Tagret markets continued...

Finding a market

There may be many people interested in the message that you are communicating. As an artist you may be used to referring to these people as your audience, buyers or clients. In marketing terms they are all your customers.

Your existing or potential customer is interested in art for a number of reasons:
Emotional
Educational
Links them with creativity
Fashionable
Social
Self-reflecting
Controversial
Communicative
Aspirational
Valuable
Speculative
Investment
Decorative
Longevity
Informative
Satisfies a need

Having established that you have customers out there you need to start building up a customer profile.

Customer profile

Different sorts of customers view, purchase and appreciate art differently. You need to start categorising and profiling these customers so that you can target them and market to them in a more focused way.

Examples of customer profile might be:
Private clients
Galleries
Shops
Architects
Educational projects
Local authorities
Agents
Funders
Sponsors
Corporate clients
Exhibition visitors

Note spending and frequency of visit or contact next to their profile.

Knowledge about your customer and their viewing/buying/commissioning habits will affect the promotional activity you use to reach them, eg private views, website, postcards, printed material, advertising, space at market-led shows (FreshArt, craft fairs, etc), direct mail, telephone and email contact.

Your marketing activity – its language, the frequency and message – needs to be planned. It needs to fit in with your budget and to be directly targeted at your customers.

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