The internet is the best thing that ever happened to artists in terms of getting their work out and seen by a large audience. One of the major advantages about the internet is that it’s all in your hands, waiting for you to take the initiative to make things happen. Unfortunately, whether or not you get noticed often times has little to do with the quality of the artwork.
We’re pleased to interview Gunnar Andreassen, who has been working in web marketing for many years. He”s the author of “Conquer the web”, a 700 pages information-packed book which covers all subjects of advertising and marketing on the web, like Google, Facebook, Ebay, YouTube and Twitter.
In this interview, he will give you a few tips to help you promote your Art work.
Gunnar Andreassen Interview: “Making people link to your site is key”
Thank you Gunnar Andreassen for taking the time to chat with Creativinn. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work.
I started over a decade ago when I launched an online business directory. The site had huge potential, but I had zero marketing budget. So everything I had to do had to be free or almost free, and it had to work or my business dream was over. It took me a few months to get it right. Now I have a network of many websites, online shops, blogs and so on. A big part of my work is to help other businesses generate traffic, ranking and online value.
How would you define success? Do you think you’ve found it yet?
That is a very good question. I think it is a combination of several factors: high traffic, many sales and high income. I have several sites now, some sites I just personally like, others have traffic but little sales or income, others have little traffic and few sales but generates substantial income. Others may say I am successful, but I do not think I have reached a peak where I am satisfied with the level of success I have. Some sites have much bigger economic potential, but these things sometimes takes time.
You’re not only a professional in marketing, you’re also a logo and web designer. Outside of other designs and illustrations, what sorts of things inspire and influence your creative work?
What inspire me most is actually other people and their creative work. Often a creative project is a continuation of a combination designs or concepts done by several other designers.
Based on your experience, what advice would you give to a Creative who wants to promote his Artwork on the Internet?
First of all, choose a good domain name. Use WordPress to make a website with purchasing possibilities. Blog and share your work on social media, be active. If you have a low budget you have to get creative to generate interest, links, Facebook fans, Twitter followers, traffic and sales.
An Artist has his first Artshow coming out in three months. What should he do to launch it on the Internet?” Is Internet Marketing enough?
You will not have the time to make a website. Make a Facebook page for your artist work, share it to all your friends, then make a Facebook event of the artshow and spread it to everybody on your friend list. Also, reach out to friends on email and other social media. Make a press release about the Artshow, get help on the text, it has to be interesting and with no spelling errors. You will also need a good photo. A press release have some rules to follow, be sure to check them out. Email the press release and a picture to all media outlets that can promote your work.
Online marketing alone is probably not enough. I would probably also make some posters and hang them around the area, and even flyers and put them in mailboxes of nearby houses.
And finally, could you share with us one of your best secret marketing tips ?
It has to be link building. Making people link to your site is key: it gives you visibility in searches and generates traffic. If your site does not have lots of links, you might have to spend a fortune on online advertising to get successful.
You can use Paid links as well which are not dangerous. Paid links are a basic building block for your online efforts. However, you have to use analytic tools to check the link quality and measure it up to the price. You also have to use the correct link format and a smart anchor text (link title). You can start small, by commenting on peoples blogs with your links, sharing links on social media, registering your site in directories and so on.
and then