HOW TO NAIL DOWN YOUR ART NICHE AND BUILD YOUR COLLECTOR FAN BASE
Here at Creative Founders, we love to share fab tips and actionable steps to help you create a marketing framework for your art business. Sounds amazing, right? It will be, but let’s be very clear from the start—as you probably know already, running an art business takes hard work and dedication, and it won’t happen overnight. But if you’re reading this post, we assume that you’re up for the challenge, so let’s get started on how to nail down your art niche!
NAILING DOWN YOUR ART NICHE
If you already have loads of customers knocking at your door, then you’ve probably already found your niche. Congrats! Not exactly happening for you yet? Keep reading…
Finding your art niche means finding the focus of your art and understanding the people who will buy from you, otherwise known as your target market. It’s a nice idea to think that if you create something beautiful and put it out there people will buy it, but the truth is you really need to know who your potential clients are and what they actually want and need so that you can tailor your work and marketing strategies specifically for those people.
WHY DO I NEED AN ART NICHE?
“I think that finding your niche is vital. It’s also important to try to present and package your work in a unique and appealing way that is easy to understand.”
It can be easy to fall into the trap of trying to be everything to everyone in an effort to try and reach more people and make more sales. However, this often works against you. Your niche cannot just be ‘art’ in general. To truly stand out from the crowd and connect with people who will actually buy your work, you need to think about your unique style and who it appeals to, and then use that as a starting point to build your art business.
HOW DO I NARROW DOWN MY ART NICHE?
Think about what you are truly passionate about. Is there a certain style you adore? How about a medium that you are drawn to? Or a certain subject matter? Think about what you truly enjoy creating and let that guide you in finding your niche. Now we’re not saying that your niche won’t change, as it will evolve with your practice and that’s totally natural! But by all means, keep it original. PLEASE don’t look at someone else’s work and say to yourself, “I could do that” and copy what they are doing. Be unique, be passionate and create your art around a style you truly love and a method and message that fulfills your purpose as an artist.
Research Your Angles. In the beginning, the major things you want to think about are competition and demand. Ask yourself, “Are there many artists doing the same thing as me?”. If you paint landscapes, you are competing with every other landscape artist to fill the spot on a few collectors walls, so you need to think about what makes your work unique. The art world is highly competitive, so you need to offer something that really stands out or adds value. You also need to ask, “Is there a market for what I’m doing?” Who does your art speak to? What type of people would want to buy your work? For example, if you paint scenes of surf spots in Bali, then your niche market for those pieces may be surf shops and the surf lifestyle crowd.
Who Do You Want To Work For? One of the great things about being a creative entrepreneur is doing what you love and working for yourself, right? Well actually, entrepreneurs—including artists—are always really working for their clients. Give some thought to who your ideal client is and some of the key characteristics that person would have. What are they interested in? What are their likes and dislikes? Where do they hang out? What do they want or need at this point in their life? Let your ‘ideal client’ help you define your niche.
Profile Your Competition. You can learn a lot by looking at what other successful people are doing in businesses. Pick a few people who are doing something similar to you successfully, and look at their websites and social media to really understand the products or services they are offering (e.g. art classes, special commissions, prints). What makes their art appealing, and what are they doing to draw in new clients and keep their current clients coming back for more? Build a profile of what other successful entrepreneurs are doing and think about how you could give added value. This will help you make your art niche more specific.
CHALLENGE:
Now for the fun part—it’s time to get into the mind of your ideal client. Grab a pen, think about your preferred customers and start answering these questions:
What age range do they fall in?
Are they mostly female, male or a good balance of both?
Where do they live? Is your work location specific?
What income bracket are they in?
What are their hobbies?
Where do they shop and what do they buy?
What are their values?
What websites do they visit?
What magazines do they read?
Who do they follow on social media?
What kind of art appeals to them? Personalised art? Dreamy landscapes?
Once you’ve got a good idea of your client base, you can start narrowing down your niche and creating art, pricing, content, photography and social media posts that will appeal to those particular people. Remember, it’s all about creating art that your ideal clients (and you) will absolutely love!
