You probably know that a booming business feeds on generating customer engagement. But today, entrepreneurs with successful brands all share one common trait–they are digital natives. In the art world, this is no exception.
Like in many other industries, artists and collectors who rely solely on brick-and-mortars to sell their art will have a very slow process of meeting their audience. This became even more pronounced following the Covid-19 pandemic that saw the world’s economy come to a halt in 2020.
Consequently, as art sales plummeted due to the closure of more and more galleries, art fairs, and museums, the need for artists to fully embrace digital platforms was inevitable. But with so many online portfolios to promote and sell your art, why should you go through the hassle of creating a website? Is it even necessary? And what’s the point of having one if I have been successful so far without one?
In this article, we will address these questions showing you why having a website is crucial to promote your artwork and expand your brand.
But first…
Why Should You Hire a Professional Web Design Company to Build Your Website?
Your website or blog is your lead salesperson. While web content is vital to drawing in clients, web pages/sites stand or fall by their functionality and design aesthetics. To build a stunning website, one must consider seeking the full range of services that a web development company has to offer.
Working with a professional web design company will ensure that you create an eye-catching, user-friendly website that best represents you and your work. In addition, outsourcing will save you all the hassle and complications of building a website allowing you to focus only on immediate tasks such as creating more art.
5 Reasons Why a Website Is a Must-Have for Artists and Creators
A Website Creates a Professional Image
When people search for you only to discover that you don’t have a website, they might end up having the wrong impression about you even questioning your work. However, investing in a website can turn this around and help you build credibility as a serious artist, enhancing an image of professionalism instead of a hobbyist.
With a website, you can display the portfolio of your artwork, share your contact information, and even interact with your potential clients directly. You can also share customer reviews and this could help create a good reputation among your prospects.
Get Actionable Consumer Insights
One of the benefits of having a website is that it allows you to get insights into your target audience. This will empower you to focus your energy and resources only on the things that are working for you.
By using web analytics tools such as Google Analytics, SEMrush, or Ahrefs, you’ll get information on how customers interact with your website as well as your competitors’, to help you improve your online experience. This data will prove useful in helping your business customize a marketing plan that works.
Take Advantage of SEO and Blogging
With over 3.5 billion searches daily, there is no doubt that Google dominates the internet. Right now, a potential new client or collector could be just a second away from searching for content that your website can provide.
When you have a website, you can use SEO and blogging techniques to get listed on browsers/search engines making it easy for people to find you. Ranking up on search engines also means generating traffic to your website and as a result, more sales to your art. This can be a quite useful way to expand your art business.
Driving Sales
Owning a website by extension means you can host an online shopping cart. This allows you to not just attract visitors to your site, but also ensure that you can make direct sales from your website. You can also:
- Share a link to your painting and send your prospects directly to the gallery selling it
- Link your website to your social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, etc
Selling your art directly from your website also means cutting any fees to third parties such as listing fees, or commissions, thus you get to keep all your profits.
Manage and Take Control of Your Digital Marketing Assets
When it comes to brand awareness and audience reach, advertising can be one of the most effective strategies. Another way to reach a wider audience is by incorporating translation into your website. This can be done by investing in simultaneous translation equipment that will help cross the language barrier between you and your potential foreign audience. But what you might be unaware of is that relying on third-party platforms like Instagram and Facebook for marketing will likely put your digital marketing assets–and your business–at risk. This is because:
- You don’t have control over third-party sites thus, you can’t control how your artwork is presented.
- You lack audience ownership
- You can easily fall prey to any unfavorable changes that are made by these platforms.
Ultimately, without your own website, you become a digital sharecropper- creating content only to be used to build other people’s digital platforms.
Conclusion
As we have seen above, artists, creators, and makers can reap great benefits from just creating their own websites. With the shift of consumer expectation for arts going digital, to stay relevant you need to embrace the online marketplace and incorporate technology as part of your marketing strategy. Otherwise, your art business could suffer seriously as far as sales are concerned.
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