As the year is coming to an end, it’s time to step outside the daily hustle and bustle to objectively analyze your gallery's performance. Here’s where year-to-date analytics provide a comprehensive look at your business, so you can set goals and make informed decisions in the new year.
While some art sales happen quickly, oftentimes the process can take weeks or even months before the client finally makes a decision. Don't lose them in the process. ArtCloud offers a central sales dashboard to help you review and track all your opportunities in one place.
The holiday season is quickly approaching! It’s a busy time of year for most people and that could leave your gallery low on the list of priorities. However, if you take advantage of the season and plan your gallery marketing around the holidays, you’ll be sure to engage your clients, endear them to your gallery, and spur some last minute holiday art shopping.
Looking to grow your gallery's sales? It's as simple as a To-Do list, and at ArtCloud, we've seen that the galleries that consistently set and complete To-Do's are also the ones growing revenue.
Instagram analytics are the perfect way to gauge the success of your Instagram marketing. It can help you hone in on the best strategy for your gallery and pinpoint how to reach your target audience.
Take a second to think about how many emails and inquiries come into your gallery on a daily basis. Now, think how amazing it would be if you could cut the time it takes to send email response in half.
When it comes to digital marketing, you want to make sure your gallery's branding is consistent across all channels: your website, email newsletters, Instagram, etc. This helps make sure people can always recognize your gallery online, wherever they come into contact with you. In this How-To for Galleries, we'll show you how to create on-brand Highlight Covers for your Instagram profile.
Many galleries receive artwork inquiries and price requests via their Instagram posts and Stories. Too often, gallery staff answer their questions and that person is immediately out of sight and out of mind. Don’t let these Instagram leads run cold! With just a little extra work, you can turn casual inquiry into a sale.
Some galleries have small sales teams and others have an entire group of employees dedicated to art sales. No matter the size of your gallery staff, if your sales team is on the same page, your gallery will run smoothly and sales will keep humming along.
Regular exhibitions are how galleries keep a fresh rotation of artwork on the walls, introduce clients to new artists, and keep clients up to date on artists’ current bodies of work. But how do you bring the exhibition out of the gallery and into the world for everyone to enjoy? Instagram Stories.
Summer is winding down, which means it's time to start planning your 2020 gallery exhibition calendar. As you schedule your upcoming exhibitions, it’s important to consider a few critical points to ensure a successful next year at the gallery!
We all know it’s ideal to experience art in person. But when this isn’t possible, images provide a great way for clients to experience a piece of artwork prior to purchasing. If you have quality images and are utilizing them properly, you can allow artwork to come to life for clients from afar, expand their experience, and help them feel far more comfortable making a purchase.
Many galleries worry about getting new clients and increasing sales, but they don't worry enough about growing their email marketing list. Growing your list is the best way to grow the potential for more art sales long-term. When you stay consistent with your email marketing and provide value in each email, you'll soon start to see those emails translate into sales.
If you work at an art gallery, you know Instagram is one of the essential components of your digital marketing strategy, and a great way to grow your client base. We've posted a lot on the blog about improving your Instagram profile, using comments effectively and even creating Instagram Stories.
We know how important it is to simplify gallery operations so your business can function efficiently. It’s equally important that you help simplify the process for art buyers, too!
Is your gallery making Instagram Stories yet? They may seem complicated, but they're really not. Check out this short How-To guide to get started!
When it comes to email marketing, your goal should be to provide your subscribers with valuable information. Some types of emails, like exhibition and new artist announcements, provide clear-cut value. But if you’re grasping at straws to pull together content for your next marketing campaign, stop right there.
When it comes to moving your gallery to a new management system, most business owners have the same major concern: data migration. But there's good news! With the right company, data migration doesn't have to be a nightmare! In fact, it can be quite the opposite.
If you’re doing the hard work of gathering great images and sharing relevant content on Instagram, well done. You’ve put in the effort and taken your gallery’s digital marketing one step above the rest! However…if you’re posting your content and logging off for the day, you’re missing out on a crucial opportunity to engage with your audience: the comments.
In honor of tax season, we have released some great new updates that are sure to make your accountant happy! When it comes time to pay the tax man at the end of each month, you'll know exactly how much you owe, broken down by tax rate. So put away your calculators and ditch the spreadsheets, ArtCloud Manager is about to make paying taxes a breeze!
If you're planning to amp up your email marketing efforts, an easy way to get started is by creating a new subscriber welcome email. Your welcome email is your opportunity to make a great first impression!
