Here Are Ten Happy Marketing Tips for Workshop Artists

Get the Word Out 

You can - and should - begin the process of posting and booking your workshop or retreat as soon as you have your main plans in place.  You don't need to wait until you have every fine detail figured out.

People want and need to know about it, so they can make travel plans well in advance.

Let Them Know You’re Coming

Tell folks about the best bits of your trip. Is there a special local food or cafe you're treating them to for a meal? What about beverages (adult or otherwise)? Museums or gallery tours you're including? What other tasty adventures do you have in store? 

Use your words: remember adjective! Use color names, describe aromas, textures and even the feeling of the air. These will boost your readers' interest.

Ten Simple Strategies for Your Marketing Plan

Don't feel that you need to do all these things. And you don't need to take them on all at once. The key to success is routine and consistent. Whatever you use now and have any kind of a following on, use it. Once you have a few pieces of marketing in place, you can see how they're working and add to them as you can, if you need them.

1. If you have a website, add a short blurb and a picture to your website. Add your Golden Dragonfly Traveling Academy for Art (GDA) workshop links. Add your GDA artist profile links.
2. Add links from your GDA workshop pages to your website, so you get traffic both ways.  There's a place to add them.
3. Send those links to everyone. Use them everywhere you can.
4. Consider adding links in the footer in your personal email signature. You can direct folks to your GDA workshops and GDA artist profile.
5. Ask your galleries to share the link on their website. This will promote the gallery as well.
6. Use social media posts.  Cross-post if you're on more than one network.  Use your Facebook settings to automatically post to your Instagram account, for example. 
7. Email newsletters. Use Mailchimp or a similar newsletter service. Most of them have a free version, and you can pay more for expanded capacity as your lists grow. Consider a service that allows you to import and export your mail-list.
8. Add blog entries.
9. Post pics to your Insta account.
10. Share your GDA profile and workshop or retreat link. Be sure and create at least one Call To Action (CTA) in your ad or other outgoing content. It's always important to tell folks what to do, using clear, respectful and simple language.

Only take on what you can maintain, and do at a consistent interval.

A Little Help From Your Friends

It's inexpensive to boost an ad on Facebook.  Facebook ads are easy to create, and there are Help articles in Facebook (and Meta) to make it easier.  

People see your ad. They see my ad. They see six or ten other ads for fellow artists, for trips all found on the same website.

Say six to ten customers book a workshop or retreat because they saw my ad. How many more would book your workshop if they saw ads on the same platform from artists and workshops?

Artists join together for shows and galleries and online sites because we understand that by coming together, we all gain. We improve our presence with the presence of other artists and their customers.

The more artists, the more of a draw for customers.

This is collaborative advertising.

Whether you're starting or experienced, using some of these suggestions can help get you moving.

Good luck with all your preparations and give those ads a try. Take care, safe travels! We'll have more next month.

More Help In the Green Room for Artists

There's much more marketing advice in the Green Room. This is a special access area for our artist-instructors, included with your Artist subscription.

Julia O’Reilly works from her studio in Eugene, Oregon. Learn more about Julia and her art business.