Art Palaver Artist Marketing Resource » blogs

AP240S Episode Six | Crush It! Contest and Aaron Ristau

Daryle Dickens — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:30:26 +0000

Helping you sell more art online…

In this video I talk about the Crush It! give-a-way. Facebook. Artist Aaron Ristau. Boing Boing. Lightsabers. All in only 240 seconds. It’s a good show.

The name AP240S comes from Art Palaver 240 second Show, get it? Each episode is just about 4 minutes long, or 240 seconds. AP240S looks better than AP4S to me. The idea behind the show is to do a fast one take no edit 4 minute recording where I talk about art, artists, selling art, marketing art, promoting art, and anything else that fits within all of that.

This is only episode six and I am still getting used to the format and speaking into the camera. Four minutes is actually a long time for an internet video so I know I am going to have to get better if I am going to ask for 240 seconds of your attention. And I am working towards doing two of these a week, one on Monday and one of Friday so I am really asking for 480 seconds of your time every week. Which is a lot. But I don’t expect everyone to watch every episode from start to finish. That is just the way of video on the internet. And if they seem to be a bit much I can always change it to the AP120S or maybe even the AP60S. Time will tell.

AP240S 006

You may have noticed the Art Palaver site has been a little funky recently. I’ve been tweaking and improving the design and function of the site and it can cause things to be a bit weird at times. Sorry about that. The changes to to make room for many new resources that are coming down the pike. But that is all I am going to say about that. Look for changes to start really being hyped in March. This site is kind of my version of a one man band so it takes me a bit of time to get all the instruments in working together.

AP240S Episode Six | Crush It! Contest and Aaron Ristau is a post from: Art Palaver The Artist Marketing Resource.

Wordpress For Artists | Getting Started

Daryle Dickens — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:45:18 +0000

I recommend using Wordpress.org to any artist who is looking to create their own site and be in control of their internet presence. I call this your online headquarters. And since I recommend Wordpress I thought it would be a good idea to offer regular tips and advice for getting the most out of WP.

Welcome to Wordpress For Artists!

This series is just getting off the ground so I thought I would start with some of the basics by answering the most common questions I get about WP.

Who do you recommend for a host of my Wordpress site? I use and recommend Site5 for any of your hosting needs. Because I work with artists developing their sites I have experience with a broad selection of internet host providers and I have found Site5 to be the most reliable and offer the highest level of customer service. Site5 offers “one click” install of WP which is the easiest way to get started.

What theme do you recommend? A theme is the foundation of your WP site. It defines not only the look of your site but also the function of your site. As well as helping or hurting your chance to be found by search engines. I have experience with countless themes because of all the sites I have built over the years. It is important to pick a theme that suits your unique needs and one that you are comfortable working with. But I have landed on Headway as a theme that I have been using on almost every site I’ve built recently. It is a “premium” theme so it will set you back $87 but it can easily be customized without knowing any code and also has great support from the developer, so you’ll get the money you spend back in the time you save.

But there are thousands of themes out there. You can either search for one directly through your WP dashboard, on the Wordpress site, or by doing a Google search. There is usually a bit of trial and error when picking themes so be ready to invest some time in the process. But once you have your theme set it will most likely last you a long time.

What are some good places to look for information on Wordpress? Art Palaver of course. But I realize the Wordpress information on this site is just getting started so I need to point out some other good sources. When you are new to blogging and Wordpress the best place to go is Lorelle on Wordpress. Or if you want to cut right to source The Wordpress Codex is also good. Feeling stuck and need to ask someone a question? Head over to the Wordpress support forums. Chances are someone already asked your question and someone else already answered, so do a search for you problem. Finally if you really want to tap into the vein of all things Wordpress subscribe to the Wordpress developers blog.

I have found that Wordpress has an amazing community of people who are willing to help and share information when you need it. One of the best ways to find answers is to enter your WP question in a Google search. 9 out of 10 times you’ll find what you are looking for.

Wordpress For Artists | Getting Started is a post from: Art Palaver The Artist Marketing Resource.

Being A Guest Blogger Or A Host Blogger Will Boost Your Traffic

Daryle Dickens — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:39:40 +0000

If you are an artist who has a blog have you written any guest posts on other blogs? Have you hosted any guests on your blog? If you have not I highly recommend you try it. It is one of the easiest ways to see a boost in traffic and gain more fans of your blog and your art.

It’s all about the networks

When you write a guest post for someone else you are tapping into their readership, their fan base. And you allow them to tap into your reader’s eye balls. It is what they call “win-win.” And “win-win” is something you should always be after. But how do you make this happen? I am glad you asked.

One of the best ways is to already be involved in another blog as a reader and also as a frequent commenter. If you’ve been making comments chances are the publisher is familiar with your name and would give your pitch to write a post more merit. And when you’ve been reading a blog for a while you know the topic well and can understand how to write relevant content. You also might come across an issue that your words would be perfect for. Let’s say you read a post an artist does about prepping a canvas but you notice the author is not doing one thing you’ve found to be very helpful. Write that author and say how much you liked the article but you would like to add to its value by offering some advice that has worked for you. That is just one small example of how you might ask to be a guest poster on another blog.

You can also just ask. As a blog author myself I can tell you that I am always on the look out for guest bloggers. I know when someone writes a guest post on Art Palaver they are going to mention it to their network. “Hey check out the post that was just published over at…” which will gain me more readers. But it also gives me a break from posting, a mini vacation if you will. One more added benefit is the writing style is usually a bit different and ads a new flavor to my blog.