The Internet has changed the way people experience and view art. More and more art buyers are searching for and purchasing art online. So how do you translate the services and experience your gallery provides into an online sales process? How do you maintain a standard of impeccable service without ever meeting the client face-to-face?
Is your gallery looking to upgrade your database / management system? You're probably already thinking about the features and functionality you need, but the type of customer support provided should also play a big role in your decision making process.
When we started ArtCloud in 2013, we wanted to build tools that help galleries adapt to and thrive in the digital era. We've come a long way on that mission and today we're excited to announce another big step:
You've got a professional looking Instagram profile, you're posting regularly and keeping things interesting by adding variety to your posts. But social media is always evolving, and to really make the most of Instagram, you need to make sure you've got Highlights on your profile!
We talk to galleries all day, every day. When it comes to what galleries are thinking about and prioritizing for 2019, here's what we hear over and over again.
Email marketing is something many galleries don't spend enough time on, convinced their emails are doomed to land in the spam folder or get mindlessly deleted. However, email marketing that is targeted and personalized is much more likely to catch your clients’ attention and compel them to open your message. Personalization starts with your subject lines, and you don't even need to use anyone's name!
For galleries and artists, Instagram is an essential digital marketing tool. Because it's such a visual platform, your profile needs to be in tip-top shape if you want to get more followers and increase engagement. Not only should your profile look good, it also needs to be functional and helpful. Luckily, a professional, engaging Instagram profile is only a few easy fixes away!
To sell art, you need to collect prospective clients' email addresses and market to them through your regular email newsletter. It's a key component of your gallery's digital marketing strategy. When it comes to choosing an email marketing service provider, there are tons of options, but MailChimp is far and away most galleries' preferred choice. Here are 3 reasons why.
It happens all the time. A client comes into the gallery, shows interest in a piece, and then you never hear from them again. Maybe they request more information via email, but after responding, it’s crickets for weeks. Here’s where the follow-up becomes significantly important to not only speed up the sales process, but to get it moving in the first place.
Email is a crucial component of your gallery's sales strategy. Your regular email newsletters help build relationships between your clients and your business, and individual follow-up emails are often key to finalizing a sale. ArtCloud now makes your sales emails easier and more impactful with our latest integrations for Gmail, Outlook and other email service providers.
Your gallery's email list is a valuable and profitable asset. After all, clients who have opted to join your email list have shown a direct interest in your business! Take advantage of that interest by consistently marketing to your subscribers. Keeping your client base up to date on the artwork and events at your gallery is key to promoting your business and increasing sales!
With the new year just getting underway, it's time to make big plans for 2019. For galleries, the best way to accomplish the goals you've laid out is to develop an annual strategic plan. Strategizing for the new year can seem daunting, but here are some easy ways to plan with purpose!
With the holidays right around the corner, many of your clients are looking for unique, thoughtful gifts for their friends and family. And what's more unique or thoughtful than an original piece of artwork?
There are approximately 1 BILLION monthly active users on Instagram, according to recent news articles. Let that sink in for a second. One. Billion.
You can bet that out of so many people, some of them are looking for art! The question is: how do you get their attention?
Your gallery's email newsletter is a great opportunity to grow your client base, as well as a way to collect valuable data on your clients' and prospects' interests. But many galleries make the same BIG mistake in their email newsletters. As a result, they miss out on numerous opportunities to bring clients to their website and engage with artwork.
The good news? This one's really easy to fix!
With the holidays just around the corner, it’s that time of year when we all start thinking about what and whom we are most thankful for. As a gallery, it’s the perfect time to give a special thank you to your top clients.
Website, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, Facebook ads, live video, email newsletters, blog posts, podcasts... the list of available digital marketing channels goes on and on... and on.
The good news is you don’t have to do everything, and you shouldn’t. Try to do it all, and you will only end up throwing mediocre marketing content out into the universe and throwing your phone into the wall.
Instead, let’s take a look at the three primary digital marketing channels that every gallery should focus on to reach art buyers and grow its client base.
When it comes to selling art, it can be tricky to get a handle on your gallery's sales opportunities and know how to prioritize your efforts.
How much revenue could your gallery potentially bring in this month? Which clients are most likely to purchase? Who do we need to follow up with today?
If you're struggling to better understand your gallery's sales opportunities, you're not the only one. In galleries we work with, over 70% have cited managing their sales pipeline as a top priority for their business.
About 50% of galleries don't have formal consignment agreements with their artists. If you're still operating a "handshake gallery," it's time to start protecting both your business and your artists with consignment agreements.
Education and art sales go hand-in-hand. Why? Education is a powerful way for your gallery to grow its client base, earn trust and increase sales.
