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Perseverance and Results
Dec 9th
Guest blogger Jacqui Hawk shares how she visualized and created success this year. Through giving and sharing, she received a bounty in return.
By Jacqui Hawk
My blog is full of posts about charities I have supported this year; The Painted Bra Art Project, which went viral on Facebook, Trees for Life in Edinburgh which I also attended and joyfully brought me together with my father whom I recently found after 42 years! Another very special post was “Paying it Forward,” a post about Jack Burke and Joey Middlemiss – two little boys each challenged in different ways, but connected with their courageous hearts and spirit and the paintings I did for each of them.
Many artists feel that charity events are ultimately not a win/win … I appreciate that you have to be selective! The ones I have given to have personally given back to me threefold. Artists could perhaps negotiate a 50/50 split of the silent auction profits if they find themselves doing a lot of fundraisers. The goal is to give quality art and raise a lot of money to achieve these goals. I believe it has to be a fair arrangement.
In January of 2011, I had a clear vision of my success and tried to visualize what that looked like and work towards it. I have been dedicated to painting every day. I get up early and paint for an hour before work and then paint for 2-3 hours in the evening, juggling a full time job at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell. Managing my time - life as a Corporate Project Manager has helped me keep on task, stay structured and achieve goals.
I took part in 21 events this year (gallery exhibits, solo shows, and fundraisers) This clearly helped raise awareness for my art. When I google my name now, there are about 30,000,000 more than last year.
I invested in a new website. This is very important I believe. Being one in a sea of thousands on a third party website was not for me. My goal in 2012 is to build my own “shop” on my own site.
I embraced Facebook, and created a Facebook business page where I organized all my paintings for sale, sold, etc. I network with a lot with artists all over the world on Facebook and Twitter, many of whom are becoming great friends. I make sure that I’m very visible in the art world on Facebook, and I am totally inspired by the amazing work I see being created. I make a point to share the work of artists I love; they also do the same for me and so the energy and momentum builds.
I network and collaborate extensively with other artists, especially those whose styles are very different to mine; great things can happen! Because of this, I receive many invitations to join other artists in new gallery opportunities.
An example of this is “Art Reach,” a collaboration between St. Joseph Hospital and six artists to “harness the healing power of art.” I painted a huge 6 x 6 ft canvas in the dark during the terrible October East Coast snow storm by candlelight.
I am a member of several art associations, and this year I became a regular artist member of 263 Art Gallery in Nashua. This gave me a lot more exposure. I intend to widen this net next year. I went through a huge attitude change this year. Every time I felt like giving up because I came away from a show where I sold nothing, it made me dig deeper and deeper and become so much more resilient – and I enjoyed 33 sales this year! You recognize those moments as a ‘turning point’ in your artistic journey. It’s not a race, and success is different for everyone. I intend to pay my art dues, showing up at my easel every day because I love what happens in those magic moments.
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Boost Your Business – Get Some Press!
Dec 5th
By Carolyn Edlund
Courtesy Barbara Jean Lloyd
One of the best ways for artists to gain visibility is to get the media to help promote them. Put together an attention-getting press release, perfect your pitch, and get ready for some great results. Here’s how to get started:
Tell Your Story – People are always interested in fascinating stories, and as an artist, you can give them one. Put lots of thought into writing a well-composed, succinct but compelling story about your work, your background, your inspiration, your philosophy, etc. Use your best images to make the story irresistible. The purpose here is to create a buzz. Keep the story short and to the point (300-500 words at most), making sure there are no grammatical or spelling errors.
Create your press release – Press releases should be written in third-person with an understanding that the reporter needs a hook to write a great headline. Check this article for tips on writing one, plus a press release format you can also use.
Interviews are even better! Although you’ll want to send out press releases, getting interviewed by a reporter or blogger is even better. Do your networking on LinkedIn, Facebook or Google+ to connect with bloggers, writers, reporters and other media people. Make connections both nationally and in your hometown, because you will want to appeal to both. To find local media people, do a city search on Twitter, and follow them. As you communicate and build rapport, you are in a better position to get those interviews.
Become a source – Subscribe to HARO, where you can pitch to any reporter needing a source for your particular expertise. Customize your pitches when you respond for a higher chance of getting some press exposure.
Looking to guest blog? Target popular blogs which cater to the audience you want to reach. It’s best if you break the ice by being a subscriber, commenting on and sharing their blog content on social media. Rather than starting a long conversation to ascertain whether you can submit an article, send the blogger an email with an article which is ready to go. You may be surprised, but many times bloggers need material and are willing to use your story. Just make sure it’s not “me, me, me” but an entertaining, useful or compelling read of real interest to their audience.
Want to get your product featured on national TV? If you are ready to take your story and your product to a national level, check out this article on Preneur.net about pitching your work. You will have to have a very professional website, and be able to deal with a huge traffic surge when your work goes on air. Good luck!
Have you gotten great press? Please share your techniques, and link to the article!
Find out more about Barbara Jean Lloyd's artwork by visiting her website.
Creative Marketing for Artists
Nov 19th
By Carolyn Edlund
A photographer walked through a business expo, carrying an iPad. Seeking commercial clients, he had targeted the expo as a good place to meet prospects. When making contacts at the event, he was able to quickly open his iPad, which was connected to his very polished website, and show his portfolio. Upon receiving a business card from an interested party, he could instantly send an email to them with a link. Nice job! Could you adapt this type of effective marketing to your own business?
