Ten Art Marketing Points to Ponder for 2012

Art Marketing Is a Learned Skill That You Can Master.

This post is a reblog with very minor changes from one I published in 2008. The advice stands up well four years later.

Here Are Ten Points to Ponder for Your 2012 Art Marketing Plans:

1. Create a realistic marketing plan and a budget that is neither too optimistic nor timid.
2. Realize the most successful CEOs are serious planners who leave as little as possible to chance. They know getting things done revolves around executing achievable plans.
3. Break your plan down incrementally so you can fully comprehend the necessary steps and how to adequately fund them to reach your goals.
4. Be vigilant about how you allocate your marketing budget.
5. Look for the angles that put you closest to being a sure thing. When you have a sure thing, fund the opportunity fully at the expense of anything frivolous or sketchy.
6. Take a clue from the many established publishers who are trimming ad budgets and cutting back on show space. They haven't gone out of sight, but aren't blowing the doors off with big budget advertising and promotion either.
7. If you haven't already, start making plans to set up your own distribution. This could be online sales, alternative spaces or other inventive ways you can conceive to get directly to new collectors. The future success for many artists depends on their ability to deliver directly to their customers. The sooner you comprehend and act on this concept, the better off you'll be later on.
8. Beef up your plans for publicity. There is no better bang for your buck than what you get from a well orchestrated publicity campaign.
9. While the fragile economy continues to show improvement (finally), it's not a guarantee we are clear of potential problems. Mounting debt in European countries could thwart our recovery. Still, it's proven in tough time those who keep their heads and business afloat come out with significant market share and awareness over those who hunker down and do nothing.
10. Don't stop having fun or being creative. Good things come about even in the worst of times. Henry Luce launched Fortune magazine in 1932 in the heart of the Great Depression. Now 75 years later his vision and fortitude are proven out as it remains a profitable staple in Time-Warner's portfolio of publications.

Comments

[Shelley M. House]

Thanks Barney! Great advice here. I'm going to brainstorm some ideas right now to beef up my publicity. #10 is great, and so true -- when times are tough, we have the opportunity to realize our greatest potential.

[Elizabeth Carr]

I think you meant 2008 in your opener...4 years later than 2012 is 2016 and, unless I slept through it, we just started 2012.

[Barney Davey]

Hi Shelley, Thanks for your kind words and support!
Hi Elizabeth, Thanks for your sharp eye. Once again, I've been outed for working on blog posts when I should be sleeping. I did make the fix so as not confuse future readers, especially from 2016? ;-)