What's wrong with running ads that say 'buy my art now' with a discount code to cold traffic?

That approach fundamentally misunderstands how art sells online. Art rarely sells to people who’ve never heard of you before, no matter how good the discount is. Using aggressive ‘buy now’ messaging with discount codes to strangers is like walking up to someone at a bar and immediately proposing sex, or going to a backyard barbecue and shoving a photograph in someone’s face demanding they buy it before you’ve even introduced yourself. While you might occasionally get lucky with this approach, it’s no way to build a sustainable business or see positive long-term return on investment. You need to build a relationship first, introduce yourself, let people get to know you and your work, and then make offers after you’ve established some trust and goodwill.

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Asked by general teaching · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2017-02-25