Digital Art Marketing: How to Develop a Strategy
The world of art is rapidly adapting to the digital age. As consumer behaviours and technology continue to evolve, artists and galleries must embrace digital art marketing to connect with new audiences and art buyers. With the right strategies, digital platforms offer immense opportunities to showcase creativity, drive engagement, and increase sales.
Table of Contents
Defining Digital Art Marketing
Digital art marketing promotes and sells art through digital technologies and online platforms. This includes digital art (created using digital tools and media) and promoting physical artworks.
Critical elements of a digital art marketing strategy include:
- Building an online presence (website, social media)
- Digital content creation (blog posts, videos, emails)
- Online advertising (search, social, display ads)
- Leveraging marketplaces and galleries
- Embracing influencer marketing
- Optimising for mobile and app experiences
The goal is to effectively showcase an artist’s unique style and creations, connect with collectors and buyers, and facilitate art sales. Unlike traditional promotions, digital marketing provides global reach, real-time insights, and varied formats to engage art enthusiasts creatively.
Opportunities Offered by Digital Art Marketing
Digital channels provide invaluable opportunities for both emerging and established artists:
Reach New Audiences
Online platforms transcend geographic barriers, making reaching wider, global audiences interested in buying art easier. Social media and digital content improve discoverability. Savvy digital marketing builds meaningful connections with potential collectors.
Gain Real-Time Insights
Digital analytics offer data and insights into viewer behaviours and interests. Artists can optimise content and creations based on real-time feedback. Demographic and psychographic insights also help target relevant art buyers.
Enhanced Storytelling Capabilities
Multimedia content like videos, VR/AR art, and interactive experiences capture attention and spur imagination. Digital storytelling allows artists to express creativity, convey vision, and emotionally engage audiences.
Lower Barriers to Entry
Emerging creators can leverage digital DIY marketing tools with minimal upfront investment. This includes social platforms, email marketing, and basic websites to establish an online presence and build a collector base.
Facilitate Ecommerce
Online art sales have boomed due to marketplaces, auctions, galleries, and direct D2C ecommerce. Digital infrastructure makes art buying and selling more convenient while expanding market access.
In summary, technology and the internet have transformed art marketing much like other industries. However, human creativity, emotions, and meaning will always be at the core of great art.
Crafting a Digital Art Marketing Strategy
An impactful digital marketing strategy allows artists to nurture their reputation and credibility organically while expanding visibility among art collectors.
Setting Goals
As with any strategic endeavour, clearly defining goals and success metrics is vital. Digital art marketing objectives may include:
- Increase social media followers by 15%
- Generate 20 new leads per month
- Facilitate five commissioned paintings in a quarter
- Achieve $10k in art sales via an ecommerce store
Setting realistic, measurable goals allows one to allocate resources effectively and track progress.
Optimising Online Presence
An artist's website and social media profiles serve as the hub showcasing work and brand identity. Ensure aesthetics, user experience, and content quality are first-rate:
Website
- Striking visual design reflecting personality
- About section with artist biography/background
- Catalog of high-quality images (organised by theme, medium, etc.)
- Clear calls-to-action – buy art, commission work, etc.
Social Media
- Curate feed showcasing the newest creations
- Share creative process insights (work-in-progress)
- Respond to comments and questions
Creating Shareable Content
Original, engaging digital content improves discoverability while enabling meaningful connections with art patrons.
Blog Articles/Videos
- Art techniques, inspirations, creative journey
- Industry perspectives, previews of upcoming work
- Behind the scenes of the latest creations
Social Posts
- Images/clips symbolising style
- Polls, Q&As to spur engagement
- Limited edition digital print giveaways
Email Newsletters
- Feature newest additions to the catalogue
- Share exhibitions, events, accomplishments
- Occasional promotional offers
Optimising for Mobile & Apps
With growing mobile usage, ensuring site responsiveness and leveraging art/AR apps enhances the experience:
- Responsive design: Website dynamically adapts across devices
- Progressive web apps (PWAs): App-like experience on mobile web
- Native apps: Dedicated iOS/Android apps to augment the website
- AR experiences: Allow digital art explorations via mobile cameras
Facilitating Art Sales
Digital channels can significantly impact an artist’s commercial success. Some best practices include:
- Ecommerce store: Enable direct online art purchases
- Digital collectibles: Leverage NFT art marketplace boom
- Partnerships: Cross-promotions with galleries, resellers
- Influencer collaborations: Create buzz among art circles
Key Digital Marketing Channels
There are diverse options when determining where to focus digital marketing efforts. The choice of channels should align with audience preferences, campaign objectives and available resources.
