A Question about marketing for artists
How much of your business comes from referrals?
I’m curious how much of your business (both teaching and selling of art) comes from your existing customers referring other customers? This will be a somewhat loose, unscientific poll but it should be interesting, feel free to elaborate in a comment:
Over 90% of my sales are thru galleries I've been with over 20 years. I rarely even meet the clients. FASO is essentially useless. While I am well known locally and to gallery patrons and have work in collections around the country despite multiple Facebook ads, following the FASO marketing plan (and more) after 4 years have only 32 subscribers, and most of those are artist friends interested in what I'm doing. I have over 500 followers on Facebook and Instagram and can't get them to follow on FASO. At $360 a year not including BoldBrush and Daily Stream costs it isn't seeming worth it.
If there are referrals, I’m not aware of them. I did have one in the last year - a woman whose deceased parents owned a few of my works. She inherited them and bought another work from my website.
I’m now showing in gallery venues. When there’s a big show (by draw), collectors hear names called of those who purchase the work and there’s an aire of competition amongst collectors. I suppose that is almost like a referral. It’s social proof.