Molaundo Jones is Ready to Tackle Your Arts Marketing Questions

How our newest NYFA Coach can help you manage your digital marketing presence.

Marketing is one of the most important things we do as artists and cultural workers. At best, it’s a way to share our work with the world; connect with peers and mentors; and cultivate opportunities in line with our dream artistic lives. Yet the process can feel incredibly challenging, and we often wonder if we’re getting it “right.” 

To help you manage your digital marketing presence, we are excited to welcome new NYFA Coach Molaundo Jones, Senior Director of Communications and Partnerships at Art21 and Founder of branding and content creation consultancy The Clever Agency.

We recently spoke with Jones to hear about how he believes artists can use digital marketing strategies to accomplish their goals, as well as his favorite and least favorite things to see from artists online. If you’re interested in getting feedback on your digital marketing presence–such as a personalized review of your Instagram or website–book an appointment here.

NYFA: As a digital marketing expert, you will be advising artists on their social media presence and websites. How do you like to approach these conversations, and how can artists position themselves to get the most out of them?

Molaundo Jones: In order for me to give artists the best advice and feedback possible, I need to get a good sense of their professional goals and overall digital experience as well as a decent audit of their current online presences. When I have these insights I can then gauge where they stand in all of these areas and give them effective recommendations based on their goals and capabilities.

In order for me to give artists the best advice and feedback possible, I need to get a good sense of their professional goals and overall digital experience as well as a decent audit of their current online presences.

-Molaundo Jones

NYFA: In previous workshops you led at NYFA (see recap here), you talked a lot about the importance of tailoring one’s efforts based on their goals. As an artist, how can you “let your goals guide you,” as you put it?

MJ: The best way for artists to accomplish their goals and to avoid feeling overwhelmed in their efforts to promote themselves is to be clear on what exactly those goals are. A lot of artists struggle to connect creativity and self-expression to strategic planning. But once your goals are clear, it’ll be that much easier to work towards realizing them.

NYFA: What are some frequent mistakes you see among artists marketing themselves online? Are there any pet peeves or things that make you cringe?

MJ: Some frequent mistakes that I see among artists online are dated and/or poorly organized websites; unclear or incoherent artist statements; and a lack of understanding of the impact that paid social media can have on both deepening engagement of their work and expanding to new audiences.

One of my biggest pet peeves with online marketing is when artists and other creative professionals worry about how many followers they have as opposed to focusing on engaging and converting the followers that they already have.

One of my biggest pet peeves with online marketing is when artists and other creative professionals worry about how many followers they have as opposed to focusing on engaging and converting the followers that they already have.

-Molaundo Jones

NYFA: You’ve mentioned that artists often approach you with challenges and fears about promoting themselves. What are some of the most common ones you hear?

MJ: Some of the most common fears that I hear from artists about promoting themselves include not feeling technologically savvy enough to be successful with marketing themselves online; lacking the time, capacity, and/or bandwidth to promote themselves consistently; and that selling their work online could hurt how it is valued in the eyes of collectors, curators, etc.

NYFA: Based on your extensive experience, what are some things you love to see artists and creatives do on social media? Are there any particular moves or tactics that elicit a “yes, you’re nailing it!” reaction for you?

MJ: I love to see artists share their creative processes online, across all art forms. It’s something that most artists don’t do enough, in general. I also love seeing artists support one another’s work and shows online.

Social media is designed to invite people to engage your work and creative process on a scale that simply wasn’t possible for previous generations of artists. Many of our favorite artists throughout history were contemporaries who formed collectives, lived in close proximity to one another, and produced work that impacted each others’ ideas and processes.

Through social media, this interdependent dynamic can now easily play out on an international, cross-cultural scale that is pretty unprecedented.

I love to see artists share their creative processes online, across all art forms. It’s something that most artists don’t do enough, in general.

-Molaundo Jones

NYFA: In one sentence, what is your top line advice to artists and creatives approaching marketing?

MJ: My top line advice for artists is to become clear on who you are and what you want to accomplish and then don’t be afraid to experiment with putting yourself out there in all of the ways that you’ve thought about.

To book a session with Molaundo or any of our other coaches, click here. If you have questions about this program, contact [email protected].

About Molaundo Jones:

Molaundo Jones is the Senior Director of Communications and Partnerships at Art21, a celebrated global leader in presenting thought-provoking and sophisticated content about contemporary art. He is also Founder of The Clever Agency, a content creation and brand strategy consultancy. Jones has over 20 years of experience in marketing including social media, web development, email marketing, content creation, and paid advertising. As a NYFA Coach, he can offer strategies and insights on all things related to marketing and digital media, such as personalized reviews of your social media and website.

In addition to his work at Art21 and The Clever Agency, Jones has worked for creative and mission-driven companies including Black Girl Ventures Foundation, an organization committed to creating low-barrier access to capital for Black and Brown women-identifying founders; the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable, New York’s premier arts advocacy organization; Queens Council on the Arts, an institution committed to developing the arts in Queens County; and Fractured Atlas, a national membership-based organization committed to helping artists raise capital for their projects. 

Jones also enjoys working with elders through arts education and contributing to the development of emerging artists and entrepreneurs. He has served as a panelist and facilitator with organizations including New York Foundation for the Arts, Brooklyn Arts Council, the Museum of Arts and Design, and the NYC Metropolitan Transit Authority. Jones currently serves as President of the Board of Fourth Arts Block (FAB NYC), a community organizing-based nonprofit committed to strengthening the cultural diversity of the Lower East Side.   

This program is part of NYFA Learning, which includes professional development for artists and arts administrators. Sign up for NYFA’s free bi-weekly newsletter to receive updates on future programs.