BUY MY ART! Quick Business Tips for Artists

Anyone who’s tried to start their own small art business knows it requires heavy lifting to get even an inch off the ground. Take it from someone who’s been through it, it’s hard. Sometimes even soul-crushingly hard. One of the most complicated and confusing parts is actually getting people to buy your work. As someone who’s studying marketing, and has encountered the strange happenings of consumer purchase decisions through those studies, I can safely say that… No one knows all the nuances of why people buy things. I'm not kidding, it’s a mystery.

As much as we can outline the buyer’s journey to a purchase decision, it’s difficult to determine exactly what makes them decide to purchase something. BUT, don’t lose hope just yet. Just because we don’t always know why they buy, doesn’t mean we don’t know ways to make it more likely. With that in mind, here are a few quick business tips from your friendly neighborhood commerce student.

Know your audience

When I ask someone who their target market is, the instinctual response is typically “everyone!” In an ideal world, everyone would want your artwork. Unfortunately, it’s easy to burst that perfect world bubble. The best advice I can give you is to know who your target audience is. In the business world we create what are called “buyer personas.” These are essentially prime examples of the people we want buying our products. A persona can include things like age, profession, lifestyle, and interests. Knowing who your artwork is targeting can directly influence business decisions, like which markets you choose to sell at, what platforms you use to promote your work, and whether you choose to have an online shop. Being aware of your audience gets your artwork in front of the people who are most likely going to convert from passive consumers to active customers.

Determine your ROI

Once you know who is most likely going to buy your products, then comes the question “where do I find them?” It’s likely that you already have an inkling of the types of events and platforms these people frequent. From there, you need to assess your investments and determine what return they will yield. This verbiage is quickly treading into the territory of big-bad finance, but I promise it’s easier than you expect.

Think of an event that your target audience usually attends. Your investment will be the table fees, the money you spent on prints and other merchandise, and your time. Now think of how many people in your target audience will actually turn up at this event. Is the expected return of the event greater than the investment put into it? If the answer is no, then it’s likely not worth investing into at all. Although exposure can be great, not every market will yield the same return.

A quick example is a fanartist deciding between doing a smaller sci-fi convention’s artist alley, and a large Newfoundland heritage Christmas market. The choice here seems clear. Even if the heritage market has more overall attendees, the artist is more likely to find their target audience at the former alternative. Therefore, the convention is the best investment for that particular artist.

Find your niche

It’s likely that you’ve heard the term “niche” before, but perhaps you never knew exactly what it meant. When it comes to art and business, your niche is the specialized subgroup you appeal to. It’s what differentiates your product from the next. One could argue that all art is niche because it’s all different, and while that rings true to artists, it may not be such an easy distinction to the average art purchaser. To find your niche, lean into the aspects of your art that make it, well, yours. Whether it’s the style, the subject matter, or the mediums, there's something that makes what you create unique. Once you find that differentiated value that you offer to potential customers, hone it, exaggerate it, and experiment with it. Your niche is what makes repeat purchasers and what offers appeal to new customers, they simply won’t be able to find what you make anywhere else.

Final Thoughts

Phew. That was a mouthful. I hope that these tips strengthen your business muscles, and offer you the tools you need to grow your brand and get it in front of the right people. I’m still learning myself, navigating exactly how I fit in this local community, and what value I can offer to potential customers and clients. That’s part of the business process, your sense of belonging and certainty doesn’t happen overnight. Remember, we are all constantly learning. It’s better to support each other on our business journeys and offer guidance when we have it.