Dear Galleries: Your Marketing Sucks. Respectfully.

Galleries swear it's all about the work. But when it comes to engaging new or potential collectors, that singular focus leaves a lot to chance.

Gallerists swear up and down that it’s all about the work. For them, I understand why that’s the case. But for new and potential collectors, there needs to be more going on than that.

First, let me back up. I recently wrote about the overlooked market of potential collectors known as the mass affluent, and described them as follows:

Specifically, I think of people who are, say, married couples with advanced degrees (doctors, lawyers, accountants, etc.), and good jobs. They're thriving small business owners or they're at VP-level in mid- to large-sized corporations. I assume their household brings in $250,000-$400,000 annually. These people are undoubtedly able to start spending money on art. More importantly, I believe that more than a few of this 32 million-person cohort would become not just art buyers, but collectors.

It’s these folks that most gallery marketing misses.

Take the tried-and-true exhibition announcement. What do we often see? Something like the header image for this article: An email with new artwork is featured as the lead image. Sure, the art might be stunning, but leading with just a piece of art—no matter how beautiful—misses the mark when it comes to connecting with potential new collectors who may not have the knowledge, experience, or context to fully appreciate what they’re being shown. The better question is this: How do I take this incredible work and use it to open a conversation—about collecting, about my gallery, and about the art world–with those “art-curious” folks who, along with their money, are sitting on the sidelines?

We’re in a different cultural moment. Today’s potential art buyers come from diverse cultural, ethnic, and racial backgrounds and a broadening spectrum of gender orientations. In short, their identities play a significant role in that mix of needs, lifestyles, and interests that inform their choices. Given this reality, why not offer them an additional pathway into the art by showing them the person behind the work? Is the artist male? Female? Trans? Black? Latin? Are they Asian or South Asian? These aspects of identity can be crucial for the new wave of collectors.

My advising practice, for example, focuses on artists from the African diaspora and Global South. This means if I skim past the artist’s name and the image of the artwork, maybe I’ll pause if I see a photo of, say, a Latin woman in the body of the email. By doing that, you’re aligning your message with my interests. It’s also smart marketing because you’re helping me to put a face to the name and the art. At worst, it doesn’t hurt you. At best, it might just be the thing that gets me to pay attention to this exhibition. And you’ve increased the chance that I end up at your gallery.

Now, I know what some of you might be thinking: “That’s not how we do things, Rob.” Or, as I’ve heard, “If the art’s good, it shouldn’t matter what the artist looks like.” But as my late father used to say, “You want to do things your way, but your way is wrong.” Wrong for an industry facing an aging collector base. Wrong for the growing number of people interested in collecting but unsure where to begin. Wrong for an industry that desperately needs to shed its image of exclusivity.

Think about it: There are connections you’re not making because you’re not creating enough entry points into your world.

Four Ways to Improve Your Gallery's Marketing

1. Showcase the Artist’s Identity

Include a headshot of the artist alongside their work in promotional materials. Unless the artist is as renowned as Italian author Elena Ferrante, seeing the artist who created an exhibition should be the norm. Give the gallery as many opportunities to connect with current and potential collectors as possible. Research done at the UK’s University of Portsmouth in 2018 supports this, showed that among the participants, nearly 92% recalled the image on the left vs. the one on the right. That means the one on the left had more stopping power and made a stronger impression. Participants remembered it. And recall equals a stronger connection.

Now look at the email mockup at the beginning of this article. Which do you think is more engaging?

Bottom line: Use a marketing best practice the rest of the business world has figured out.

2. The Story Behind The Art Is Critical

Share the narrative, inspiration, or cultural significance of the body of work you’re showcasing. Don’t lead with a boilerplate list of all the collections the artist’s work is in. Your goal is to close the distance between the work and the viewer. Here’s an example of the evocative language used by Sperone Westwater for a recent exhibition of work by mixed media artist Joana Choumali:

Every morning, Joana Choumali wakes at 5am and walks for long stretches of time interacting with the land, the buildings and the forms taking shape around her. During these walks, she photographs the landscapes which captivate her every morning. "The 'Alba'hian' series is about my experience of walking at daybreak in my city of residence Abidjan and other cities such as Dakar, Senegal, Accra, Ghana but also Essaouira, Morocco and Kyoto, Japan," says Choumali.

The gallery also shared this:

Combining collage, embroidery, quilting and photomontage, Choumali builds these images, layering ethereal sheer fabrics and golden paint with multiple photographs from her walks—silhouettes of passerbys or quiet empty roads. Her process is slow, as meditative as the walks themselves, and by merging the instant—digital photography—with the time-consuming—embroidery—Choumali explores the relationship between the metaphorical and the physical, evoking moments of revelation, introspection and rediscovery. These contrast the real world and the world of the imagination.

See? They’ve created intrigue and piqued interest, all while leaving a bit of mystery that wasn’t resolved until you stood in front of the work.

3. Leverage Social Media To Humanize The Artist

Think beyond your website and your email list. Art is already thought of as something only people gifted with unique talent, inspiration, or privilege do. Knowing this, use platforms like Instagram to not only display art but also to introduce the artist. Having them talk about their process either live or via recording demystifies it. Behind-the-scenes content, artist interviews, and interactive Q&A sessions engage new and current audiences. Gallerists, talk about your favorite piece(s) in the show and give new collectors another perspective on the artist’s significance. Make content for multiple platforms so that you can give people additional opportunities to encounter the artist, their work, and your gallery.

4. Utilize A Variety of Activations

Why not host gallery events that cater to wider audiences? The work is on the walls for a month or so anyway, right? As much as possible, plan walkthroughs and/or talks with the artist. Build partnerships with outside organizations that reach communities that have affinities with the artist, the work, or the themes of the exhibit. The point is to get potential collectors into your galleries. Since most galleries know their schedule for the next 6-12 months, this shouldn’t be difficult to plan.

Final Thoughts

Lean into these strategies and you’ll create a stronger impression of the artist and their work rather than hoping the work is strong enough to stand on its own in attracting new people to your gallery.

All that’s required is a mindset shift.