I have a past post on Art Palaver that gets found almost everyday through search engine traffic, it is very popular, and it was written by a guest. I continue to get traffic from the words someone else wrote and all I had to do was cut and paste. The writer also continues to get traffic because when you guest post you usually include links to your stuff in the beginning and in the footer of the post. You got to have those links.

Street cred

The more you write on other blogs the more bloggers will want you to write for them. With this in mind start with smaller blogs and work you way up to larger and more popular blogs. As you move up the food chain you will be able to demonstrate through links to your other posts that you are a quality guest writer who can deliver the goods. You’d be surprised how many offers I get for guest writers that I accept but the person does not follow through.

I really suggest you give this a try. Commit to guest posting once a month for three months and pay attention to your site’s stats, you will see an increase in traffic. It is a way to come together and support others, a way to build community. And a strong community means support and sustainability. Along those lines also seek to be a host once a month for three months and see how that works out for you.

My policy

I am always on the look out for guest writers. And I am open to almost any topic if it relates to artists and the artist life. I like to have people pitch an idea for approval then write the article. And we will negotiate a deadline to help make sure it happens. I also want original content, something that has not been seen on your blog before. I am okay with rewrites but I do not want duplicate content.

I am also always looking for other blogs to write for. My schedule allows for one of those a week and I have most weeks available. If you publish a blog and are looking for a post ask me, I’ll probably do it no matter the topic or focus of your blog.

Your policy

If you are going to do this (and you really really should) it is smart to make yourself some personal ground rules. How many will you do? How often? What topics are okay? What topics are not okay? This reduces the stress of having to decide when opportunities arise.

Now get out there!

Being A Guest Blogger Or A Host Blogger Will Boost Your Traffic is a post from: Art Palaver The Artist Marketing Resource.

A Blog Can Do A Lot More Than You Think

Daryle Dickens — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 03:43:00 +0000

It all started with web logs.

The word “blog” comes from the term “web log.” Starting in the early 1990’s people would post diaries and journals online through various digital methods. For a long time the content of most blogs was the boring and mundane details of the diarist’s life. These origins have created a stigma that remains today. People often ask me why I read blogs. “Why do you care what someone’s cat had for breakfast?” I don’t care.

Blogs have been evolving at a very rapid rate these past couple of years. They have become so much more than online journals, even though a lot of people still think of them as just that.

Bikes and blogs.

Before I moved to Colorado in early 1999 I was living in Illinois just outside of Chicago. And one Spring I decided that I needed a new bike, a mountain bike to be exact. A mountain bike is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling, including jumps, and traversing of rocks and washouts, and steep declines, either on dirt trails, logging roads, or other unpaved environments. (thanks Wikipedia) I can tell you there is not a lot of that in the suburbs of Chicago. So why was I buying a bike designed for such things? Because like blogs mountain bikes had evolved. A mountain bike is the most versatile and useful style of bike available. Due to its rugged construction I knew it would be ready for whatever I needed it for. In the suburbs we do not have rocks, roots, and downed logs to traverse. But we do have curbs, potholes, and uneven pavement to deal with. My mountain bike has always handled whatever my city commute threw at it.

Blogs are a lot like the mountain bike. They were created for one use but now people use them for many things that go beyond simple blogging. This is good news for any artist looking to showcase themselves and their work online because now it is possible to use blog software as a content management system for your website. An artist can now create a site through a blog in a way that your visitors will not even realize they are visiting a blog. And blogging software can handle just about anything your decide it needs to handle.

A few examples.

Here is a great example from the Owen Gallery in High Falls New York: (click on image to visit the site)

The gallery’s site was built using Wordpress, a leading blog software. Here is another example:

August is Artist Blog Month here at Art Palaver.

Throughout the month of August I am going to be talking a lot about blogs and what a great tool they can be for artists. I wanted to start off by planting the notion in your head that you may not know blogs as well as you think you do. Today is just a teaser of what is to come. If your not using a blog yet I’ll give you all the reasons and knowledge needed to begin. And if you already have a blog we’ll make it better.

Please let me know in the comments what exactly you’d like to know about artist blogs or what problems your having with yours.

A Blog Can Do A Lot More Than You Think is a post from: Art Palaver The Artist Marketing Resource.

One Of The Most Under Used Internet Tools

Daryle Dickens — Tue, 05 May 2009 14:00:52 +0000

An RSS Feed Reader is one of the most under used internet tools out there. In my experience many people have never heard of a reader or do not understand what it does. Learning those two things can be very useful to you, your art, and the marketing of your art.

Basically an RSS Reader is software that allows information on the internet to come to you instead of you having to constantly go out and find it. Almost all blogs and some websites have some form of an RSS feed that allows you to subscribe to the blog or website with your RSS reader. Just look for the orange RSS symbol. After you have subscribed any new content published on the blog will be sent directly to your reader. And since a reader allows you to subscribe to as many RSS feeds as you’d like you can simply open your reader and see any new content your favorite blogs or website have published. This saves you a lot of time because you don’t have to visit individual sites each day to stay informed.

This little video by Common Craft does a good job of explaining RSS:

Most, if not all, major email clients offer RSS Readers. And all internet browsers also have built in RSS Readers. Chances are you already have a reader and you just don’t know it. I use Google Reader which is built into my Gmail account.

Your mission: Find a blog that relates to your art and subscribe to the feed.

One Of The Most Under Used Internet Tools is a post from: Art Palaver The Artist Marketing Resource.