Why All Artists Need An On-Going Marketing Plan

“Marketing is not an event, but a process . . . It has a beginning, a middle, but never an end, for it is a process. You improve it, perfect it, change it, even pause it. But you never stop it completely.” This is how Jay Conrad Levinson, author and co-author of several marketing books that includes Guerrilla Marketing, gives meaning to the concept of “Marketing.”

A marketing plan is a necessity for any business that hopes to thrive. And if you are a professional artist, you are running a business, like it or not. With that, you must consider the “big picture.” Think of your marketing plan as strategizing the specifics for a journey. Just as the captain of a ship charts a course for his voyage, an artist entrepreneur must develop a marketing plan. There are many things to consider.

First, spend some time and focus on what your objectives and goals are, whether they are primarily for recognition or for financial gain. Most importantly, the course set forth to reach the goals must be measurable in terms of its effectiveness. Is what you are doing helping you make progress toward your established goals? If the steps of your plan are not efficient, you are wasting time and energy. As the business owner, you are in the best position to analyze the appropriateness of the individual steps of your plan. Take time to ponder the details of your marketing course.

Look at your audience, and get to know your potential buyers. Will your plan be directed at corporate buyers, commercial projects, gallery affiliations, individual collectors, or others? Philip Kotler is the author of Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, Implementation and Control, which has become a definitive source for graduate business schools throughout the world. He said this about knowing your buyers, “Authentic marketing is not the art of selling what you make but knowing what to make. It is the art of identifying and understanding customer needs and creating solutions that deliver satisfaction to the customers, profits to the producers and benefits for the stakeholders.”

Are you utilizing your resources in the most productive way so that your message is reaching your audience? Make sure you have a designated receiver (audience) of your message and that you are not just putting information out there without having a specific target in mind. A captain of a ship charts his course for a specific port and sets sail for it in the most expedient manner. The ship is not just out on the ocean floating around, and you can’t let your business just flounder around either.

Next, look at your timeline and what money you have to spend for your marketing plan. You must have a realistic timeframe established and the monetary backing to carry through with the plan. However, the plan must still be a flexible, on-going document. You need to continually check the current status of your business so that you know where you are and what changes need to be made in the plan along the way. Even though part of the plan may need to change in order to help meet the long range needs, it is also a living, breathing document that will still serve the day-to-day operations of the business.

A rule of thumb is to consider your customer first. Without them you have no business, at least not a thriving business. Whether you are planning a fair, show, or a first exhibit, you must have established you core beliefs about your potential customers. Prioritize those beliefs. This will help you further refine your target and generate options for your decision-making regarding your business plan.

Traditionally, many artists are not predisposed to marketing what they produce. If this be true in your case, then seriously consider getting someone with marketing expertise to help you with your marketing goals.

Creating your on-going marketing plan with your potential customers in mind is the most important thing you can do besides producing your artwork. In the words of Orvel Ray Wilson, President of The Guerrilla Group and renown speaker on marketing and management, “Customers buy for their reasons, not yours.”