Free Art Business Tips:  How to Use Print Promotional Tools

Free Download: Please forward to artist friends.

Treat your art business like any other serious profession. The business of art is creating unique work of high quality and value to your viewers. The art of business is consistently building sustainable relationships through strategic work habits and well-organized business systems.
____________________________________________________________________

Sponsor

Art Marketing 101 For Smart Artists: The 7 P's Of Marketing Your Art
Friday, October 22, 2010 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM  Fr129  Register

Avoiding the business side of art is like driving down unknown country roads in the dark without headlights: you don't know what your destination looks like. You might end up down the wrong road, or worse yet, run out of gas. If you want to attract more collectors, gallery dealers and museum curators, you must know how to market your art. It doesn't have to be hard, boring or expensive. You just need a system and you have to use it consistently. Imagine having a reliable vehicle for marketing your art, with high beams to focus on the best way to save you time, money and energy. Learn to navigate the seven stages in the journey. You will leave this class with a marketing map that will help you drive your business so that you have a better year than ever. Then all you have to do is steer.

Related e-books available at www.artbusinesslibrary.com/art-marketing.

____________________________________________________________________

The Artist Who Tells The Best Story Wins
Friday, October 22, 2010 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM  Fr272 Register
 
Your art doesn't speak for itself - you do. At the heart of your marketing is a series of conversations designed to build a bridge between you, your art and your audience of art lovers and art professionals. The purpose of a persuasive presentation or conversation is to provide the audience with good reasons to look closely at your work, tells others about it and buy it. Learning to talk about your work to anyone, anytime, anywhere pays big dividends. On the list of people's greatest fears, public speaking has first place, while "death" is seventh. It only takes a few skills to start moving forward from fear into your comfort zone. You just need to know how to start, continue and end conversations. Learn how to plan what you want to say, say what you want your audience to hear and remember what you planned to say. The artist who tells the best story wins.

Related e-books available at http://www.artbusinesslibrary.com/art-marketing.

____________________________________________________________________

Multiple Sources of Art Income: Alternative Spaces, Galleries And Licensing
Friday, October 22, 2010 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM  Fr313  Register

It's better to have your eggs in more than one basket if you want to make a good living as an artist. In this class you will learn the following:

• When you sell directly to collectors, you don't have to share the commission with a gallery. You'll reach people who find traditional art galleries too intimidating and who like to buy art directly from the artist. Gallery dealers love working with artists who have built a healthy mailing list and already have satisfied collectors as proof of the ability to make art that sells.
• When you get a gallery to represent you, you get an exhibit venue and help with all the marketing. You reach a qualified audience loyal to the gallery with trust in the dealer's work and artists. In return, you pay a commission.
• If your work has wide appeal, you can become a household name and earn royalties by licensing your art to manufacturers.

 
P.S. Are you on Facebook, Twitter and/or Linked In? Let's connect and keep in touch in between posts! Just click on these images and let me know what you found useful about this tip:    And please include a link to the Art Marketing Blog so other artists can benefit.

If you are on a tight budget, our series of practical tips will help you use effective low-cost marketing tools to promote your art with class. So far we have covered:

Today we cover your artist marketing packet.
A stellar art marketing packet gets right to the point and delights the recipient.   

Photo: Copyright ©2010 AGK

When to Use an Artist Marketing Packet Instead of an Art Marketing Portfolio.

Think of it as a parent-child relationship. Your marketing portfolio is the parent showing off your everyday brand. Your marketing packet is the child dressed for a special event.

You can use your artist marketing packet to:

How to Design an Artist Marketing Packet
If you already have a master portfolio, you don't have to start from scratch. (If you don't have one yet, make sure to get this done this year. You will thank yourself later when you need to come up with something at the drop of a hat. There's more help on how to create your master professional portfolio here: Artists Need a Professional Portfolio.)

Always design with your audience in mind:

Then make your submission the highest quality possible, so yours stands out from the "also rans."

Use your creative genius to create an artist marketing packet that reflects your art aesthetic and your brand

 

Photo: Copyright ©2010 AGK

Photo: Copyright ©2010 AGK

Photo: Copyright ©2010 AGK

Remember to Follow-up
Sending a packet - or any other marketing piece - is just the beginning. Follow up by e-mail or by telephone a couple of weeks after you mail the packet. Ask  the recipient if they have had time to look at it and if you can provide any more information to help them make a favorable decision. Remember to thank them for their time and attention, whether or not they respond as you hoped.





