This article is by Clint Watson,  former art gallery owner/director/salesperson and founder of FineArtViews. You should follow Clint on Twitter here.

Don't put all the control of your art marketing channels into the hands of others.

If you're relying on galleries to sell your art, do you know who is buying it and how to reach them?  If that gallery goes out of business, it could kill your business.

Are you relying on SEO?  What if Google decides to change their rankings and pushes you down anyway?  Or worse, what if Google moves "the #1" organic spot to the 11th listing on the page?

Getting tons of business from Facebook or Twitter?  Do you have a way to reach your fans if those networks go down?  Or worse, change their terms of service in a way that impacts your ability to do business?

Do you rely on a free service like Google Blogger for your blog?  What if they ban access to your blog?  Who do you call, the tech support line (oh wait, there isn't one)?  Don't think that would ever happen?  Ask artist Marsha Robinett.

My point is, control your marketing channels.  They are your lifeline to your customers.  That's one reason that we continually beat the drum of utilizing an email newsletter as your primary marketing channel. ^[1]  That's something you control and can use to connect directly with your customers.  Nobody has the power to take that away from you...except you.

Now, go change the world,