Social Media
With over 5 billion users worldwide, social platforms offer unparalleled reach and targeting options.
| Platform | Highlights |
| is a Highly visual, passionate art community. It allows immersive viewing via IG Stories and Reels | |
| has the Largest overall user base. Detailed targeting capabilities: | |
| YouTube | hosts video content to engage viewers. Exposure to YouTube Shorts |
| Thematic content discovery. Valuable influencer marketing platform | |
| Share updates and interact with art critics/journalists. |
When posting on social media, the focus is critical. Regularly share images and videos aligned to the artist’s style and niche rather than overly promoting. Responding to genuine comments and questions builds connections.
Hashtags expand reach to those interested in related topics, allowing users to discover content easily. Leverage both generic and niche hashtags:
Generic: #art #artist #contemporaryart #painting #sculpture
Niche: #baroqueart #artepovera #surrealism #geometricabstraction
Utilise each platform’s analytic tools to glean audience insights and gauge content resonance.
SEO and Content Creation
83% of art purchases involve online research – readers explore artist websites, read reviews, and browse gallery sites.
SEO and content marketing aims to:
- Improve visibility on search engines and art directories
- Present expertise via quality blog posts, articles, etc.
Tactics like keyword research, metadata optimisation and backlink building are imperative for artists, too. Publishing long-form content showcasing art analysis, interpretations, and processes demonstrates thought leadership.
Such high-quality context bolsters credibility among patrons, journalists and gallerists.
Email Marketing
Despite social media’s popularity, email generates over 40X higher ROI than social media. Curating an engaged email subscriber list enables:
- Promoting new art additions, exhibitions, etc., via newsletters
- Sharing limited-period discounts or special access
- Gathering feedback through polls and surveys
- Driving sales through personalised recommendations and incentives
Prioritise subscribers who are genuinely invested in the artist’s journey over meaningless vanity metrics. Personalised communication nurtures long-term patron relationships.
Influencer Partnerships
In the largely unregulated art world, influencers provide sought-after opinions and context. Savvy artists leverage this via:
- Gifting products to niche “artfluencers” rather than broad macro-influencers
- Sponsoring influencer YouTube videos or blog posts
- Securing product endorsements on Instagram
- Co-creating artistic interpretations of popular culture
Rotate across emerging and established voices to widen reach. Ensure brand values and influencer aesthetics align.
Pay-Per-Click Advertising
PPC ads target art enthusiasts while they’re researching or making purchasing decisions:
Search Ads target users searching for related keywords on Google, Bing, etc. E.g. “abstract oil paintings”, “emerging artists”
Display Ads appear alongside coveted art/culture publications. Contextual targeting spots are likely art buyers.
Social Media Ads enable promotions among lookalike audiences interested in art genres, events, etc.
The granular targeting and analytical capabilities provide measurable returns on ad spending. Start with small budgets, track conversions, and then scale.
Digital Art Platforms & Marketplaces
Digital marketplaces and platforms focused on art continue ushering the industry’s tech-powered evolution.
Online Galleries & Auctions
Websites like Saatchi Art, Artsy and ArtFinder allow artists to quickly sell work by enabling artists to easily sell work by providing access to a large community of art buyers. Artists can create profiles to showcase portfolios, while built-in ecommerce capabilities make it easy for interested buyers to purchase pieces.
Key features of such platforms include:
- Artist profiles and portfolios
- Classify artwork by medium, style, etc.
- Sales stats and analytics for artists
- Payments, shipping and framing solutions
- Curated collections and recommendations
Some sites also host regular online auctions akin to the traditional auction house model.
NFT Marketplaces
NFTs (non-fungible tokens) have revolutionised digital art ownership, provenance and sales. Artists mint singular digital artworks with unique identifying codes on the blockchain. What was once easily replicated digital art now has verifiable scarcity and ownership.
Popular NFT art platforms like SuperRare, Nifty Gateway and Foundation enable artists to sell highly coveted digital collectables to tech-savvy investors and collectors. Limited edition drops, auctions and secondary sales offer monetisation opportunities.
