Early this year, artist David Tripp resolved to blog more consistently. Since that was also one of my own resolutions, I decided to keep an eye on David, hoping to find inspiration and encouragement. That, indeed, has been the case.
David is an outstanding, award-winning watercolorist whose painting subjects always seem to have a story. He shares those stories in his blog along with pictures of the paintings and works-in-progress. I asked him how his use of blogging and Facebook support his marketing strategies. Here's what he told me:
"
Facebook has certainly been
supportive. In 2009, I finally made my first sales off my website (www.recollections54.com) and the buyers found the site through Facebook. One of the sales was of an
original piece, the rest--and they are multiplying lately--are the limited
edition signed & numbered giclee prints."
"My biggest spikes on the
Internet have followed newspaper or magazine feature interviews. To date,
the Internet/in-person traffic seems circular--patrons take my business cards
and fliers at shows, go to my website, and then email me or join my Facebook. Again,
I don't have access to "evidence" that Facebook or Internet are
successfully driving people to my shows. I have just been picked up by a
gallery, however, and that resulted from a patron at a show handing my business
card to a gallery dealer who then looked on my website, then phoned me with the
invitation to bring in my work. The same goes with invitations to
participate in juried shows and festivals--oftentimes I am solicited by someone
who was given my business card, went to my website, then phoned me."
"
I have learned that though
I'm not a schooled market-person, that my work has received much more attention
in the past year, the same time that I joined Facebook, became more aggressive
in updating my website, and took the initiative to work my guestbook
signatures, sending out group emails and mailing postcards to those who left
addresses. The one area where I lagged was the Blog. I have
resolved to be more aggressive this year with my blog updates, to post images
as often as possible (meaning I will have to paint more frequently than I have
in the past), and to try and write more meaningful texts, hoping to hold a reader's
attention, and make him/her want to return to the Blog site."
I think David on onto something. Check out his web site and blog (http://davidtripp.wordpress.com) and see what I mean. He's not relying totally on social media for his business, but he's using these new media in smart ways to keep his art front and center in the minds of his collectors and followers.
