Updated November 2nd, 2009

I'm not much into doing shows. Used to do them years ago and traveled around North Texas doing this one and that one and really just getting beat up. There could be a parking lot full of Cadillacs and Rolls-Royse's and everybody claimed they were broke and "just looking". It took years to find the right shows and get accepted but I've found dozens of different ways to sell artwork, some from my own experience, and some from the interviews that I have done with other artists. I think a person must have a balanced sales program that uses different marketing tools until they find the ones that work best for them. Here are 25 ways that you can use to make sales and get exposure:

1. Studio sales - directly from the studio, face to face. Plan parties and events at the studio on a regular basis. A lot of potters do "kiln opening parties".  David Henley, a popular artist in Texas, does well over 50% of  his sales through his home studio/gallery which is an unusually high number for an artist studio. But, David does his marketing work and does a lot of promotions to get people to visit his studio. Plus, he has the advantage of "time" because he has been in the business almost 40 years and people know him. If you are just starting out, studio sales are an important part of your overall sales program but you should mix the effort with 10 or 12 of the ideas listed below.
2. The Show circuit - find the best shows for your type of art. You will find a bunch of "turkeys" before finding your niche shows. Talk with other artists who are doing similar work. What works for an iron artist may not work for a jeweler, and bear in mind that some shows target specific markets that aren't always favorable to the artists. (been there...).
3. Retail stores - finding stores that will buy your work wholesale and retail it. Going to the big market shows around the country can help you find retail stores that will carry your work.
4. Galleries - Not dissimilar to retail stores in that they get 50% of the sale. Most artists will find themselves on the consignment end of this arrangement, and you need to devote some time to helping the Gallery market and sell your work. Can be fun, but a lot of artists that I have interviewed are no longer working with galleries.
5. Internet sales (Personal Websites) - develop a good website, showcase your work, and don't forget to open twitter, facebook, or blog accounts to keep your customers informed on your new projects. You might not want to sell something right off your webpage, but it should showcase your newest works. 
6. Paper Newsletters - this is dropping in popularity as people go digital but a good artist will have a good email list of past and potential customers and send email newsletters on a regular basis.
7. Post cards. Some artists continue to do this regularly. I'm old school and still enjoy getting a post card in the mail with a picture of an artist's newest works and dates for next shows. Some of the successful artists I have interviewed use this tool extensively. Check out Steve Kreichbaum and David Henley.
8. Catalog sales - sending out lists and pix of products to potential gift buyers for special occasions. There are thousands, if not millions, of businesses who buy gifts for clients, employees and families. You need to get your work in front of them, especially during the various holiday seasons.
9. Auctions and shows for Charity. Don't leave these out. You can make arrangements with local charities to put together shows that sell or auction work from local artists with the artists getting 50% of the sales, and the charities getting 50%. I know that artists, on the whole, are very charitable people but you should still be able to make some money at these shows.
10. Art Brokers - similar to gallery arrangements in that the broker makes a commission (in th 50%+ range). These folks represent your work and do the legwork for you while approaching galleries and stores. I have heard of a few brokers who ended up opening their own store-fronts and became retail stores. To find Art Brokers, call or email your local art's council. Gallery owners may also have names of art brokers they can give you, although independent brokers may compete directly with galleries for art sales.
11. Get on the speaking circuit. There are many, (seriously...many) local organizations that would love to have a guest speaker. Kiwanis clubs, Rotary, Lions, Optimists, etc. Be sure to get involved in your local chamber of commerce so you can show off your works and talk about your business to other local business people.
12. Teach. simply that. You have a skill and there are lots of people who would love to be able to learn that skill or just watch you work in your studio. Open some classes or do some "teaching shows". See the Randy Brodnax interviews on www.artbiz101.com (or click "here" to go directly to the interview). This guy is incredible when it comes to doing "teaching shows". Plus he brings a lot of his artwork to these shows and usually sells it all.
13. Create your own gallery show with a collection of other artists. Here's some pix from a Dallas show put together by 4 artists who found a great location and marketed the heck out of it for months before the event. http://artbiz101.com/Art_Show_Oldfield.htm. These 4 artists "pooled" all their contacts and made a huge invite list using "Evite.com". There was a great crowd and a lot of work was sold.
14. Join Facebook, Twitter, Ning, Myspace, and /or create a blog. You need to keep others informed on what you are doing. Blogs take a while to "light up". For instance, my blog on WordPress doesn't get the readership that I really wanted, but my Twitter account (actually a "mini blog") took off immediately. Sometimes I get writer's block when I have to sit down and write something, but I can usually figure out some short statement or cool link to share with my Twitter acct. Plus, you can create windows on your blog accts and personal websites that update with your Twitter news every time you "Tweet".  See my blog http://mkregel.wordpress.com/ to see what this looks like.
15. Write, write, write, and take lots of pix. Share your articles with the local newspapers, magazines, trade journals, and make use of the free PR networks on the internet. Get online and Google "Free PR" and you'll get over 55 million possibilities. Also, visit Jeff Crilley's new website and click on his link for his book on Free Publicity - a way to get your story in front of the media: http://www.realnewspr.com/free_publicity.htm . (Special hint: Be sure to use spell check before you send in your article to the news sites!).

