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With RSS, all you need is a link and an RSS reader, and you can keep up with hundreds of thousands (maybe millions to billions) of different content sources on the web. From blogs and news sources, to YouTube and yes, Imagekind Galleries and Groups. Just click and your RSS reader will automatically update every time there is new content to view.

At Imagekind, we’ve incorporated this same technology to make it simple for people to stay up to date on their favorite galleries and groups on Imagekind. Whenever someone adds a new image to a gallery you are following via RSS, or posts a new image to a group, the reader will automatically update and show you what image was included and other useful information about the artwork for sale.

So, whenever you encounter an artist’s work on Imagekind you particularly like, scroll down to the bottom of the gallery, and click the “RSS for this Gallery.” Next time the artist adds more images to that gallery, your RSS reader will update, allowing you to easily simply view the new content.

The Potential for Artists

Incorporating RSS into Imagekind provides huge marketing potential for Imagekind Artists. With RSS, artists can share their feed links with their friends, family and fans outside of Imagekind. That way, they can click and stay up to date when an artist posts new images to their galleries.

To share your RSS feed link, simply right click on the and select “copy link location.” You can then paste that link as you would any other URL. Once you have the link, share it on your favorite social network, twitter, flickr, blog or even send an email. Once someone clicks the link, it will ask if and how they would like to subscribe to your gallery via RSS.

See, a real simple way to share your content and keep people up to date on your artwork for sale on Imagekind.

Want to learn something else you can use your Imagekind Gallery RSS Feed for? Read the post An Easy way to Display your Art Online and discover how to market your Imagekind galleries with banners via RSS.

Note: please allow some time between posting new images and them showing in the RSS reader. There is an expected delay for the reader to update.

Now, I want to show you an even easier way to add your artwork to your website, blog or social network page using tools already provided to every artist on Imagekind.

It’s called Widgetbox. Users can import their content and make custom boxes to display their content. In this case, I’ll show you how to easily display the art in your gallery.

1. Visit www.widgetbox.com
2. Click “Join Now” at the top and fill out your info
3. Once registered, click the green “Make a Widget” box
4. Select “Blog/feed”
5. Go to your Imagekind gallery you want to display
6. Scroll down to the bottom of the gallery and click “RSS for this Gallery”



7. Copy the RSS Feed URL at the top and paste it in the URL box on Widgetbox (note: you can also right click on the orange “RSS for this gallery” and select “copy link location”)
8. Follow the options to customize your widget
9. Once you are finished, click “Publish Widget” (you can leave it private if you want)
10. Copy and paste the embed code on your blog, site or network

** One Special note, to change the image displayed at the top of the widget with your Imagekind profile avatar, go to your Imagekind profile, right click on the avatar and select “copy image location.” Once you have it copied, paste the code in the image box under “Choose your blidget’s header style and details.”

If you need further instructions, or help on creating a personal widget with your Imagekind gallery, visit this helpful tutorial, or feel free to leave a comment and ask a question.

Nate

For all pro and platinum artists!

In lieu of our Member Appreciation, month-long free shipping promotion, I thought I’d get some banners for you to help promote your artwork for this special offer. I tracked down Scott, one of our designers here to help with the graphics, and he was cool enough to comply.

So, if you are a pro or platinum artist, and want to place some exclusive free shipping banners on your website, blog, or social networking page, grab the code and follow the instructions below.

Not a pro or platinum artist? You still have time to sign up to take advantage of this exclusive offer!

**Just remember that the free shipping offer is valid in September only and you should remove the banners from your site once the promotion expires.

Spread the Word!

Copy and paste the code below the banner on your website, blog or social network site. Just make sure to change SCREENAME with your Imagekind screen name (found on your profile page) to correctly send shoppers to your Imagekind art prints for sale!

