Marketing helps you tell your story and connects your products with the right audience. It’s about more than just selling—it’s about building awareness, trust and pride in your brand and your community. A strong marketing approach supports the launch of new products, helping them reach the people who will value and buy them.

Through digital tools like social media, websites, email, and online shops—as well as face-to-face events like markets and trade shows—you can grow your reach and create strong relationships with customers who value authenticity, culture and creativity.

---

Know your channels

Understanding which channels your customers use is key to reaching them effectively. Are they active on Instagram? Do they read newsletters? Do they attend local markets or follow artist interviews online? Knowing where your audience spends time helps you focus your efforts and tailor your content.

---

Key channels

The richness and vibrancy of artists, art centres, and artworks presents an opportunity to create exciting content including photographs and videos that capture the interest of customers.

You can use digital platforms to promote your brand and products, like Instagram, blogs, and artist interviews on your website. Quality content—such as catalogues and social media posts—will help improve visibility and may secure opportunities with local or national media outlets.

You can track your progress by measuring social media performance, media mentions, and influencer interactions to see what works best. It’s all about sharing your story and reaching out creatively.

---

Digital presence

A digital presence is how your brand appears online. It includes everything from your website and social media profiles to online reviews and content like blogs or videos. A strong digital presence helps you connect with your audience and customers, build trust, and grow your reach and sales.

---

Options for marketing

You need to build the cost of marketing into the cost of your products and overheads. If you are going to engage an outside marketing consultant, be clear about your goals and budget. It’s a good idea to talk to external consultants about your ideas before they provide you with their proposal and quote. Be honest about what you have the capacity to do.

Make sure you have an agreement around Intellectual Property and copyright in place before you sign a contract with a consultant. You want to ensure you own all the assets and marketing material that is created. Engage ArtsLaw or a trusted lawyer to read through any contracts and make sure these are safely stored.

---

Website

Your website is an essential part of your online presence that can promote your brand, what you represent, your values and mission.

Your website is often the first stop for customers before they buy your product. Including photographs, videos, and helpful information makes your website more trustworthy and authentic. A visually appealing website helps you stand out from competitors. If your website uses strong SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), it can attract people who are searching for Aboriginal products or artworks, turning them into buyers.

Make sure your website is easy to use, with clear navigation and contact details. This allows customers to shop or find stockists without needing to call or email you.

Important information to include on your website:

• About your artwork, art centre or business
• Vision, mission, values
• Products
• Artists
• Artwork stories
• Cultural context
• Impact (how the artist or art centre benefits its community more broadly)
• Contact information
• Location
• Terms and conditions
• Frequently asked questions
• Events and announcements

---

Instagram

Art centres love using Instagram because it focuses on visuals, which fit perfectly with artists’ artworks and activities. It’s a great place to share new products, tell stories, and teach people about artists, artworks and culture.

Instagram content types

Feed posts: Images, videos and carousels that are published on your main Instagram grid.

Feed stories: Videos that disappear to capture a more playful or behind-the-scenes feel.

IGTV: Longer form videos to explore an idea or concept in more detail.

---

Email marketing

Unlike social media followers, your email list is something you own and controls. Be aware that unsolicited email advertising is illegal in Australia under the 2003 SPAM Act, and may damage your brand by irritating potential clients. To grow your email list, invite people to sign up on your website and other platforms. You could offer something in return, like a discount on their first purchase, to encourage them to join. Use tools like MailChimp to manage your email marketing and make it easy to send updates.

---

Trade shows and fairs

A trade fair is an event where businesses showcase their products to other industry people to try and get new customers, especially for wholesale products. They can be pricey because you need to pay for booth space, set it up nicely, ship your products, and cover travel and staff costs.

Before you go, make sure you’re ready to handle orders, offer discounts for bulk buying, and know how you’ll deal with payments or shipping overseas. You’ll get a booth space, so make it stand out by showing your brand’s style and displaying your products in an eye-catching way, like grouping them by colour or story.

Finally, keep track of anyone interested in your products and follow up with them. Have a form handy to collect contact details, like for a mailing list.