VR/AR Apps
Emerging immersive technologies provide novel art interaction formats. VR art apps like ArtPlunge allow users to explore stimulating virtual galleries using a VR headset. AR apps like Artivive animate physical art when viewed through a mobile camera.
Such innovations inspire newfound appreciation among digitally native audiences. Simultaneously, they expand conceptual dimensions for multifaceted creators.
Community Building Platforms
Online communities nurture fandoms and conversations around artists and genres. Linktree, Discord, and Substack are popular community hubs. While independent efforts are valuable, artists may consider community partnerships with established art platforms.
Expert perspectives shared candidly in such artist communities boost credibility and approachability. Fans who engage in early access exclusives often become loyal collectors and advocates.
Tracking Digital Art Marketing Performance
In the digitally distracted world, standing out is a challenge. However, data tracking provides objective visibility into content resonance and sales impact.
Key Performance Indicators
Digital art marketing should focus on metrics reflecting real business value:
- Website analytics- traffic, page views, time on site
- Rankings & visibility – search engine positions, social following
- Engagement – social comments, shares, email click rates
- Sales – online & offline art purchase conversion rates
- Web inquiries – commission requests, licensing deals
Platform-specific metrics provide additional context, but balancing vanity and meaningful metrics is vital.
Analytics & Attribution
Artists should actively instrument their website and marketing channels using free tools like Google Analytics. Key insights relate to:
- Visitor demographics – age, gender, geography, interests
- Traffic sources – social, search, referring sites
- Landing pages – entry points and on-site navigation
- Conversions – email sign-ups, purchases, inquiries
Such data feeds optimisation initiatives and helps attribute sales to the relevant online touchpoints.
Ongoing Optimization
Regular analysis should shape an agile, always-on approach to digital marketing. Create feedback loops leveraging:
- AB testing: Evaluate alternatives for visual assets, ad formats, etc.
- Audience analysis: Adjust targeting and messaging per the latest trends
- Campaign performance: Double down on best-performing platforms and partnerships
The world of art is innately dynamic. Digital art marketing must keep pace to ensure artists remain visible while conveying their unique perspectives.
FAQs About Digital Art Marketing
Here are answers to five frequently asked questions about effectively marketing art in the digital world:
What are the first steps to build my digital presence as an artist?
Start by setting up profiles on leading platforms – websites, Instagram, YouTube, etc. Curate posts showcasing pieces in line with your style and niche. Leverage hashtags and captions to share stories behind the visuals. Respond to genuine comments from visitors. Later, explore paid partnerships to raise visibility.
As an amateur, how much time should I devote to digital marketing versus honing my craft?
Focus 80% on developing artistic skills and creativity through practice and experimentation. Allocate 20% towards digital promotion by organically sharing creations, observations and work updates. Think long-term. Avoid overly commercialising art prematurely.
What digital platforms are best to promote my public/street art?
Location-based apps are ideal for street artists. Share in-process and finished murals via Instagram and TikTok by geotagging locations. Enable local art discovery experiences via museum mapping apps. Position the impermanence of the art form uniquely via such platforms.
I create highly conceptual art targeted at seasoned collectors. How should I position my digital marketing?
Focus on select high-end platforms frequented by serious collectors like Artsy rather than mass platforms. Collaborate with esteemed art critics and historians to publish perspectives on your ideological influences. Enable previews and context building through Gallery partnerships. Attend exclusive in-person events to connect with patrons.
As a digitally savvy artist catering to young hype beasts, what unconventional marketing approaches could I experiment with?
Experiment by minting select street art as NFTs and leveraging the hype on platforms like SuperRare. Engage communities on Discord to drive exclusive access. Enable digital wearables and merch that integrate artwork via Instagram’s AR filters. Such innovative formats organically captivate millennials and Gen Z.
Conclusion: The Digital Future of Art
As virtual and augmented reality mature, more immersive art appreciation formats will emerge. Blockchain will increase the transparency and viability of digital art ownership. Artificial intelligence presents boundless creative possibilities to augment human expression.
However, exceptional artists focused purely on their craft need not worry. The most profound emotional resonance emerges from human creativity, imagination and indigenous perspectives.
Digital art and marketing will intensify connections between visionary creators and receptive audiences. Yet, it is just a conduit. Meaningful human stories and sensibilities will always be at the core.
While leveraging technology to increase reach and sales is crucial, transcendent art's origins will remain profoundly human. The future belongs to artists who harness digital while retaining their authentic essence to move audiences imaginatively.
