Feedback on my business idea and advice on which bloggers/vloggers/Instagrammers to contact?

[maykmi]

Hi all,

I'm in the very early stages of attempting to start a start-up. I'm a MNer and I'm thinking that a large chunk of my target market are MNers too so I thought I'd come here to ask for a bit of help and advice with my marketing strategy. Sorry if this is long, I want to explain what I'm up to properly and give all the details necessary.

My business will be an online platform that will connect customers with artists and facilitate the commission of artworks from photographs.

The website itself will be a virtual gallery showcasing different artists and examples of their past work. Customers will be able to browse, pick an artist whose style they like and then commission that artist to create an artwork inspired by one of their own photographs. The whole process will be super simple and hassle free and will offer a secure payment process protecting both artist and art buyer.

The really important thing about this platform in comparison to others like Etsy is that I really am being very selective about who I feature. The standard will be very high, this will hopefully set us apart. I'm also really emphasising the fact that the artworks will not be those awful cheesy copies of photographs that you see people doing in Covent Garden or whatever but original artworks using photographs as inspiration.

I haven't built the website yet as this will be massively expensive and basically- I need funding! So, to show that there's a market for my idea (so I can pitch to investors Dragons Den style ) I'm in the process of running a trial version of the concept on social media. I'm recruiting artists and then running a little "competition" whereby people will be entered into a prize draw to trial the service by liking the page.

Proper, full size artworks are obviously very high end products and not easily or frequently affordable for most people. So to make the service more accessible there will be two tiers of product from each artist. The first will be the high end product- not necessarily big but whatever the artist considers the top end of what they offer (priced by the artist at any amount). The second will be an accessible cheaper option. In theory this will be something that the artist can create in just a few hours, at little expense and this must be priced at under £100 (in most cases I would recommend substantially under but it's up to the artist).

These two tiers of product will be sold as artworks "made in hours" vs artworks "made in days". ( Or "Bigs" and "Smalls" depending on how wanky I want to be with my use of language.)

For the test run/online competions I'm selecting a few local artists and will then run a an online competition whereby people will be entered into a prize draw to trial the lower end service by sharing/liking the page etc.

When I randomly select the winners I will send them a link a to a basic website I'm setting up that will have a profile for each of my artists. I will then let them choose their artist. I will then do all the intermediary (the stuff that will eventually be done very simply through the website) and also pay the artist a set fee for each mini artwork (which should be sendable by normal post).

For the second part of the test I will be aiming to get some wider publicity so will offer a trial run of the higher end service to some well known bloggers and such. I will let them select their artist and their photograph and then I will pay the artist myself (whatever they think it's fair to charge) and arrange for the packing and couriering when the work is complete (hence why I'm selecting locals).

In terms of bloggers or vloggers of Instagrammers, does anybody have any great ideas for people who might respond well to the idea of receiving an interesting piece of artwork inspired by one of their own photos in exchange for posting about it? I'm trying to think of people who have a slightly arty/cool vibe who still have mass appeal but who are not too super famous as to make it totally unfathomable that they'd be willing to work with me on publicising my non-existent business! Not much to ask huh!?

If anyone has taken the time to read this monster post and can offer any feedback/suggestions I'd be most grateful, I'm still at the point where nothing is set and stone and I'm totally open to all ideas (I actually think you should always be at this point when going to business but I digress!).

TIA

My worry here is your target customer. This certainly isn't something I would go for and not at the prices you are proposing. If I wanted this service then I would go to the likes of Etsy where I can get a fantastic version done, for a lower price, and from a reputable site.
The amount of money you would have to invest to build the site and advertise, getting any blogger to write about your product would not bring in enough business to cover your costs. You would have to have high end celebrities, and you won't get them. You will only likely get those with relatively small followings. Your blogger request also doesn't seem to fit in with your product. I get the impression you are planning on doing "serious art", so a cool trendy blogger wouldn't be your target market.
I'm sorry to be so negative, that's just my two cents.

I agree with Delilah.

I like to see a painting and then buy it. You'd have to charge me for a painting but I wouldn't know what it was going to be like - you only have to watch Landscape/Portrait Artist of the Year to see that everyone paints a completely different picture of a scene/person.

Also, who would want to buy "painted in hours" - they would know they'd get an inferior version.

I bought a framed print from Tate Modern recently. The packaging and postage was free as it was over £100, but it came in a huge box and it must have cost a lot to pack/post. That would have to come out of your profits - people are used to free delivery now and wouldn't want to pay the £20 or so that it would cost.

I'm really sorry OP but I don't get it....

