April 14, 2013 @ 1:11 PM

Again and again I read about getting traffic to your website. There are articles how to do it, advertisements for products or services that will increase your traffic, lures to join this group or that website to get more traffic, and for what? Is increased traffic really what you want? In reality, the truth is no. What!! you may say, "but isn't that what websites are all about? Is that not how we makes sales? Does not more traffic mean more success? Is not every website visitor a potential customer? " In truth no, no, no and no.

Let's compare website traffic to foot traffic at a gallery. I have been to many Art Walk nights that have hundreds and hundreds of people in attendance. Sure, you can say every one is a potential customer but in my observation most of these very well attended events had very few sales. The same amount of sales are often made with much, much lower numbers of everyday gallery traffic. I have personally shown at art festivals, had gallery openings and other events that had crowds of people. In my experience the increased traffic did not mean increased sales. With art we do not need the masses, only the few to have successful sales. Our websites also only need a few of the right visitors, and a few of them will be the kind that turn into actual customers. That's all we need.

IT ONLY TAKES ONE

While sitting in an empty gallery I have taken to reminding and encouraging myself by saying, "It only takes one".  Selling art is not like most commercial endeavors. We do not usually set out to sell hundreds of baubles that appeal to the majority of the population. As artists we have a very limited, specific audience. Our wares are each lovingly hand made and sell for quite a bit more than the average mass produced item. To sell art we are seeking that special person who connects with our art, is an art collector and has the budget to purchase. We don't need lots of traffic we only need the one. 

Traffic is great but if it is not the right traffic it is not what we want as much as just a few who not only admire our art but are actually in the market for art and art like yours. It only takes one, one person who says yes to my art and goes home a happy customer and proud new owner of a Carol McArdle painting and that leaves me a happy artist!