A jewelry designer had an idea to approach personal shoppers in his area, offering high-end designs and custom work for their clients. Personal shoppers need to find unusual, creative apparel for their clientele. This designer would be able to offer exceptional value to the personal shopper through a high level of customer service, and the ability to create designs exclusively for interested clientele. After friending his prospects via social media, he planned an initial email contact with gorgeous glamour photos embedded, followed up with a phone call for an in-person appointment. He was gearing up for a fantastic presentation, with solid evidence on how he could offer value. How can you target and plan to reach a specialty market for your work?
A glassblower working on a private commission takes photos on his cell phone of work in progress and instantly sends them to his client to make sure they are “on the same page” – while the glass is still hot! Could this type of amazing customer service work for your business?
Recently, several artist agents discussed a direct mail strategy. It didn’t involve a postcard mailing – their plan was much bigger. They suggested culling your email newsletter mailing list by checking analytics to find those recipients who regularly opened and clicked on links. Use those names to make a “short list,” because your mailing will actually be small. Add in a dream customer or two that you would love to do business with. Now – spend the time and effort to create a spectacular mailing piece. Full color glossies? Accordion-shaped book of your full line? Super creative 3D promo that arrives in a gift box? Even if each one costs $15 to make, you may be mailing to only ten people, for a small $150 cash investment. Wow your prospects with an amazing presentation. Have you tried a similar approach to get the attention of your targeted prospects?
Another artist had a professional video created of herself painting in her studio, which is sent to galleries featuring her work. When the video is shown on a loop, it effective tells her story and allows visitors to get “up close and personal” by virtually entering the studio itself. Do you use creative “sales aids” to promote your work when you can’t be there in person?
Each of these ideas goes above and beyond to sell art and develop strong business relationships. Today, personalized marketing, exemplary service and increased value are expected by customers. What techniques have you used to grow your business by going the extra mile?
What Grade Does Your Art Website Deserve?
Nov 15th
By Carolyn Edlund
For the past several years, I’ve subscribed to updates from Hubspot, and recommend that artists (or anyone else who has a website) check out what they have to offer.
Want to know how effectively your site is working? Check out Website Grader. It “grades” your site on various factors, including whether you have a blog, the amount of traffic your site gets, readability, incoming links and more. Suggestions are given on how you can improve your site to draw more visitors and improve search engine rank.
Update – As of December, 2011, Website Grader has been replaced by Marketing Grader. Check it out here.
And what about that blog? Click on over to Blog Grader and get an evaluation of your blog as well, including email subscription, social media links, average number of links, and metadata.
You probably saw this coming – yes, Tweet Grader, Facebook Grader and Google + Grader are available as well. You can even see how well your press releases are working by visiting Press Release Grader. Whether you are seriously searching for improvement or just want to check it out for fun, Hubspot has a lighthearted approach to all of their social media training and advice.
And Hubspot does have advice – lots of it. Signing up for their mailing list will bring you webinars on every type of web marketing you could ever need. Recently they released an ebook tutorial on how to create a Google+ business page if you want to be on the cutting edge of that platform.
But wait – there’s more! The team over at Hubspot has an entire university. Yes, it’s true. You could be old school and buy the hardcover book Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs (New Rules Social Media Series)
Whether you just want to take a peek at your grades, or are a hardcore student, I encourage you to do some learning at Hubspot today.
Who is Really Celebrating Artists?
Nov 11th
By Carolyn Edlund
Entrepreneur Magazine’s website has an inviting-looking contest, asking for submissions to their Indie Merchant Holiday Gift Guide. The very first paragraph states,
This holiday season, let’s celebrate the artisans, craftspeople and other independent merchants who create one-of-a-kind items that make for special gifts. From now until Thanksgiving, we invite all eligible businesses to tell us about ONE item that you sell that is the perfect gift for someone special this holiday season.
[Bells ringing, birds singing]
But then take a look at the FAQ section:
I designed my product, but have it manufactured in China. Can I still enter it?
Yes. We understand that manufacturing is an integral part of doing business. Items do not have to be hand-made.
Whoa—What?!? [Record-scratching sound]
I suggest that Entrepreneur Magazine hold whatever contest they want, but don’t pretend to support and celebrate American artisans and craftspeople when they really don’t. That’s disingenuous at best.
Is there anyone out there in the creative community who doesn’t know that products Made in America are under attack? Items pouring in from China undercut the prices and livelihoods of American entrepreneurs, as well as knocking off artists who design and produce in this country. Having items produced overseas kills American jobs – that’s a fact.
If you’d like to submit your original handmade product to a contest that does respect the integrity of the arts and crafts industry in this country, consider submitting one image to The Arts Business Institute, to appear in a series of three articles on “Great Handmade Holiday Gifts” which will run on Thanksgiving week. Each image selected will be shown with a link back to the artist’s website. It’s free to enter. No items manufactured outside of the U.S. or Canada will be considered.
Send one image of your work + a description + retail price + your website address by midnight on Thursday, November 17, 2011 to: artsbizinstitute@gmail.com.
Carolyn Edlund, the author of the Artsy Shark blog, proudly co-writes content for The Arts Business Institute, a nonprofit which for the past 16 years has taught workshops on the business of art to artists and craftspeople in the United States and Canada.
Featured Artist Leah Jay
