New galleries: how to get off the ground

Andrew Hillier, gallery owner, Hillier Gallery

Make some noise: Marketing and PR is key to the success of any business and galleries are no different. Having said that it needs to be pitched at a level you're comfortable with and within a set budget as it can be easy to get carried away! Working with established artists with their own fans and collectors is a bonus but not essential – with so many media and marketing channels open to galleries now there's no reason to not be making some noise.

Get social: Since opening my second gallery I've begun looking at PR more and more as a way to drive business. Social media is vital too and there are many platforms where artists, art lovers and collectors share ideas and news online – Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Deviant Art to name but a few can all help you reach people you might not have been able to before.

At the moment we're looking at the possibilities for Pinterest at Hillier. As with all aspects of setting up a gallery, or any business, you need to have a plan and stick to it. It can be all too easy to get caught up in the social media whirlwind, so we want to make sure everything we do is adding to the gallery and our visitors' experience of it.

Stay relevant: Another key factor to remember is that art goes through periods of 'fashion' just like everything else. I worked with an artist who created beautiful watercolours but there was a time when they became less fashionable and we parted ways.

Think finance, not favourite: A grounding in art history is also important as it will help you identify artists whose work will sell well and become good investment pieces. It can be tempting when starting out to only feature art you really like but you need to see past this to the techniques used and with a business hat on.

Negotiate hard on rent: It can be daunting finding your first space but always negotiate as low as you can on any space you love.

Make your gallery a destination space: You don't need a city location to get people through the door if you're offering something different and exciting.

Cynthia Corbett, director, The Cynthia Corbett Gallery

Don't forget art listings: Do as many good art listings as you can afford; art critics, journalists and bloggers always want to hear about the 'new' – and with Twitter you can directly grant them press releases, images and links.

Use your websites to entice and encourage: We use our website as a shop front window, and direct people there for further information, artists background and visuals, but nothing beats seeing the art in person. We work as hard as possible to get the work in front of people who may buy, write about or enjoy the work as well as having the best quality images that we can.

Success doesn't always mean sales: Don't get disheartened if you put on the best exhibition ever, art critics love it, artists are happy but you don't sell. This happens to everyone!

Make the art affordable: Young collectors are being encouraged to buy and this has had a very good effect on the "affordable art" movement. I think what is really important is to make sure collectors know that instalment plans are available and that if they are so interested in an artists whose work may be a bit out of budget, they can try for smaller pieces. Keep their options open.

Claire Henry, proprietor and curator, Live with Me

Trust your taste: And don't take on work that you don't believe in completely. When it comes down to it, you're doing a sales job and if you're not convinced of a product, your customers will be able to tell. The things that have sold best for me have been the things that I have loved the most.

Megan Piper, gallery director, The Piper Gallery

Get to know your artists: I think I'm lucky to have great relationships with all the gallery's artists. I think that knowing and understanding them and their work is important when introducing their artworks to the public and collectors – I would find it very difficult to promote an artist that I didn't have a good working relationship with.

Eleanor MacFarlane, artist, theViewergallery

Ask for free space: I have negotiated free or reduced rates for gallery hire in the past. If you're enthusiastic and can add value to the gallery by having a pop up day, they will help you out – I have even been given staff for free for the day.

Be patient: There's nothing wrong with smaller organisations waiting a bit until the next generation of things become cheaper. Let the large funded places invest in developing digital tech first. As long as you keep up with Twitter, Facebook, blogging and so on, tailor-made apps can come later. There are free online QR code generators to at least appear being up to date – it's a better contrast to have the gallery a bit old fashioned while the art is cutting edge.

This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To get more articles like this direct to your inbox, sign up free to become a member of the Culture Professionals Network.