How do I Drive Traffic to My Art Website?
Why this common question is the wrong question, and what is the right question?
From Twitter recently:
Artist ask, "How do I drive traffic to my website?"
I understand why they ask, but it's the wrong question and based on a misunderstanding of how art typically sells.
What artists really want to know is "How do I use my website to sell art?"
This thread answers the question:
You don't sell art by driving traffic.
You sell art by building an audience.
And in the same way that noise isn't music, driving traffic is not building an audience.
So, how do you build an audience? Read on.
Audience= the group of people who love what you do enough to give you permission to communicate with them in channels that you control:
1. Newsletter & blog
2. Website
3. Online community
4. Podcast
If you don't use at least one of these, you don't have an online audience.
An artist typically thinks their art marketing funnel looks something like this:
1. Drive “traffic” to your website
2. ????????
3. Somehow they signed up for your newsletter
4. ???????? Send newsletters?
5. Sales!
Sadly, some art coaches seem to think this too.
The main problem is that you think your art marketing funnel STARTS with your website.
In reality, your art marketing funnel ENDS with your website.
Big paradigm shift with big implications.
Important because the "traffic" paradigm doesn't sell art, the "audience" one does.
The real art marketing funnel looks more like this:
1. Ask people personally to join your list
2. Send relevant emails that build anticipation, make subscribers feel special, have clear calls to action and multiple price points
3. CTAs drive audience member to site
4. Sales!
Your website is not how people DISCOVER you, your website is there to serve the audience that you’ve already built - and to give your "club" a “home” and a place to visualize and purchase your art.
Detailed articles about this process for Sovereign Artist members sending out over the next few weeks. Link in my profile.
Please help me by clicking the tweet below and retweeting it!
It's the first tweet in this thread and I'd appreciate you helping me reach more artists!
Clintavo ⚜️ @clintavo
Would love to connect with all of you on Twitter!
To do so, please click the button below and follow me on Twitter, that’s where I typically post my newest thoughts on art, marketing, business and sometimes wine.