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2020 has been a year of unpredictable disruptions, unforgivable mistakes and fatigue-inducing u-turns. As the majority of the globe still battles with the pandemic, the ripples are being felt by all industries, including the art world.
Usually buoyant in treacherous times, Covid-19 has presented a unique problem for the art world to navigate, as even established galleries, fairs and auction houses fall victim to the pandemic and its relentless, persistent existence.
The art market is notoriously resistant to innovations that wobble the status-quo, but this reluctancy could spell the end of many galleries, fairs and auction house as well as the creatives who subsidies their existence; the curators and artists. The options are few, but there is hope for the accessible online experience.
With more and more people using the digital space to promote, sell and connect; moving online feels like a no-brainer. The problem is that the online experience can feel dull, flat and unemotive. Art, by its very nature, deserves to be experienced, not just viewed. The solution is to scaffold experience with multisensory touchpoints, creating value and opportunities to suspend disbelief.
With a fully realised online presence, art transactions, viewings and educational moments can take place seamlessly. With two models to look at, the outlook isn’t as bleak as they present themselves to be. Getting online early is the best assurance for you being able to surf the wave, instead of falling behind the curve. With more and more people making the move, being left behind is non-negotiable.
Here is our definitive guide to moving your business online.
Lean in
If you are ready to immerse yourself in a fully realised digital strategy, our advice is to lean into it, fully.
You cannot exist authentically online if you are not embracing the possibilities that the digital world is offering you. For you to be able to lean in, you must first come to terms that this is not a replacement for the physical experience, merely an addition to it; another feather to your bow.
This diversification mindset combo will help you realise the important goals, as well as the ones that are perhaps, just nice to have.
Adjust and listen
Once you have defined your goals, the next step is to listen to what your audience wants. For this, you need to truly know and understand who your audience is.
Being able to segment and serve your audience is where your strategy should always begin. Ask yourself, who are they? What do they want? How will you solve their problems? The more you know about who you are trying to reach, the easier it will be to reach them.
Hybrid Models
You don’t need to commit to an online-only version of your business, there are plenty of options available and the hybrid model is perfect for those of us who are needing to elevate the online experience to scaffold the physical offering.
This also doesn’t mean you need to split everything 50/50. Think of it as more of a spectrum where you can utilise the most relevant aspects to your advantage. There is no one size fits all approach, and your strategy for moving online should always be because there is a just cause for doing so.
Content, content and more content
Creating multi-sensory touchpoints means that it is important to invest energies on high-value content. That means; educational, knowledgeable, inspiring and shareable content.
Variety is the spice of life and audiences have come to expect quality content in a myriad of forms that are relevant to contexts they are operating within.
For example, what would work best for a forum? Social media or a research paper?
It depends almost entirely on the variables of the content, your audience and the paths they choose to walk down to find the answers to their questions, problems and musings.
Community & Outreach
The online world is not a one-sided conversation. The digital sphere is an accessible and immediate way to connect directly with almost anyone. This is both good and bad, so managing expectations is important as well as setting boundaries; these could be business hours, mediation of comment sections or ensuring that you have clear T&C’s.
It takes work, and work that might feel unfamiliar, but that doesn’t make it any less important or viable. In fact, having an engaged following, readership or subscriber list is the easiest way to amplify your ethos, mission and purpose. When you find synergy with your audience, you find the sweet spot and that moment, is where the magic happens.