<a href=http://SCREENNAME.imagekind.com><img src=http://blog.imagekind.com/media/free_shipping_234_1.gif alt=free_shipping border=1></a><br/>

<a href=http://SCREENNAME.imagekind.com><img src=http://blog.imagekind.com/media/free_shipping_234_2.gif alt=free_shipping border=1></a><br/>

<a href=http://SCREENNAME.imagekind.com><img src=http://blog.imagekind.com/media/free_shipping_234_3.gif alt=free_shipping border=1></a><br/>

<a href=http://SCREENNAME.imagekind.com><img src=http://blog.imagekind.com/media/free_shipping_468_1.gif alt=free_shipping border=1></a><br/>

<a href=http://SCREENNAME.imagekind.com><img src=http://blog.imagekind.com/media/free_shipping_468_2.gif alt=free_shipping border=1></a><br/>

<a href=http://SCREENNAME.imagekind.com><img src=http://blog.imagekind.com/media/free_shipping_468_3.gif alt=free_shipping border=1></a><br/>

______

Thanks to artist Ed Kinnally for helping clear up my last mistake!

Nate

Promoting your artwork where fans of your work congregate online is one of the best ways to help increase your art print sales. Whether its MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr or any of the other myriad social network choices, you have to first let people know your work is available in order to spark their interest.

If no one knows your artwork is for sale, how can you expect people to buy it?

I know most artists don’t like to promote their artwork for sale. Whether it’s because they’re timid, shy, unsure about their talent or just don’t want to be pushy, most artists don’t like this idea at all. However, I hope to explain three of the simplest, most passive ways to market your work online; no bullish sales pitches needed.

Here are three ‘passive’ tips to help you promote your artwork for sale on social networks. I say passive because, in most cases, it simply requires you to do something once. For the sake of brevity, I will explain how to do this on MySpace as not only is it one of the largest networks; the other choices require fairly similar processes.

Tip #1: Include a button or banner

Even if you are not very technical and know absolutely no HTML, I can show you how to do this easily.

1. Login to your Imagekind account
2. Go to “my account” and click on “Marketing Tools” in your admin
3. Choose either “Link to my Profile” or “Text Link” (note: because most online network sites don’t allow flash, I am sticking with the simpler, static options available through Imagekind. However, you can still opt to use the flash buttons and banners if you choose.)
4. Follow the steps and copy the code in the yellow box
5. Login to your network profile and select “edit profile” and paste the code in the box under your desired section, either “about me” “general” “music” etc.
6. Hit save changes and it should now show up on your profile.

- or -

Skip steps 1-4 and simply copy and paste the following code on your profile, making sure to change SCREENNAME to your Imagekind screen name:

<a href=http://SCREENNAME.imagekind.com><img src=http://www.imagekind.com/images/buttons/buy_my_art.gif alt=”Buy my art at Imagekind.com.” border=”0”></a><br/>

Tip #2: Share relevant Imagekind sales and promotions

I have setup a few different buttons and banners that will change automatically on your site when we launch a new promotion. You can choose either a small button sized promotion or a larger banner promotion. To put these on your profile or personal site with a link back to your profile, copy and paste the following code. Again, make sure to change SCNREENAME to your Imagekind screen name.

1. Small size: <a href=http://SCREENNAME.imagekind.com><img src=http://blog.imagekind.com/wp-content/themes/default/images/homepage_image_small.jpg alt=”Save money on my art at Imagekind.” border=”0″></a><br/>
2. Large size: <a href=http://SCREENNAME.imagekind.com><img src=http://blog.imagekind.com/wp-content/themes/default/images/homepage_image.jpg alt=”Save money on my art at Imagekind.” border=”0″></a><br/>

Tip #3: Post bulletins and announcements  about your art

Just as I am sure you want to know when your favorite band releases a new album, why do you not think those who love your artwork want to know when there is an update with your work? Posting bulletins and announcements about your artwork is a great way to keep people informed about your art. I saw this one just the other day, posted by one of our own members and thought it was a great example of this very point.

Posting announcements about your art is relatively easy and can take several forms. Whether it’s a blog post, bulletin, or other communication, letting those who want to know about your artwork, know about your artwork, can help you sell your artwork.

There you go. Generally easy, fairly passive, and all around three harmless ways to help promote your artwork. You’re welcome.

Nate