The Sales Funnel for Artists: Understanding the Journey from Awareness to Loyalty

Jan 12

Written By Diarmaid Ó Fátharta | Tech Entrepreneur | Tonnta

A sales funnel is a marketing model that describes the journey a customer goes through before making a purchase. Whether you know it or not, you’re already using a sales funnel! If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of a sales funnel, don’t worry. In this article, we’re going to explain each stage.

By having awareness of each stage, you can be more conscious of your actions, which can lead to increased sales and the growth your business. So here we go!

Awareness

In the foreground to the left is a wall covered with small colorful paintings. Beyond the foreground the background is blurred but you can make out more artwork on dispay in the distance and two people looking at the art.

The first stage of the sales funnel is awareness. This is where potential customers become aware of the artist and their work. For an artist, this could mean showcasing their work on social media platforms, participating in art fairs or exhibitions, or receiving press coverage. The goal of this stage is to attract attention and generate interest in the artist's work.

Tools to use: As mentioned above, social media platforms are very useful at this stage. Instagram is the most popular social media platform for both artists and collectors. For engaging with art buyers in the physical world, the likes of Eventbrite can be used to promote and manage exhibitions.

Consideration

There is a young woman with her hair tied back, wearing glasses, and smiling while checking her phone while working at her laptop. Surrounding her on the desk are pieces of paper, pencils and paint brushes.

Once potential customers are aware of the artist, they enter the consideration stage of the sales funnel. In this stage, they evaluate the artist's work and decide whether or not they are interested in purchasing it. For an artist, this could mean providing detailed information about the materials and techniques used, as well as providing images of their work from multiple angles.

Example: An art collector visiting an art fair comes across your booth and likes the look of your paintings. They start to ask questions about the paint, canvas and inspiration behind the art piece, and then decide if they want to further look into your work.

Tools to use: we love using Squarespace, and so do artists! Squarespace has a wide range of templates which can help customers learn more information about artists and their art. CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tools such as Tonnta are essential from this point onward as it helps you manage your relationship with customers along the way by centralizing your contact list and conversations.

Conversion

There is a young woman with a ponytail, wearing a chunky scarf, red jumper, while holding her handbag and coat reading something in front of a wall of paintings.

The next stage of the sales funnel is conversion. This is where potential customers make the decision to make a purchase. For an artist, this means making the purchase as easy as possible by responding on time, helping them make decisions such as whether they want help with the frame selection or not, etc.

Example: The art collector from the previous example is interested in purchasing one of your paintings, but wants to learn more about shipping abroad since he lives in another country. You take the time to talk with the collector about the shipping process you have in place and make it easier for him to commit to the purchase knowing you can safely send your painting to him.

Tools to use: CRMs such as Tonnta help you respond to potential buyers and to keep notes of your conversations. By giving each customer an experience they enjoy, it will make the decision for the buyer to commit that much easier. Notes on location, when they want the painting and where the painting will be placed in the house allows you help the buyer feel considered and cared for, making it an easy decision to invest in your work.

Loyalty

A small cardboard box with a cardboard packing material inside and little piece of cardboard with Thank You typed on it.

Once a customer has made a purchase, they enter the loyalty stage of the sales funnel. This is where they become a repeat customer. For an artist, this could mean staying in touch with customers and building relationships, offering incentives for repeat purchases, or sharing new work with them.

Example: The art collector who bought the painting from you continues to follow your work on social media, and has since made several more purchases.

Tools to use: email marketing is a very important tool here as you can use a mailing list to give your loyal customers advanced previews of your work, discount codes, sharing of news, etc. You can use the mailing list included in your website builder, such as Squarespace, or use the likes of Mailchimp to build a mailing list and create emails for your community. Using a CRM like Tonnta at this stage allows you to keep record of your buyers and allow you to acknowledge their kindness and loyalty with a card at the end of the year.

Advocacy

Picture of an iPhone being held beside a laptop. The person is reading the writing that's on the phone.

The final stage of the sales funnel is advocacy. This is where customers go above and beyond to promote the artist and their work to others. For an artist, this could mean receiving positive word-of-mouth reviews or having customers post about their work on social media.

Example: The art collector is now a big fan of the artist and starts to recommend the artist's work to friends and family, and also mentions it in an art related community or in an art newsletter.

Tools to use: Continued use of a CRM tool is as important as ever at this stage. Keep tabs on who are sharing your work and who are listening to them. It’s important to acknowledge these people who are advocating for you.

So there you go! There are many ways you can use your knowledge of the sales funnel once you know about it. You can draw it out and review the activities you do at each stage, visualize where all your potential and current customers are in the sales funnel, etc.

As mentioned above, it’s very important to have a customer relationship process in place that works for you. For some people, something as simple as a notebook works.

For others, especially those who sell through multiple channels, it’s important to have a tool to keep on top of everything, such as Tonnta.

Sign up for a demo today if you need to implement Tonnta as a solution, or get in contact to arrange an Advisory Session in order to review your sales funnel as it is and see how we can easily systemise it to work for your business.

Diarmaid Ó Fátharta | Tech Entrepreneur | Tonnta

Since 2017, I've been building technological solutions for the solopreneur market, with a particular focus on the creative arts market. Beginning with theatre makers while based in New York, I have since expanded my work to serve the needs of artpreneurs and other solopreneurs. In 2021, I began delivering solutions specifically designed for the artpreneur market, helping them to streamline their business operations and improve their productivity.