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Promotion tips?

I have a lovely talent that I'm proud of and would like to share with the world, for a smallish fee, since I can't get a job doing anything else at the moment. I'd like to know how I would go about promoting my art and becoming well-known enough that people know I exist and to know that they can buy my things. Does anyone have ANY tips of how I can go about this? I've already posted on my facebook and myspace pages about my artwork, but yes. Anything else would be greatly appreciated!

http://kaiverta.deviantart.com/... <-- My page.


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Most professionals run regular promotion campaigns, at least once a year. Usually brochures and post cards are made up, illustrating the artist's talents.

They are certainly not cheap, but successful artists say that these campaigns are well worth the money.

These brochures and cards can be mailed or dropped off at locations that may do the most good by the exposure. For example, a stack of cards may be left (with permission) at a club where new bands showcase their music. People often pick up these cards because they like the artwork. Bandmembers may see a style they like and, perhaps, call the artist to hire them for designing an album cover. A local museum may also have space for posting or displaying them.

I may also suggest asking a wholesaler to display or make room for a stack, so that retailers, looking for someone to design their next ad campaign, may see your work and contact you.

One more suggestion: The print shop where you order you cards and/or the brochures may have a bulletin board to pin up a copy of your work.

Direct mail campaigns can be very successful, but please keep in mind a statistic: You will be lucky if only one percent of the cards you send out generate a response. You will be doing VERY well if only ten percent of THESE result in a sale or commission. So, don't underprice your work. Good design, good artwork is worth money. Price your work enough so that you can pay for these campaigns. Deeply undercutting prices makes it difficult for you and other artists to make money.

Save some money by designing the layout yourself. Talk to your print provider about the format he can most easilly use to go direct to print. The less the print shop has to do, the less it will cost you. (some print shops hire me to do design layouts for their customers. The print shop, in turn, charges the client for the cost of paying me)

Don't forget to include contact information on the pieces, and make sure to include the URLs where your samples are posted.