Putting articles on your website is a great way for the search engines to find your site, and it raises your page ranks. Sending those same articles to trade magazines, your local community magazines, and as newsletters is a great way to get recognition. (Personal note: I have a history website that is full of articles and pictures. It gets between 300 and 400 visitors PER DAY. It took a while to get there, but get there it did.)
16. Trade work for services. I know several artists that have traded work for services and this has worked out well for them. They would have spent money anyway, but by trading their work, they can get more value for their effort.
17. Determine your target market, where they work, live or play, and put your art there. It might be a local coffee shop, boutique, salon, or bank lobby. No reason you can't negotiate terms with a local business to show your artwork and create your own "gallery". It is very important for an artist to identify his/her target market for each identifiable segment of their art business before devoting time and money to shows or advertising that won't reach their market anyway.
18. Joint market with a value added dealer or artist. For instance, if you paint, market with a framer. If you make candles, market with a potter who makes the candelabras, and vice versa.
19. Diversify your product line. One popular artist I interviewed (Lisa Lindholm) does beautiful paintings and she learned how to silk screen shirts. Now, she puts some of her prints on shirts and her shirt sales are a major source of income for her.
20. Contact civic, school, and cultural groups about using your artwork for fund-raising projects where the group gets some percentage of sales. Obviously this would only work for some artists and not everyone, but perhaps you can modify the idea.
21. Hotel, Government, Civic, and Service organizations are constantly looking for artwork for their lobbies, hallways, and hotel rooms. Contact them. Have a professional packet of information and pictures to give them but try to see them in person. They like to know who they are dealing with. Find out where they are buying their work. You may have to go to a Home Show or purchase a booth at a Trade Show. Contact your local chamber of commerce and see what upcoming events are planned. One mural artist that I interviewed (Craig Grimston) found some great customers at a Home Show. Who would have figured?
22. Your best source of sales may be from word of mouth advertising from happy customers. Keep them happy and ask them for referrals. An unhappy customer can sour any number of future sales so keep them happy, ship when promised, and be sure to thank them for purchasing from you. 
23. "How To" Videos - Along with the teaching idea listed in the first group of 12 ways to market your work, do a series of "How To" videos and put those on your website. It's one thing to try to explain the raku process, it's totally another to watch red-hot pots pulled from a kiln and dropped into a hole filled with leaves and then smothered with wet sea grass.
24. Advertise your work and sponsor other shows. Advertising is fickle and tricky. Spending big bucks in the local community magazine might or might not create any sales. Many artists that I have interviewed have had no luck with paper advertising and go strictly digital. But, people have to hear about your work and you need to be in front of the masses. Local cable, radio, or having an ad in your local hotels (what are people going to do while they are in town?) might work for you. As David Henley (potter from Maydelle, Texas) told me in an interview, he had tried a bunch of different advertising methods over the years and many of them failed to bring any customers. But, he still suggests that the individual artist try different methods until they find the ones that works for them because there is no "set" formula for what will be successful for any individual artist. By Sponsoring other shows, I am talking about supporting the show effort with funds or labor in order to get mentioned as a sponsor in the show's published program or advertising.

25. Virtual Galleries, and on-line Art Sales - If you do a Google search on "online art sales", you will get 124 million possible sources of information on how to sell your artwork online. There are locations like ArtFire, Ebay and Etsy, ArtistsOnline, and ArtistSites.  Dozens of online galleries to choose from but will you actually make any sales? Here's a great article on Elise.com that I won't copy here but take a look at it: http://elise.com/web/a/online_art_sales.php

Also, read  some of the comments at the bottom of the article, even if they are a bit "dated".  The premise holds true that people like to touch and feel what they are purchasing when it comes to art, and unless you are nationally known, online sales through virtual galleries will "generally" be scarce. Not to say you shouldn't take advantage of all the possible Free Listings on all these virtual galleries! Do it! Consider the time spent as part of your marketing campaign to get your name and picture out into the public, and then if you sell something along the way, it's gravy. (Note: since Sept. 2009, I've been keeping track of artist comments on my Twitter page regarding art  sales on Artfire and Etsy, and they have generally been positive. These 2 organizations work hard to provide artists with a nice venue and customer base for their products. Give them a try.)

