In my opinion, it is crucial to keep things relevant art marketing-wise. You are branding yourself with every detail... even if you don't realize it. [...]

Artists need to be tactful when meshing aspects of life storytelling with art marketing. Point-blank, sharing a little can sometimes be interpreted as sharing too much. [...]

So here's something that surprises me: I see some other artist website services recommending you use their software for your blogging solution, but, for their own company blogs, they use Wordpress or Blogger. That should tell you something. How do they find the pain points? How do they know what to fix? [1] Why don't they think their own software is good enough for their own use? [2] [...]

The truth is you cannot possibly do every idea that you come across. There are a gazillion great ideas out there (and a gazillion bad ones). [...]

The question you need to answer is this: are you having fun playing with the 20% on Facebook, while ignoring the much larger network of people you can reach via the "dark social network?" [...]

There are many people out there selling courses, doing webinars, and pushing products that teach artists how to do SEO. Many artists see it as a path to the promised land of "traffic" and sales. I can see why: for those of us who did business in a world before Google, the idea is enticing... set everything up "correctly" and watch a steady stream of customers come to your site. But, unfortunately, for most artists, that path won't work. [...]

If you are going to 'call out' an art-related company online (or any company, for that matter) for 'scamming'... make sure that what they are doing can legally be defined as a scam (fraudulent). Dig for evidence -- discover proof beyond mere allegations. Failure to do that can result in a 'world of hurt' in court. [...]

Writing is, of course, a thinking process, and one can think logically in a step by step manner, or one can think stream of consciousness with random and jumbled thoughts. Either approach could be taken in writing. The results will certainly vary...Since the writing is being published to the web, however, there is an intended audience, and writing for an audience should require somewhat organized thinking on the part of the writer. Still, this isn’t formal writing, and no blood, sweat, or tears, are required. [...]

Over the years I've thought of different ways to get a targeted audience to my site. Some things worked, some didn't. Blogging about other artists is one way to do it. [...]

The artist trying to promote their work cannot rely on cuteness. They need content and it had better be interesting content. [...]

I want to reiterate that the crucial thing to remember is that, on your website or blog, you set the rules, and if you don't like the people in the room, you can kick them out by removing or trashing their comments. This is not, however, always necessary or even desirable, especially if you choose to write about a potentially confrontational subject... [...]

A common objection I often hear from artists is that they don't have an email newsletter list so who, exactly, are they supposed to send the email newsletters to? Many artists are simply convinced they don't have anyone to send to. But I don't think that's true. [...]

Whatever you do, try not to get into a digital argument with this person, especially if they are highly negative and belligerent. You cannot reason, speak with, or write to a person who is angry, so why try? [...]

Put on your thinking cap, I'm sure you can think of something more interesting than "check out my art". Your bottom line will thank you for it. [...]

So it is with vetting comments on our websites and blogs: while it is tempting to see a person posting a negative comment as an idiot/maniac who needs to be put down, squashed, boxed up, and sent to another planet, sometimes it is best to take a deep breath, still the rapid beating of our heart, take a sip of tea, and let a few minutes pass before we launch a keyboard attack. [...]

Your ideal collector is that person who you most enjoy working with. The more you know the characteristics, traits, fears, desires, etc. of your ideal collector, the better you can communicate effectively with that collector – and the better you can reach that collector. [...]

...make sure that your links are relevant. What's relevant? Your art, your website, another website featuring your art -- the theme to this is you, you, you, which goes against everything your mother spent the formative years hammering in, but you are the product that you are marketing. It's difficult to do this without drawing attention to yourself. [...]

If you send out a newsletter, it’s a given that you’ll want to embed links, and for this example, I am adding the link to a sample newsletter of ours. I counted 15 links in this issue: if I mention a specific work, I link to it; if I talk about a show, I link to the show site or more information about it on our site; at the bottom I append individual links to specific sections in our website; and of course, this being the newsletter, I offer two separate links for readers to pass on to their friends. Whereas in an article or a blog this number of links would be possible overload, in a newsletter it’s not unexpected. [...]

Of course, the more we know about something, the more secure we are with experimenting and doing something different – it’s when we’re unsure of ourselves that we depend heavily upon the voices around us, some of which are helpful, some of which are shriller than they are knowledgeable, others of which are trying to sell us something. Trust your instincts. [...]