Education is also an opportunity for your gallery to engage people who may never have thought of themselves as art collectors. In doing so, you'll expand your pool of potential buyers and bring beautiful art to more people.
"The cloud." When we speak with galleries, we hear a lot of misconceptions about the cloud.
So what exactly IS the cloud and should you trust your gallery's inventory, client and sales data to it?
For some galleries, hiring a web developer is the right move; for others, it's not.
Before making a decision for your gallery's website, weigh the pros and cons of working with an outside developer, and consider other available options.
With many collectors, the sales process isn't always fast. Oftentimes art consultants must follow up repeatedly with a client before closing a deal. But the more drawn out the process, the more likely it is that the sale will fall through.
To prevent this loss of momentum, speed up your art sales by creating a sense of urgency in clients' minds. A sense of urgency prompts them to take action and complete the sale.
When it comes to selling art, seeing is believing. Tearsheets, home shows, and on-approval sales: the art world's traditional ways of helping clients imagine what a piece might look like on their wall.
But to survive in the digital era, galleries need to add new tools to their marketing toolkits. Virtual installations are an effective, inexpensive and easy way to reach and grow your younger, tech-savvy clientele. And they'll impress your not-so-tech-savvy clients, too!
As an art consultant, you probably write a lot of emails - after all, they're a critical component of your sales process. But are clients reading your carefully crafted messages? If you're not thinking about your email subject lines, your clients may never open the email to see what's inside.
Grab your smartphone and pull up your gallery's website.
If it's hard to use or difficult to see images and text, it's time for a change. In 2018, responsive design is no longer an option for galleries -- it's a necessity.
In our work with galleries across the country and the world, we consistently see experienced and talented directors and art consultants unnecessarily spending their time and energy on rote, low-value tasks.
Many of these tasks can be automated, streamlined or outsourced, so that your team can focus their efforts on high-value tasks that impact the bottom line, like working directly with clients and making sales.
Your gallery’s website is one of the most important marketing tools you have at your disposal. Of course, every gallery wants a beautiful site, but in 2018, a sleek template will only get you so far.
To maximize your website’s success, you’ll want to think about search engine optimization (SEO) to make sure that people actually visit your site.
After all, it’s no good having a beautiful website if nobody can find or use it.
Switching to new gallery management software is a big decision. As you're exploring various management systems, here are some things to keep in mind so that you can make the best choice for your gallery and your team.
You can think of a subject line as the first impression of your email. When people are scanning their inboxes, they're deciding whether or not to open an email based on the sender and the subject line.
Although writing a subject line seems easy, it's actually both an art and a science. Try these strategies to improve your subject lines and your email open rates, and remember that it's an ongoing process of experimentation.
Website navigation menus don't sound very interesting or compelling. But many galleries lose out on SEO, potential clients and sales because of outdated, ineffective website menus.
Your gallery will sell more art when your sales team or art consultants are tracking these important pieces of information throughout the sales process.
Art gallery websites all have one thing in common: lots of beautiful images of artwork. But to increase traffic to your site, you'll want to include helpful and interesting written content. Here's why - and how - to get started.
Almost every art gallery wants their website to rank higher in search results, but many are not paying attention to one of the most impactful changes to Google's ranking system: mobile-first indexing.
When galleries think about their homepages, they usually think about making a great first impression. Even so, many gallery websites include one or more of these common mistakes.
The end result? A poor experience for their website visitors, higher bounce rates, and lower conversion rates.
We hear this from galleries and artists all the time: "I want better SEO" or "I've paid a lot for my SEO and I don't want to lose it."
What’s odd is that when we ask what ‘good SEO’ means to them, we don’t often get a straight answer. The truth is that presence on a search engine can be hard to define.
Below are some tips to help your art website perform optimally, so that you can establish and maintain a strong presence on search engines.
Investing in your artists’ careers is good for them and good for your gallery.
By empowering your artists to market themselves, grow their networks, and take ownership over their own art business, galleries can drive loyalty and set the stage for long-term, mutually-beneficial relationships with their artists. Many galleries even promote such services when recruiting new artists as a way to attract top talent.
Here are just a few ways galleries are growing their artists’ careers.
Take reporting to the next level — use it to help your artists create more work that flies off the walls.
When it comes to consignments, follow these best practices.
Most galleries accept artwork from their artists on a consignment basis. It seems easy: the artist sends you their work and you give them an agreed-upon percentage or amount of the sales price.
But there are lots of details and things to consider to protect both your business and your relationship with your artists. Consider these best practices when accepting artwork from your artists.
