How to get lots of traffic to your blog/website and make lots of money online selling art prints

Made you look!
Gosh, the internet is an amazing, overwhelming and inspiring place to be. Not to mention addictive. I am supposed to be spending most of my time creating art, but instead, today I am becoming a slave to the internet in an attempt to drive traffic to my website and increase sales of my fine art prints. Does that make me a sellout? I know of a few artists that would say so. Who cares, I have a mortgage to pay and what is wrong with wanting to succeed? Gosh, another topic I will address in another post, art, money and artists…
I have lost count of the sheer amount of blogs and articles I have read this evening (or should I say this morning, it is 1am!) around the subject of internet marketing.  Can these principles apply to selling fine art prints online? I don’t see why not.
OK, here is a summary of what I have learned today(gosh, I feel like I am back at uni):
  • The Zen Habits Blog says that branding is key. Ok so have a consistent message and tap into the desires of your audience. I get that. You as a brand. The idea of the artist as a brand is nothing new, although my manager would beg to differ… But then look at Damien Hirst, well thats a whole other blog…That guy is a legend.
  • Key words, key words, key words! So imagine if you will that you are selling Fine art prints like me, so the more times you say fine art prints in your blog and on your website which is linked to your blog, the better. See what I just did;)
  • Link building! Links back to your website, blogging, linking to blogs from your blog 😉 comment on other blogs with your link in the comment, guest writing for other blogs, writing articles for online ezines, pay per click, social bookmarking, participating in relevant forums, writing reviews (Amazon is a good place to write relevant reviews about your particular area of interest- keyword that you want to rank highly for), free press release website (PRLog is the best that I have found) submission sites, paid ones too, link trading, adverts, directories, and social networking. And breathe.. All of this I read in this article from SEObook. It had a lot of useful information.
  • Oh how could I miss out affiliate marketing. That is a good one, if you can recruit lots of affiliates to sell your product. If you have any advice, please do let me know, comment thanks.
  • Last but not least, subscribe to ittybiz. Just brilliant learning tools on this whole business.
  •  And another thing! I stumbled across this brilliant blog post by Chuck Westbrook. He has created a group to help increase traffic to blogs that have good content but no readers. Basically, you join his group and everyone takes turns to read everyone else’s blog. Really good idea, but I am not sure that the blog readers will be in my target market group. Well you never know, stranger things have happened…
So that is my summary of internet marketing and monetizing your site/blog. Oversimplified I know, but this is not really my subject matter! Excuses!! I am just learning about all this net marketing business, my passion is art.
The question is, have I committed a cardinal sin by daring to place art and making money in the same blog post? Again, another post for another day. I will end on this note, I come from a background of a  biology degree with honors followed by 6 years in the pharmaceutical industry selling pharmaceutical products. I have painted all of my life, so the concept of art and money is not alien or uncomfortable to me. I find some many artists I speak to get horrified as soon as I mention business, money and art all in the same sentence. Why?
Like I said, another post for another day.
Best
Adelaide
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Christmas special offer to you from me 🙂

My website is now finally completed in the foundation format! You can now buy from any one of my major collections, which in total now comprise of 49 prints!

If you have been following my progress since the early days (2006), you will remember when the Black Brits exhibition was first aired on national television. It was an exciting and inspiring time! So many people wanted to have the black David Beckham, the black Kray Twins or the white Naomi Campbell on their walls. To this day, I still get requests! So finally, after 3 years these prints are now available for you!
I am letting you know now that I am making a special Christmas offer! If you order an A3 signed print now, I will personally write YOUR special message on the PRINT for you! When you get to Paypal, simply add what you want me to write in the special instructions box.
Of course, included in the prints on offer are the specially commissioned NCDV paintings. We are dedicating the profits from these special prints to the NCDV (registered charity no.1115360). We would like to help them raise as much money as possible to help to support the important work that they do. One of the statistics that shocked me to the core when I was approached to do this project was that two women are killed every week in the UK, by a violent partner! (Home Office statistics). This cowardly crime affects people across all sectors of society regardless of gender, race or social background. You can help to support this important charity by simply buying a print and forwarding this offer to anyone you know who may be interested.
There are lots more exciting things coming up for me and the team here! 2010 is looking set to be our best year yet! I will keep you updated of all developments in the coming weeks and months 🙂
Join me on Twitter, Facebook and Myspace!
Comment, retweet and share!
PS: Special thanks to Ray McCarthy for the fantastic photography!
Extra special thanks to my amazingly talented and fast working web developer Darren Debono of Elysian labs.
Of course, thanks to my ever supportive, encouraging and hard working manager John Murray-Smith
To you reading this now! Thank you for your support, I would be lost without you all!

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Why do you write a blog?

This is rather embarrassing, I have not posted anything in this blog in over a year, and as you can see, I have deleted all previous posts.

Why, I hear you ask… I am not sure, I found them to be boring and they were just copies of my regular newsletter which is hardly the point of blogging is it…

What is the point then? Well, I feel slightly overwhelmed by all of the information out there on the net about blogging, being honest in blogs, being authentic, being oneself and not just the polite apologetic face of some boring company blah blah… I am kind of struggling with what I should or should not be saying, who gives a damn about what I think or feel or what goes on in my little bubble of a world, my struggles as an artist, as a person, as a human being.

Should I be myself, warts and all and be the kind of artist/blogger who lets the whole word and their mother into their private life.. Hmm, I don’t think so, that makes me feel a bit uncomfortable. But at the same time, I feel the need to express some of myself. But how can I just give some of myself?

I am an artist, that is what I do when I create art, give some of myself…. The artist pours their soul onto the canvas, so why I feel slightly queezy about doing the same thing in text on the world wide web is beyond me. I feel a bit confused and like I am contradicting myself. Not sure even why I am writing this or what I am going to say next.

Who cares though. Who cares. Blogging feels self indulgent somehow. Yet I have a sudden urge to just do it. Thats what I do when I post random facts and statements on my facebook status updates and twitter… Blogging is an extension of those things. I am joining the new online revolution.

So I think I will conclude that this blog will not be an online journal into my personal life, as in deep dark secrets from my past and what I had for breakfast this morning, or a live update of me having a miscarriage in some boardroom somewhere… No. But I will be honest, try and reach out to anyone who cares enough about the issues that we face in our society. Open up frank and honest debates which are hopefully interesting. Post pics of my art, discuss art projects, old and new. Discuss the art of other artists, review exhibitions as and when I can be bothered to leave my flat/studio and stop being such a hermit.

As I read new stuff about my craft, and the crazy art world, I will post, in the interests of learning and passing on info to anyone who is interested… Expect the unexpected though, if that makes sense. Ill be posting about random unimportant in the grand scheme of things silliness and tomfoolery just because i can be silly sometimes.

Life is too short to take oneself too seriously.

Thank you for reading 🙂

Peace.

Affiliate Seeking

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