Anyway... my approach and wish for my website are at odds with the 'norm' that everyone seems to be following, I know. I'm not interested in the least in 'traffic' as many are. What I have always wanted to get out of the Internet is a chance to connect...to have conversations...to meet people. A connecting of minds, without any pretense or third party involvement. This challenge became the game. [...]

For painters that choose to write about their work, it can be an interesting challenge to describe the painting in words. A literal description would simply be telling the reader what is in the painting. The trick is to show the reader with language that appeals to the senses and with figurative language that appeals to the imagination. [...]

The more you do something – anything – the better you get at it. [...]

Now I'm not telling anyone to stop using or to never use "social media" (FB, Twitter, et al). If you want to or have had success with it, that's fine. I'm just getting tired of those who try to demean blogging as useless or passé. [...]

Just because it’s complex and ever changing doesn’t mean that you can’t give it a try, though, and the best way to do this is to do what we did last week: just get started. Writing anything is better than writing nothing. [...]

As with anything, the best way to start is by commencing – a parked car doesn’t move if you don’t turn the key – and the easiest way to start with your FASO blog is to take advantage of the “Blog This Artwork!” feature on the side of the individual Art Portfolio Page you fill out every time you add a new art piece to your site. [...]

I can't give you any better advice on how to market and sell your art than Seth's last sentence, "When in doubt, when your (art)* marketing isn't working, the answer is easy: go one circle in." [...]

Some people get so locked up about the SEO concept and how they’re not computer geniuses so they may as well not do anything at all that they, well, don’t do anything at all. Yes, there’s a lot to learn. Yes, it’s overwhelming. But no, it’s not impossible, and the best way to make it possible is to simply get started. [...]

I asked him who it was that recommended me. He explained that it wasn't someone I knew, but it was people in the art committee down at Metro. They had seen my website (YAY, FASO!!) and evaluated the work in my portfolios to make the decision. [...]

Independent art writing has grown steadily over the last decade. Independent art writers -- by utilizing blogs and social media -- have widened the scope of art criticism and appreciation. [...]

So what does removing the mask mean? This means communicating to strangers like they are our friends. Don't be afraid to give your personal opinions or tell stories about your personal life. Post pictures of yourself working on your art. And most of all, it means talking to anybody who takes the time to engage in conversation. This means comments on Facebook, personal emails, and reviews of your work. It does not need to be a long response, but just a sign that you are listening. [...]

Don’t make art with the goal of making money. Make art with the goal of making a gift. The money will come. [...]

But, by offering something of value that is exclusive to your newsletter, you can convert anonymous blog followers into newsletter subscribers. [...]

If you don't make it easy to buy your art then you will miss a lot of sales opportunities. [...]

If you want it bad enough, you will do what it takes to overcome your self-limiting beliefs - even if it scares you to death. [...]

Remember this, no one ever listened themselves out of a sale. You can learn a lot from wolves. Take their strong points, make them yours and follow them on your hunt to success. [...]

What has happened is a learning curve on my part, because the more I have listened, the more I have learned from people who articulate themselves well, generously share their knowledge at the level I can grasp it, and genuinely want to see my project succeed. Each change I make adds knowledge to what I picked up from the project before, as well as customizes our website to meet our marketing, client, business, and personal needs. [...]

One of the many benefits I've received from working with my core group of students for several years is that they demand new material, new lessons, and new challenges. They push me out of my comfort zone into painting new subjects in styles that differ from my norm. In order to challenge them to try something new, I have to become adept at the technique or medium in order to illustrate it to them. This stretches my boundaries and causes me to grow, perhaps much faster than I might on my own.  [...]

We're not normally "I told you so" type of people, but we told you so. :-) We cannot stress enough the importance of sending a newsletter...it worked for Jacki and it can work for you, too. [...]

Blogging about your local / regional art experiences can be a strategic addition to your overall art marketing efforts. [...]

So if you are one of those crazy seven or eight, sitting in front of the machine, designing that newsletter, when everyone else is out on holiday, look at your calendar. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Schedule that article/newsletter to go when there's actually someone there to receive it. [...]