Every industry must move with the times. Whilst art is often considered a traditional and timeless industry, social media should play an important part of any art gallery marketing strategy.
Trends in the art industry
There have been some impressive statistics from art galleries. According to Hiscox Online Art Trade Report 2018, online art market sales reached an estimated $4.22 billion in 2017, up 12% from the previous year.
And it's not a matter of quantity over quality. Online buyers are making more frequent purchases and spending more money too. In 2018, 25% of online art buyers pay an average price in excess of $5,000 per fine art piece, up from 21% in 2017.
Unsurprisingly, smartphones are increasingly being used to buy art, accounting for 20% of sales in 2018, up from just 4% in 2015. That's fivefold growth in the space of three years!
So what's leading this evolution in online art investment? We think social media has a lot to do with it.
Instagram leads the way in art gallery marketing
Social media platforms can provide a valuable way for art galleries to communicate with their audience, promote their artists and advertise events. As investors become more comfortable buying art online, they will also be browsing art online.
For this reason, visual platforms such as Instagram are incredibly important to art galleries, with their page able to act as a virtual exhibition space. Mobile-led Instagram is becoming the art world's firm favourite when it comes to social media platforms, with 63% of Hiscox survey respondents choosing it as their platform of choice in 2018.
Social media management can also help your brand to be perceived by potential investors as friendly, helpful and appealing. Make sure you monitor social inboxes and respond to direct messages, providing a personal service when your audience is in need.
Make your art gallery marketing strategy more social
Some galleries fear that transitioning to online retail may impact on the frequency of buyers returning, but this concern seems unfounded. Even on the internet, where there is plenty of choice for consumers, individuals often stay loyal to brands they have bought from before. So long as you provide a good service, who's to say an online customer will be any less of a regular than visitors to your gallery?
Social media can bring so many opportunities to your art gallery, and is quickly becoming a bigger influence in the art investment decision-making process. Most importantly, this kind of marketing can help to pave the way for up and coming brands, giving them an opportunity to be noticed by a global audience.
By sharing attention-grabbing imagery and communicating with your audience, you are well on the way to building a strong online presence. If you're looking to take the next step with your art gallery marketing strategy, get in touch with Six & Flow to discover how we helped one art gallery client dramatically increase their social following and engagement.
