"I want to reach everyone. I don’t want to exclude anyone, my art is for everyone!"
Reaching Your Audience: Less is More?
Creating various art forms is a deeply personal endeavor, a unique form of expression that can touch the hearts and souls of many. Yet, in the pursuit of sharing your art with the world, the notion of targeting a specific audience might seem counterintuitive. After all, isn't art meant for everyone to enjoy? While that sentiment is beautiful, it often falls short in the realm of marketing. Let's explore why trying to reach everyone may lead to reaching no one.
"When you speak to everyone, you speak to no one." - Seth Godin
The Target Persona: Your Ideal Match
The desire to make your art accessible to all is admirable, but here's the reality: when you cast your net too wide, you risk catching nothing at all. Just like in dating, where you don't pursue every person you encounter, marketing your art requires a similar strategy. It's about finding your ideal match in the form of a well-crafted target customer persona, someone who will resonate with your work on a profound level.
How to Write a Target Customer Persona as an Artist
Creating your target customer persona is a crucial step in your artistic journey. Follow these steps to craft an effective persona, filling in the information that best fits the person you envision:
Name your persona
Demographics
Interests and hobbies
Challenges and pain points
Preferences and tastes
Online behavior
Influences
How your art helps
Name Your Persona:
Begin by giving your ideal customer persona a memorable and relatable name.
Demographics:
Define the basic demographics of your persona, including age, gender, location, and occupation.
Interests and Hobbies:
Dive into their interests, hobbies, and passions. What do they enjoy doing in their free time? What are their favorite activities and pastimes?
Challenges and Pain Points:
Identify the challenges and pain points that your persona faces. What problems can your art help solve for them? What unmet needs does your work address?
Preferences and Tastes:
Explore their preferences and tastes. What style of art do they prefer? What themes or concepts resonate with them the most?
Online Behavior:
Consider their online behavior. Where do they spend their time online? Which social media platforms or websites do they frequent?
Influences:
Who or what influences their decisions and interests? Are there artists, movements, or cultural phenomena that inspire them?
How Your Art Helps:
Determine how your art enriches their life. How does it align with their values and interests? What unique value does your art bring to them?
Undoubtedly, this persona will not perfectly encapsulate every single detail of every individual audience member, but completing this exercise will help you somewhat understand at a general level how your most devoted fans think and live. This comprehensive persona will serve as your compass in the vast world of art, creativity, and marketing.
The Power of Targeted Artist Marketing
In the vast world of art and creativity, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the desire to please everyone. However, by narrowing your focus and honing in on a specific persona tailored to your creative work, you can not only connect with your ideal audience but also create art that deeply resonates with them. This dedicated group of enthusiasts will contribute exponentially more to the growth and success of your art than a generic, one-size-fits-all approach ever could.
The Tailored Marketing Your Art Deserves
If you find the process of creating your target customer persona challenging or need assistance in refining your marketing strategy to reach them effectively, I'm here to help. Together, we can unlock the full potential of your art by connecting it with those who will cherish and support it.
Additionally, I invite you to download my FREE ebook, “Seven Steps to Forget Marketing and Get Back to Your Art” and join my email newsletter. I provide you with simple steps to ensure the most effective, targeted, manageable marketing possible for your work. I’m passionate about your success!