P.S. If you want to refine your art marketing or are bewildered about where to even begin with your promotion, reply to this e-mail with your questions and ask me about a free 15 minute consultation to help you get started.
 
P.S. Are you on Facebook, Twitter and/or Linked In? Let's connect and keep in touch in between posts! Just click on these images and let me know what you found useful about this tip:    And please include a link to this blog so other artists can benefit.

P.P.S. If you were away last month, you might have missed the announcement of our newest e-book "Affordable Marketing That Really Works For You" Your website, online marketing, and printed marketing materials by Robin Sagara.
 
Take a peek inside and read Part 1 here.
Buy Now for $29.95

We order a lot of stuff online to create marketing packets, videos, DVDs and other groovy stuff for artists. If you're a DIY person, these resources should help. Do order them online as much as you can, and save yourself a lot of running around. Or, let us do it for you so you can get back to being an artist.  ;-D

These are just a few of the many quality places to buy online. If YOU have suggestions and places you love, please send them to me or leave a comment here on the blog.

DVD and CD labels, cases, media: 
Neato www.neato.com/
  We use their stuff to create in-house, and we've uploaded designs and had them print (and even shrink wrap) DVDs and CDs.

Presentation folders and labels:  
Office Depot:  www.officedepot.com and
Staples:  www.staples.com
  Folders, labels, papers, media, shipping supplies. You can shop online and get back to creating your art.  Or, your local office supply store should have a nice selection. Also ask at their in-house print shop about custom orders.
Online Printers, Google "custom presentation folders" or try www.printplace.com 

Art Supplies, Craft Supplies, and Fine Papers:
Michaels www.michaels.com
Mowhawk Fine Papers  www.mohawkpaper.com
Blick Art Materials  www.dickblick.com
Utrecht Art Supplies www.utrechtart.com
Art Paper www.artpaper.com
Legion Paper www.legionpaper.com
Fabric.com www.fabric.com
JoAnn Fabric & Crafts www.joann.com

Shipping:
We have accounts online. Just fill in the info and print shipping labels on your own printer (and return shipping labels). FedEx will give you shipping supplies and even pre-print your information on their shipping labels.
USPS: United States Postal Service www.usps.com 800-275-8777
FedEx: Federal Express www.fedex.com 800-463-3339
DHL: www.dhl.com 800-225-5345

And because you have high-resolution images of your work, and some cool photos of you, you working in your studio, you at your shows/galleries, you installing your work at a show, etc., you can use them in your packet, and in your portfolio, your postcards, your business cards, rack cards, and so on.

Want some help or advice on how to put together your packets and other marketing materials?  The first 15 minutes are on me, just email me to schedule some time.

All my best to you and yours,

Robin Sagara
Web Marketing Mentor
robin@artistcareertraining.com

If you are on a tight budget, our series of practical tips will help you use effective low-cost marketing tools to promote your art with class. So far we have covered:

• Your Promotional Identity

• Business Cards and Cover Letters to introduce yourself and your art

• Postcards, Rack Cards, Flyers, Brochures and Catalogues to broadcast information about yourself and your art.

Why You Need a Professional Portfolio

• The best portfolio is functional - easy for the recipient to review and easy for you to produce. I've seen all types of presentations of artwork, from old cardboard folders or scrapbooks holding snapshots to big fancy black leather custom-made notebooks with engraved stationery and custom-printed oversize photographs. Many of these portfolios are amateur or uselessly elaborate. The easiest container for both you and your viewers is a "dressed" view binder with your promotional identity in the plastic sleeves and spine.  
• Each portfolio you create is drawn from your Master File (Electronic, print and CD) of all your updated material. Once you have a Master Portfolio, all you have to do is update it whenever you have an event, award or new body of work. (You do update your material every time you have something new to add, don't you? If not, you might miss an opportunity!) Make sure to keep a backup off-site and natural disaster-proof. 
• The contents typically include:
  • Cover letter,
  • One- or two-page resume,
  • Artist's statement,
  • Articles and press,
  • Labeled color photocopies of images
  • Inventory list for all images with retail prices
  • Sample rack cards, brochures, postcards, business cards
  • CD of contents
  • Self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) in back pocket

P.S. If you are bewildered about where to even begin with your promotion, reply to this e-mail with your questions and ask me about a free 15 minute consultation to help you get started.
 