Now, that being said, there are locations that are actively pushing and promoting the individual artists and you need to look for these galleries. DIAC in Dallas is one of those. Frankie Garcia (see his interview) actively promotes the artists listed on the Dallas Independent Artist Community website. This website, ArtBiz101.Com, also actively promotes the artists that participate in the interviews and galleries by helping them market their own studios.  Find online galleries like these and you'll have a better chance at sales.

26. Connect with the Banquet Market - How many banquets (at hotels, resorts, clubs, etc.) are planned each year by every organization under the sun? 10,000?  100,000?  I've organized many dinner banquets for large groups and am always looking for the table centerpieces as well as gifts for guest speakers. Do a google search on "professional organizations" or "non-profit groups" and you'll find more listings than you can handle. Send them color postcards or create a colorful email and promote your work as gifts. Do groupings for tables.  Also, join your local chamber of commerce and you'll meet folks who will be planning banquets next year.  Also, there are companies that do banquet and event planning. Be sure to send them something to remind them to use you at their next event! Connie and Marshall at www.KregelPottery.com made 15 sets of pottery (candlestick) centerpieces for a large Kiwanis banquet in 2007 and there was a drawing at each table to determine who would win each of the sets. There were 15 winners and they still talk about how happy they were to get those art pieces.

27.  Make it easy for a customer to purchase from you! I don't know how many times I've been to artshows and the artist does not take credit cards. Plus, sometimes I visit websites, see something interesting, and there's no way to buy it except to contact the artist and hope they get back with me before I lose interest.  In the short term, you can always sign up for PayPal's Pro Account which gives you a virtual terminal for filling in credit card data and getting paid. 20.00 / month is about the cheapest merchant account available today, and I have used it many times at shows. 

28. You need a clone. Ok, so you spend all day making jewelry or stained glass, or perhaps oil painting or taking photographs. While you are working, it's hard to be out selling. When you are out selling, you are not producing. You need assistance. A good bookkeeper to help you with your records and receipts can save you a hundred hours / year which could be spent producing.  A gallery, or on-line marketing and sales tool like Etsy or Artfire can help immensely with your sales efforts. A good website is a good selling tool. Having a partner, or working in a co-op, can make good business sense in that it allows production, marketing and sales to run simultaneously. 

Personal Experience: Back in the old days, I had my own landscape and irrigation company. I had 1 partner who helped run a crew, and I ran a second crew and tried to make sales at the same time. It was difficult and I could not really afford a full-time salesperson. Catch-22. I couldn't afford NOT to have a full-time salesperson at the same time. What did I do? I teamed up with another landscape company and we hired a full-time sales person who sold projects that both companies could work on together. Within a year, we had doubled the size of our respective companies. Now, I know this idea won't work for every small business, but the concept is the same. You need to outsource some of your "hats" so that you can be more productive. After all, you're the company and your livelihood depends on the product you manufacture. 

29. "Trunk Shows" in homes and offices. A few of the artists that I have interviewed have put together a unique program whereas they bring their art directly to a venue for a show or party. The host of the party can receive a 20% discount for providing the venue, whether it's a home, office, or public location.  Here's a link to to some information about them: http://www.craftgypsies.bravehost.com/aboutcraftgypsie.html 

30. 

New Ideas that I have not worked up yet: Selling through the auction sites and on community cable. I need to find some artists who have experience with these methods and I'll write their experiences here. If you have some ideas, send them to me and I'll credit them to you!

Article written by Marshall Kregel, October - November,  2009

NOTE: I will post additions to this list given to me by my readers. So, send me your ideas or personal experiences (send to mkregel@hotmail.com) and I will post the suggestion here along with a credit that links back to your website, facebook, or twitter account! 

Marshall Kregel is a pottery artist and entrepreneur who has over 25 years experience in both small and large business start-ups. Presently a software technician, potter, historian, and writer who is interviewing artists for their business experience and point-of-views and posting the interviews on a new website: www.artbiz101.com .