The arts and crafts world is a competitive place. Markets and fairs are held every weekend, in major cities and country towns alike, and everywhere artisans are competing to sell their works to discerning buyers. So how do you differentiate yourself and make your work stand out? How do you gain the exposure and attention that your work deserves? The answer, of course, is with your own website.
A well designed website can give you a professional image, giving you credibility as an artist or craftsperson in your field. It can lead to freelance work and commissions. Often, those running events, from professional market organisers to school fete and art show committees, are looking for artists and craftspeople to display their work at an event. What better way to be found than to have a presence on the World Wide Web?
A website is a great way to showcase your work and can give you an online portfolio. If you are hoping to obtain a stall at a well-established, popular market, and need to show a portfolio of your work to be accepted, then imagine being able to direct the market organiser to your website, where you can profile far more of your work than if you had to bring it along physically.
A website will also showcase your work to a much larger audience. No longer will you be limited to the markets in your area, but you can display your work to the world and even sell your work online to supplement your income. A website is working for your 24 hours a day, even while you sleep, and is a very cost effective way of advertising your work.
The best part about a website is that it need not be static. It can grow and change with you as you evolve as an artist. You can use a slide show to display your work to full effect. You can have an event calendar on your website, listing the events at which your work will be displayed. You can maintain a blog and give valuable insights into your work, your methods and your particular skills. And of course you can provide facilities to take orders and commissions and sell your work online.
Your website can also be linked to social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, to give you even greater exposure. Already there are Facebook groups for artists and craftspeople to connect with each other.
As an artist, you value creativity and originality. Your website needs to be eye-catching and quickly grab the attention of visitors. Your work should be prominent, your pieces beautifully presented, and everything should be easy to find. For this reason it is best to hire a professional web designer to create your website. Free website services and ready-to-use templates tend to look generic, uninspiring and flat and your website will look like hundreds of others. NetSavvy can help you develop a website that will be a reflection of your work and project your unique image. We offer a friendly professional service and can guide you gently through the process of setting up a website, including selecting a domain name and a web hosting service.