Every gallerist knows it requires planning, skill, and possibly luck to close the sale of an artwork. It's a discretionary purchase for a buyer, even if they see long-term investment potential. Therefore, anything (and everything) can make a difference in the process. It could be as minor as art gallery labels up to significant press coverage for a show opening. Anything that attracts buyers to the gallery and engages them with the artwork can make a difference. While there isn't an exact formula to replicate, success lies in leveraging multiple opportunities; a client may visit several times before buying.

Developing and maintaining a productive email list can be crucial to art gallery sales. It would be best to strike a balance between being active enough to keep people aware and interested without overdoing it. If you email too frequently, you'll likely see fewer responses or people removing themselves from your list. Art is a visual medium; including imagery with your emails and links to more images on your website always helps. A long-time direct marketing axiom is that interested people want to know more. Therefore, having online image galleries readily available and promoting them with email is vital.

Social media offers ways to display the artwork in your gallery creatively. While someone may purchase based on an online image, it's much more likely to happen in person. Therefore, using your posts to entice people to visit in person is the most effective strategy. Posting using a serial approach where you release a series of images over time also can work. If you do it well, some people may share your content, boosting its value. There are success stories you can build on, so it's still being explored, but there is much to be learned about promoting art on social media.

Gallerists with excellent writing skills, or those with the budget to engage marketing experts or writers, may choose to launch a blog. If you can get buyers to read your articles, they arrive at the gallery with interest in the art. It takes the initial marketing step of discovery and moves it online. Many people will still learn the most (and decide to buy) from subsequent in-person visits. But strong blog posts can go a long way toward getting people in the door. If running your blog sounds too much, another approach is to guest post on other blogs. It's an excellent way of reaching a new audience.