Step 4: Develop A Content Plan – Website Development for Artists

by | Dec 22, 2017 | Website Planning, Development & Design

Website Content Planning Toolkit

This is the fourth article in the digital guide: Website Development for Artists: A Simple & Relatable Guide to the Basics of Websites. In this article, I will discuss the content plan.

The next step in the website development process is developing a Content Plan.  Content includes text, images, videos, documents and other elements that visitors to your website can engage with. A Website Content Plan includes the selection of content that aligns with the biographical, resume, opinion/thoughts, future work, products for sale and other relevant details that you would like to share with your audience. This article covers three of the seven core elements of your content plan: Biographical Details, Resume and Work Samples.  

BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS

Select the biographical details that you would like to share on your artist website.

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When visitors come to your website, they will be curious about the artist behind the work. Biographical Details are the things that you share about yourself to humanize the artist behind the work. This category includes all of the things that you want to share on your website about yourself. These details are important; they can transform your art in the eye of your website visitors by providing the relevant context and meaning behind the creation of your artistic work.  

Keep in mind that this isn’t a personal biography rather, this is a selection of those biographical details that influence your art. These are things that may help others to understand your art and those things that your audience will want or need to know. Answer the following questions:

  1. What do you want your website visitors to know about you as a person?
  2. What about you will they relate to most?
  3. What about your personal background influences you artistic work?

These are the things that you will share with potential fans of your art. If you aren’t sure about what aspects of your personal identity influence your artistic work, check out: Define Your Artist Identity: Story, Values & Style.

Résumé

Content that features your past work: performances, gallery exhibitions, events, shows, a portfolio, music and more.

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Once you have defined the content that represents your Biographical Details, consider the content that represents your past work. This content is categorized as Résumé. In this category you want to think about your work history and select content that features your past work: performances, gallery exhibitions, events, shows, a portfolio, music and more. Considering your body of work, select the past work that represents both your best work and your artistic distinction.

In some cases you may have to create content or curate old content to make it suitable for a digital platform; however, the time spent curating the content will be time well spent because you will have clear images, video, text etc. that reflects what you have done all on a website that can be viewed from California to Thailand. The content you curate about your work will be available to influence the world.

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Work in Progress

Share what’s coming next. 

Finally, now that you have selected content that will help your website visitors to learn about you and your past work, select some content to get them excited about the future. Let them know what you’re working on and what they should expect next. Review your current projects and select those that are near completion and provide details.

Don’t be afraid to share work that is in progress. I have found that people love to know what is coming next; they are inspired just knowing that you are still creating and, the expectation from those who follow your work, can spur you on to the finish line. You can sell tickets to an event premiering the work, share photos of the work in progress, post videos about the work or the process of creating it and you can even share why it is important to you. This documentation is a part of your work and can become a part of your process and even the marketing of your work.