Travis Herberger

As an artist, your goal is not to sell art. Your goal should be to grow an audience that will buy your art in the future. When you take part in an art fair as a way to grow your audience, it’s important that you do so with a strategy in mind. These fairs are great for exposing your work to many people, and for building relationships with other artists and dealers who share similar interests. But most importantly, they give you the chance to connect with more potential clients—which is what you should really be focusing on as an artist. Below, Longview-based artist Travis Herberger shares several ways of participating in an art fair as that can help you grow your audience.

Collect email addresses for future marketing efforts

If you’re taking part in an art fair as a way to grow your audience, you’re also trying to collect email addresses to use in the future. When you give your cards and stickers to each person at the fair, you may also be collecting their email addresses. When you have their email addresses, you can send them future information about your work and services, and invite them to follow you online. You can also send them invitations to buy art from you.

If you’re participating in an online art fair, you can use the email addresses that you collect to get in touch with your future clients. You can also use these addresses to stay connected with these clients after the art fair, as well as invite them to follow you online. This can be especially useful if you’re participating in a juried art fair, as you may not know all of the people who attend the fair.

Build your online presence and brand

Participating in an art fair as a way to grow your audience can also help you build your online presence and brand. When you design and print business cards, stickers, and postcards to hand out at the fair, you can include information about your website, other social media accounts, and/or email address. You can also print out invitations to follow you online, and include a link to your website. Distributing this kind of information in your fair kit can help you connect with future clients and build your online presence, explains Travis Herberger.

Network with other artists and art professionals

Art fairs are a fantastic way to meet and make connections with other artists and art professionals. When you’re at an art fair, you may come across artists who you know from your studio space, online community, or elsewhere. You may even come across artists who are new to your network, and get them excited about art.

Taking part in an art fair as a way to grow your audience can help you make connections with other artists and art professionals. Many art fairs offer workshops or other programs that you can attend for free or for a fee. These programs can be great ways to network with other artists, as well as learn new skills.

Stay tuned for art fairs that you’ll be invited to in the future

If you’re participating in an art fair as a way to grow your audience, you may be invited to future art fairs by the organizers. As an artist, you don’t want to participate in every fair that offers to let you exhibit your work. Doing so can be overwhelming, and you may miss out on better opportunities.

If you’re participating in a particular art fair as a way to grow your audience, keep an eye out for future invitations. Depending on the fair, this may be a notice on the fair’s website, or a card in your fair kit. Either way, it lets you know that you were invited to a future art fair, ads watercolor painter Travis Herberger.

Don’t forget to do your market research before attending an art fair

As you prepare to participate in an art fair as a way to grow your audience, remember to do your market research first. This research can help you determine if an art fair is right for you, and it can help you decide which fairs to attend. If you decided to take part in an art fair as a way to grow your audience, you’ll want to do your market research first and find out who the fair is targeting. You’ll want to learn more about the fair and the people who attend it. This will help you decide if this is the kind of fair that would be beneficial for you to attend.

Participating in an art fair can be a great way to grow your audience, but you have to do it right. Follow these tips to ensure that you gain the most from your experience.