P.P.S. If you were away last month, you might have missed the announcement of our newest e-book "Affordable Marketing That Really Works For You" Your website, online marketing, and printed marketing materials by Robin Sagara.
 

When you put together a great portfolio from high-resolution digital images of your work and well-written materials, you end up with much more than a great portfolio. I mention this because it IS a fair amount of work to put one together, and I want you to be reassured that your work will pay off in more ways than one. 

The high-resolution images and well-written information you use in your portfolio can be used again and again. It's not like you have to go to all that effort every time you need extra portfolios or something to use in marketing your art. You'll HAVE great high-resolution images and complete information to use in your printed promotional materials and on your website. 

Putting the work into making a great professional portfolio WILL pay off. It also helps you keep your brand, your professional image as an artist, consistent. As Aletta said above, "Your web site is a mirror of your hard copy portfolio. YOU NEED BOTH. Once you have a hard copy portfolio, you can easily align your web site or Blog with this material and create a CD version."

It's like paying yourself forward.  Do the work now, and reap lots of benefits later!

Want some help or advice on how to put together your portfolio?  The first 15 minutes are on me, just email me to schedule some time.

All my best to you and yours,

~Robin


If you are on a tight budget, our series of practical tips will help you use low-cost marketing tools to promote your art with class. So far we have covered:

Today we cover catalogues.

Books about artists' lives, ôeuvre (complete works), signatures, defining characteristics and critical analysis have been around since the 16th century when Vasari wrote "Lives of the Painters. Sculptors and Architects." These monographs or catalogues raisonné educate collectors and validate works in the resale market.
 
Auction house, galleries and museums use catalogues for current auctions, collections or exhibitions. I have a serious "art book habit" for works that are not available for purchase or out of my price range. You can also find many on-line for only the cost of your time.
 
As the burden of promotion has shifted more to the artist, so has the range of publications you can use to promote your work. You don't have to wait until you are having a retrospective to produce a catalogue or coffee table art book.
 
So what do you have to think about to create one?

The scope of art works is up to you.
Choose from:

·  Selected time periods, one body of work or your ôeuvre
·  One medium or all media you work in
·  Your work or the work of a group you belong to
·  Selected venues and exhibits
·  Traveling exhibits

 
Identify and present your work properly.
Include at least:

·  Title and/or number
·  © Date
·  Medium
·  Dimensions
·  Original, giclée, print edition
·  High-resolution image for print catalogs; Low-res for online

If you have big name collectors, and permission to include their names, include the provenance.

 
Create narrative to suit your audience and purpose.
Choose from:

·  Introduction about your life and work
·  Narrative about each work or series
·  Reviews of your work

As a collector, I personally love to read about the inspiration for work in artist statements, bios or brief notes about each image.
 
If you want to impress galleries, museums and patrons, be sure to include comments or essays by recognized art professionals.
 
Decide who pays and publishes your catalogue.
Daniel Grant recently published an excellent article on this choice.
 
Get Help When You Don't Have the Time, Connections or Skills to Do-It-Yourself
Remember, if print promotion eats up your precious studio time, is technically beyond you, or frustrating, please let Robin help. It's not a big investment and you'll end up looking ever so splendid! Her dedicated support has helped me, and can help you, make a better living making art. Robin is located in Los Angeles, and serves artists worldwide. For more info on how she can help free up your time so you can focus on what you do best, email her at Robin@ArtistCareerTraining.com310-649-4434 Pacific time. Contact her for a complimentary 15-minute consultation.

P.S. If you are bewildered about where to even begin with your promotion, reply to this e-mail with your questions and ask me about a free 15 minute consultation to help you get started.
 
P.P.S. If you already have a strategy but are worried you may go broke just to create and update your website, online marketing, and printed marketing, contact Robin@ArtistCareerTraining.com with your questions and ask her about a free 15 minute consultation to help you get started.
 
If you were away last month, you might have missed the announcement of our newest e-book "Affordable Marketing That Really Works For You" Your website, online marketing, and printed marketing materials by Robin Sagara.
 
Take a peek inside and read Part 1 here.
Buy Now for $29.95