I love buying art. I can also see the market for the cheap cheesy family portrait mugs and cushions etc.

But if someone wants some more expensive art why would they want something loosely inspired by their photo? Surely they'd just want something that represents what that artist normally does? And why would an artist want to be restricted in this way and risk dissatisfaction with custom items?

Also, why does your website need to be so expensive? Why not just use one of the many website building services?

Ooh thank you for the replies everybody! I'll do my best to reply to all your points.

@delilahbucket On the Etsy front- I know they would absolutely be my biggest competitor but through the market research I've done so far I know there is definitely a desire from artists for a similar platform that isn't such a free for all. The Etsy market is so saturated that prices are driven down and it isn't at all quality controlled. A "curated" site where only hand picked, verified artists are featured is definitely something with appeal for a lot of those same artists. From the other side I have also found that there are people out there who would really like to buy from such a site and they are a slightly different demographic than the average Etsy "art from photo" buyer.

The idea actually came from my own personal experience as a (very amateur) artist. I only work from photos but have a very distinctive style. People quite frequently ask me for commissions (based on their own photos) only having seen my work online. My work along with the artists I have on board already is not the sort of thing you would generally expect to find on Etsy. I am taking the reaction here on board though, luckily everything I'm doing now is basically an attempt to prove that there is a market for this idea so if it turns out I can't prove that then I will change the idea, I won't just stubbornly persist!

Blogger wise, you're probably right. I might be dreaming too big for my boots. I'll try sending the 60 second video ad to a couple of fashion blogger types with a little explanation but I won't hold my breath for a response. I'm definitely thinking I need someone cool and edgy. From what I've learned so far through market research there's quite a big cross over between fashion-y types and people who might be interested in this service.

@MyBrilliantDisguise I'm taking your point on board and it's one that has been raised a few times. There is obviously a slight element of risk involved and it wouldn't be a transaction everyone would be comfortable with. The two things that will alleviate this risk are that a) the profile of each artist showcased will be really detailed and contain many images of examples of their past work so the customer will have a very clear idea of the style of painting (or work in whatever form) that they will receive and will be able to make very clear requests at the time of commission. b) Because each artist is being hand picked and verified there is no risk that they are actual fraudsters.

Landscape/Portrait artist of the year is pretty much my favourite programme ever and I actually think it's a good way of explaining the appeal of this concept. If I could choose an artist from that whose work I'd seen and style I knew I would be comfortable to give them a photo, specifications as to size and medium and then let them crack on and make a piece of art for me.

On couriering and postage- I've taken the cost of couriering into account, this will definitely be a challenge but I'm hoping to work with a specialist art courier who we will eventually be able to do some sort of deal with. The large scale works will be high end products (as all original full size artworks are) so whether I include postage costs in general pricing or as an extra I hope it will not be prohibitive. The small works will be deliverable by normal post.

And on the point of the small works, they will not necessarily be inferior but just a very different sort of thing. It would only be possible to include this second tier as an option when working with credible, creative artists with a lot of skill but in my experience the little sketches and doodles they create are often just as beautiful as the painting that has taken weeks. As a product I see it as a bit like a very high-end, luxury greeting card in contrast to the high-end, luxury gift.

@Jafinar There are definitely many people who wouldn't see the appeal of an original interesting artwork inspired by one of their photos but there are those who do. Customisation is very big and in this age of Instagram and photo madness I've found people very responsive to the idea of anything they can link to this. It is one of those things that is specifically popular as a gift idea and that will potentially be my biggest market.

People give artworks as gifts now for weddings, big birthdays etc. These artworks obviously come as a surprise to the recipient so the concern about that element of the process is less relevant and it's generally true that people are more likely to respond well to these things if they are personalised in some way- so maybe a safer option than buying a random artwork.

There are plenty of artists who enjoy working from photos and even if it might not be "the ideal" I've found that talented young artists, (grads and undergrads of top art schools etc) are pretty keen for any platform that will offer them a means to make money- which as we all know, is not an easy thing to do for even established artist.

And finally! The website will need to so expensive basically because that is what it will cost. The business is the website and it will be complicated, not something I could knock up like my own artist website. Imagine building Etsy or Ebay of Upwork or Fiverr from scratch- that isn't a job for a website building service, you need professional developers. I've spoken to a fair few (including friends, family and generally very trusted sources) and have quotes. It turns out that it's fucking pricey!

Sorry for so many posts but thank you all for responding, criticism is definitely the most useful type of feedback so I really do appreciate it. I have made a note of all concerns and reservations and I will make doubly sure to test if they are insurmountable hurdles or not before I do anything expensive or irreversible.