the benefits from a business perspective, it’s also easy to downplay the amount of commitment required for a gallery to truly harness the potential of social media. Real success requires a deep and ongoing commitment to managing and refreshing the website content, managing the gallery’s Facebook presence, and integrating Tweets into the communications mix. SUMMARY
To an outsider, the art world appears vast. But while it is big, there are some clear observations that can be made. A website has become an essential part of a gallery’s effort to promote, educate, and communicate. More and more, art world players are spending time thinking about their website design and its effectiveness in promoting the gallery and its artists. If they want a website, they will want to identify the most reliable company, one that understands the art world and offers the best design, customer service, and technical support and go with it. Obviously, this doesn’t take into account the eccentricities and personal tastes of art world principals. But as opposed to a big corporation or e-commerce firm that must have certain technical specifications met for a website, with few exceptions an art gallery is more likely to go with the best-looking and best-priced option. Balancing out these values must be a consideration of time and energy. Which site offers the best solution when it comes to updating new content? Which site is the easiest to operate? What staff will handle these updates? The ultimate goal is for a gallery to end up with a website that’s built to grow with a minimum of headaches, that looks great, and that represents what the gallery is all about. 22