’s hard to be in the right headspace to create your art - let alone market it.
7. Formulate And Practice Your Elevator Pitch
Artists wondering how to grow their art business often can’t figure out the very first step, and in many ways it all starts with your elevator pitch. When asked about your art practice, you should be able to confidently articulate your work in one minute or less.
To say you are “an artist” does not suffice as this could mean that you’re an actor or writer for all your listener knows. To build a good elevator pitch, first take your Artist Statement and then highlight the most essential aspects about you and your work. Formulate a few sentences that encapsulate your art practice and memorize it.
Then practice, practice, practice until you are comfortable and confident when communicating about your work with strangers.
8. Prepare a Price Sheet + Have It Available
Recently, I had a client move into a new studio space with a storefront window. A passerby walked in and although she was in a rush, the artist managed to get her to take a price sheet on her way out. The collector ended up spending five figures on a painting. Again, this fits into the category of being prepared at all times to seize new connections and opportunities.
Having a printed and digital price sheet handy, and updated on a regular basis, ensures that you’ll never miss a sale when a potential buyer is interested in your work.
9. Grow Your Art Business by Diversifying Your Revenue Streams
Evaluate what additional revenue streams make the most sense for your art career
Diversifying your revenue stream may sound like a complicated business term, but it’s actually quite simple. Many successful artists support their practices in various ways, and we highly recommend it.
Support yourself and your practice by consistently applying for grants, prizes, fellowships, residencies, exhibitions, and art fairs. Such accomplishments add to the cache of your resume which impresses both collectors and art professionals alike. There are also some other very interesting revenue streams for artists out there which include selling artwork wholesale to museum stores, licensing your work, and commercial avenues that don’t compromise your artistic integrity. Long story short: find what works for you, and pursue it.
Don’t make the mistake of waiting for a gallerist to add you to their roster thinking that you can bow out of marketing your work. You will always need to be involved in the business front of your art practice by continuously creating and promoting your art.
10. The #1 Rule To Growing Your Art Business: Follow Your Dream!
People are fascinated by artists. They are quick to either criticize or support their endeavors. Whether it’s a teacher, parent, partner, or friend, be sure that you are clear about your intentions for your practice. Definitely surround yourself with a few people to consult with about your questions and ideas, but ultimately you need to stick to your guns and follow your intuition.
Keeping the direction of your art practice authentic and true to you is just as important as creating original artwork.
Want to find out more about how to grow your art business, learn great tips and tricks, and benefit from our experience of helping more than 150 artists improve their art practice and reach their goals?
Danielle Glosser of Client Raiser provides you with the strategies you need to grow your art business