10 Organic Marketing Ideas for Artists
Searching for genuine ways to connect to your audience without spending a dime on paid marketing? We got you!
The importance of earning attention
The ways consumers engage with advertising has changed drastically in the last decade or two. Just think about how your feelings and expectations have changed over the years. You probably used to sit through tons of tv ads during your favorite shows as a kid without batting an eye—that’s just the way things were. But now, we can simply pay a little bit more to skip the ads, or we can scroll past them and instantly find something more entertaining and worthy of our time.
Marketers used to be able to buy people’s attention, and brands could make a lot of money that way. But it doesn’t work like that anymore. You have to earn attention now.
So what does that mean?
It means that you’ve got to bring value to the table. It means that you’ve got to offer something to your audience that they find helpful in solving a problem that they have, or you’ve got to make an impression by being incredibly interesting (we say incredibly because there’s SO MUCH competition out there for people’s time—only super engaging marketing has a chance to really stand out).
Understanding your audience
Any marketing expert will tell you that your marketing strategy starts by understanding your customer. As an artist, you might want to speak to any number of different customers—If you’re trying to land an editorial freelance gig, you’d want to target art directors at magazines. If you’re looking to book commissions for your oil portraits of animals, you’d want to target dog and cat owners. If you’re creating resources for other artists, you’d want to reach your peers.
Get a good idea of who you want to talk to about your products or services, and figure out what their wants and needs are. Figure out where they hang out online, what they’re interested in, and what’s important to them.
You’re not gathering this information so you can turn around and manipulate or scam these people; you’re learning how you can best serve them in a genuine and honest way...because that’s really the only kind of business you should want to run. And that’s the only kind of business that can actually last!
Organic Marketing Ideas
When we say “organic,” we’re talking about any kind of marketing that isn’t paid. When you click “boost” on an Instagram post or you buy ad space on google—that’s paid marketing.
Paid marketing can be effective in today’s marketing environment IF you do a great job at targeting the right audience and quickly communicating value to them. However, organic marketing can take you VERY far these days, and it feels so much more trustworthy to consumers.
In the age of social media, lots of artists think that simply posting their work on Instagram and throwing in some hashtags is all the organic marketing strategy they need to have. But there’s SO much more out there that you can and should be doing!
Check out our list of organic marketing ideas beyond just posting on Instagram below to get your wheels spinning (but remember, some ideas work better for certain audiences—go where your audience is!).
1. Send Emails
An email list is a magical tool! They give you instant access to your audience, and since people on your email list probably already like you and are interested in you, they’re a LOT more likely than the average Joe to convert into buyers of whatever it is you’re selling.
Make sure you think hard about how you’ll get people to sign up for your list. You want to attract people who genuinely want to be on your list and want to hear what you have to say, because they’ll be the most engaged. When someone opts in, they’re opening the doors up to making a deeper connection with you, and they’re trusting that you won’t take advantage of them. DON’T try to trick or scam people into signing up. Try offering something of value in return for a sign up, like a free download. We call this a lead magnet (learn more about lead magnets here). Then, make sure you nurture your relationships by sending emails that are valuable to your audience—don’t just spam them with offers.
Online email marketing platforms like Mailchimp and Convertkit are great for managing emails to your list. You can set up automations (emails that go out to people on your list based on various triggers, like first time sign ups, birthdays, etc…), segment your audience based on interests, create reusable email templates, measure analytics, etc… Being able to measure your list’s engagement, clicks, and conversion rates (what percentage buy whatever offer you’re selling) is SUPER helpful and can allow you to make strategic adjustments going forward that make your emails better for everyone!
2. Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest can be great for getting your name and work out into the world! Pinterest is a platform where people go to look for inspiration and, increasingly, to make purchases. We’ve had quite a few gigs come in from clients who found us on Pinterest, and we’ve sold e-courses and products on there as well.
Pinterest is really more of a search engine than it is a social media site, so it’s important to focus on creating pins that make people want to visit your site (if there’s no action for them to take, they may quickly pin your content, but never learn more about who you are or what else you have to offer). Consider pinning a killer freebee that can only be downloaded by clicking through the pin to your website! The views and numbers aren’t the end-all-be-all goal here...conversions are!
There are whole courses on how to use and optimize your Pinterest boards, which can be really helpful. But in the meantime, try setting up your business account and start following and engaging with other Pinners and strategically pin your own work and resources!
3. Collaborate with another artist or brand
Collabs are smart ways to access new audiences. Try reaching out to another artist you really admire on social media and ask them if they want to create an artwork with you, or contact a brand you love and pitch a cross-promotion. If both parties share the work with their followers, that means a lot more views and exposure for everyone! Plus, it can position you as a leader in the community—and it’s fun!
4. Write blog posts
Some people think blogging is dead, but in the world of SEO, it’s definitely NOT. Writing about topics that your audience is interested in and incorporating keywords that they’re searching for can attract more quality traffic to your website.
Blog posts also help position you as an expert—as someone who’s trustworthy, knowledgeable, and open!
5. Run a giveaway
Giveaways can give you a quick boost of followers. You could host a giveaway on Instagram where you offer a free art print for the winner in return for follows and likes, or you could give free access to your e-course to one person who signs up for your pre-sale list in the next 24 hours…. You can definitely get creative with this one!
Just make sure when you do this that you’re attracting the right audience! Also, beware of the serial contest enter-ers. Some people just want free stuff and they couldn’t care less about you or your brand. The more you can weed out those chumps, the better.
6. Start a facebook group
Facebook seems to be dying a slow death amongst younger folks...but interestingly, Facebook groups are still going strong. If you want to attract people who are interested in a certain topic, or establish yourself as a community leader or teacher, starting and moderating a Facebook group could be a good option for you.
7. Be a guest on a podcast or youtube series
Being on a podcast or video interview series can make you look very professional, and it can expose you to another new audience. Don’t just reach out to any podcast—make sure you’re keeping your target customers in mind!
8. Create tutorials or process videos
People love a good process vid. Everyone’s creative process is different, and getting a glimpse behind the curtain is really interesting to many kinds of people (both artists and non-artists). If your audience is other artists, try out sharing some tutorials. They don’t need to be long—in fact, shorter is often better (cause attention spans…). If your audience is art directors, art collectors, or art buyers....try process videos to capture their attention. A good process video has a lot of potential for organic shares, or even for attracting viral attention!
9. Customer referral programs
People will trust you if people they trust trust you. It’s the transitive property at work! If your product or service is great, word of mouth will probably help grow your brand organically. However, if you offer a reward to people for recommending you...you can help nudge the word of mouth spread along even further.
Offering something like a flat fee or a percentage off in return for a referral is a great incentive. We see this all the time with big brands, but it can work strategically for the little guys, too!
10. Host a meetup or event
You don’t have to stick to the interwebs to do your marketing—connecting with your audience in person is an option too...a GREAT option. Creating personal connections and talking face-to-face with people builds stronger relationships than you could ever make online. Whether you want to host a gallery show to share your work with potential buyers or gather your peers for a meetup over coffee, being the one to organize people means a lot...and folks will remember and appreciate that. Plus, you’ll get to speak to them in more than 280 characters….