7 Creative & Free Marketing Tips for Artists

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In addition to photographing artwork, I help a lot of artists with their websites, social media and marketing. With Art-A-Whirl and the Saint Paul Art Crawl just around the corner, it seemed like a good idea to share 7 free artist marketing ideas I’ve come up with over the years. They take some time and patience, but they will help you build your network of collectors and fans.

Be Yourself — Why is that such sage advice?

It’s not just an appeal to be a good person or to relax, it also means let people see who you really are. If you act like someone you are not, then people who would like the real you will not see it. And those who like what you are pretending to be will lose interest in you over time, because you ‘changed.’

The same holds true for photos of your artwork, if a photo is has the wrong amount of contrast, saturation or color harmonies, then someone who might like your art will not see it for what it truly is and not come see it. And someone who likes the ‘off’ photo will be let down when they see it in person because it’s not what they were expecting.

That is why accuracy is so important to me — when someone sees the photo I create for you, they should be seeing your artwork, not an ‘interpretation’ of it by a poor reproduction.

1. Complete your listing on Art-A-Whirl or Art Crawl Directory

This is your best marketing opportunity, these organizations are the closest promoters of the events. Their materials are targeted to the potential collectors that are physically at the event, so this should be your top priority.

As I review the major event directories I see so many profiles without an image. It’s such a missed opportunity. Not only is it ‘selling’ your work by making it visible, it helps someone find you. How many times have you been to a large art event and only remember the artist’s style or work, but not their name? Help people who saw your work before and are now ready to buy. Quite often, people decide to buy after an event and can’t remember your name go looking back at directories to try and find you.

Now let’s move into the larger world.

2. Share your Artwork Photos on Instagram

Instagram is a friendly place for artists! Many of my clients have great success sharing their work on Instagram. It’s a huge venue that is focused entirely on images. Also, it’s relaxing because it’s generally free of politics and arguments so people using Instagram are more openminded in the moment and calmer. Hashtags are really effective on Instagram. Here are a few that I recommend you use:

#instapainting #oilpaintings #acrylicpaint #artwork #instaart #creative #artoftheday #gallery #paint #painting #makearteveryday #insanelyinspiredinstagram #contemporaryfineart #artscrowds #artistsharing #happyartistmovement #lifeofanartist #smallworks #landscapeartist #expressiveart #instaartexplorer #createeveryday #watercolorillustration #dailybraverypaintings #abstractpainting #abstractexpressionism #abstractlandscape #markmaking

As you can see, there are a lot of hashtag options. The best strategy is to find ones that describe your art as closely as possible. The goal is to find people who want your art, not just get the most followers. Choose hashtags wisely, tho you can use up to 30 tags per post, studies show that 5-12 is most effective. Once you have found the hashtags that work best for you, put them in a text doc or a notes app so you can copy-and-paste them into a post easily to save time and make sure you don’t misspell them.

3. Share your Artwork Photos on Twitter AUTOMATICALLY

Here’s a really cool tool I found that will share your Instagram images on Twitter. But Instagram hast that option, doesn’t it? Well yes, but it shares just a link on Twitter, not the image itself. So this cool tool I found will automatically share your Instagram IMAGES to your Twitter feed on its own without you having to do a thing. Bam! Twitter done. Oh, and it’s better on your nerves if you never have to look at Twitter. I find it annoying and hazardous to your attention span.

4. Share your Artwork Photos on Facebook Profile

So once again, something that Instagram offers, but I do it separately. Why? Facebook doesn’t give as much weight to a post as when you share it directly. Also, if you share an image on your Facebook Profile, more people will see it than if you share it to a Facebook Page. There are several ways to share on Facebook, I prefer sharing an image that you already have put on your website. By sharing a link to your artwork on your website, there is automatically a link to your site embedded in the post you share. Otherwise, you can just upload the image to Facebook. Add a personal comment about the painting and your thoughts behind it, people love stories. People buy stories.

5. Share your Artwork Photography on Facebook Page

After you share an image on your Profile, share it again on your Page. But wait a day to do so, that way it won’t compete with your previous post. Some of my clients will note who likes their profile posts will then send an invite to that person to Like their Page. Pages have may advantages, like you can ‘boost’ a post on a Page, but not a Profile post. So I recommend doing both to take advantage of the benefits of each.

6. Share your Artwork Photography on Pinterest

I’m not sure of the benefits of Pinterest, but having your own Pinterest Board gives pinners a central place to find your art and share the best images. Who knows where your next collector will find you.

7. Create a Google Business listing

Put yourself on the map! Literally! Google Business allows you to put your studio location right on the Google map. Plus it allows you to put information about your studio and business on Google. This is invaluable for Google ranking and make sure people are finding you. Once you sign up and add information, they will mail you a postcard to verify your address.

And there you go, 7 totally free marketing ideas you can use to promote your artwork. And if you would like to have me photograph your artwork so you have some awesome digital images to share, contact me.

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Testimonials

I want to express my gratitude for your dedication to your business, which means your dedication to your clients! Your skilled work of photographing my paintings never disappoints. I am always extremely satisfied and amazed at the quality and your ability to capture the painting down to the smallest detail. Thank you!

Sue Wipf

Sue WipfPlein Air Painter

Hats off to Mitch Rossow Photography for shooting my completed nocturne paintings and somehow eliminating all the surface glare.

Carl Bretzke Plein Air Painter

I am an oil painter working in the contemporary style of expressive realism. Mitch Rossow has been my photographer for a few years now, and I have nothing but glowing words to describe what it is like to work with him. His photos have captured accurately the gamut of color palettes that I use, whether the subject is an 8×10” Plein Air flower study, the subtle gradations in 30×40” sunrises over the ocean, or large 4×6’ studio paintings of Italian villages and vistas…
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Mary Pettis Fine Art Oil Painting Photography

Mary Pettis ARC Living Master ASMA, AIS, OPA

I would recommend anyone who needs art photography to avail themselves of Mitch Rossow Photography. We have worked together for 10 years and in that time has photographed and catalogued all my paintings besides managing all my website duties.
He believes in quality and craft.
Over the years he has refined his process to such an extent that the usual problems of glare and delicate color balance are no longer an issue.
For me personally his ability to hit subtle neutral tones and extremely nuanced tonal transitions make him the only choice to work with. Personally he is a courteous, punctual and easy to work with – a true professional.
Joe Paquet

Joe PaquetPlein Air Painter & Teacher

Hey Mitch, just wanted to let you know that I had that same large hats painting photographed by another photographer that you had done for me because I wanted to compare the results.
Yours is by far the better one.
The old method I had been relying on of going from transparency first and then to a scan is really pretty inferior now that I see them side by side.
Wish I’d had you photographing my works these past many years. Oh well, live and learn. Thanks!
Steven J Levin

Steven J LevinARC Living Master

I’ve tried to photograph my own work for years, and it never worked well. I couldn’t get the painting square, neither the color nor the detail could be captured properly, and they were barely usable for my portfolio and website.
I’ve also used professional scans of my paintings. While these turned out better than my personal photographs, details were often lost, the color wasn’t always accurate, and I had issues with banding when producing prints.
I’ve used several professional photographers that specialize in art documentation, including at local museums. None have come close to capturing the amount of detail and accuracy that Mitch achieves with his photographs.
Matthew Rucker

Matthew RuckerWildlife Painter

High Quality Artwork Photography

36 Megapixel Camera

Custom Lighting Setup

Professional & Calibrated Equipment

Unique High End Camera

Specialized & Bespoke Equipment

Managed Dynamic Range

High Color Fidelity