Charm FX

You’re a visual artist? You make objects…paintings, sculptures, ceramics, jewelry or some other physical expression of your creativity. So what does a web series have to do with getting your work seen or selling your work? I’ll tell you in a second…

Before I begin let me say the main point of this post isn’t about sales. It’s about exposure, following, community and influence. The sales are just the likely eventual result. (Seriously, how many artists do you see on twitter & facebook almost exclusively posting links to their new work overtly with the intention of sales. Sure it works if someone is interested and disposed, but it isn’t the way to make a first impression to someone who isn’t aware of your stuff yet.)

Maybe you already produce a web series? Do you market merchandise related to your series?

Could marketing objects and merchandise related to your series or characters hurt? A web series or series of videos gives you a way to build your community, enhance brand identity of your characters, key props or locations so isn’t it an obvious way to extend your reach?

George Lucas kept merchandising rights to “Star Wars”. At the time, no one saw much value in merchandising rights. Those merchandising rights have been a money engine and showed everyone how much value there is in merchandise associated with a popular film or media series. If you’re not merchandising based on your series, you’re probably missing an opportunity.

Statistics show the dominant and increasing use of internet bandwidth is for web video. While you may struggle to get search engines to pay attention to your blog or web site about your Art, search engines love video and multimedia pages and depend on titles and keywords and links to qualify the relevance of that content.

If you’re making stuff can you think of a way to develop short or long stories around your stuff? A series of videos based on your work or a web series that includes your work can be a very effective way of getting attention for your web sites and your work.

You’re not a visual artist or a film or video producer? ..but you are a writer or performer? Merchandising or producing a series of videos around your work may not be as much of a no brainer, but if you give it some thought you can probably come up with some sort of variation on the idea.

Again, no one wants to watch a web series that isn’t anything more than an infomercial for your work, or buy “Art” that’s mass produced “artifacts” from your web series. No one is going to be interested in watching a web series when they’re being sold to at every opportunity. This isn’t about producing commercials. The point is to extend your story through multiple channels, to give your following another way to find you and build your relationship with them.

How have you developed multiple ways to provide your story to the community you’ve developed around your work? Add your stories below. …more ideas raise all boats. Talk soon.