Art Career Experts » ACE audio books

Should I announce that I am raising my art prices?

ace — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:07:38 +0000

A question on our forum:

“I want to raise my prices on my art. Should I announce this in my newsletter? “

This is one of those good questions that we have seen before and where there are as many opinionated answers as there are repliers! Since we pay every bill with the sales of our art, Steve and I think carefully about such changes and the possible repercussions in any decision concerning prices.

We DO have something to lose by following the wrong advice, well meant as it may be….but conjecture without facts can be foolish.

So, in our opinion and in practice with our art business, when we raise prices, we do so quietly, without advance notice.

Our increases are always small but certainly manageable so we see no reason, especially in challenging times, to possibly give our prospects one more reason to put off a decision

After all, art is a want, not a need. Remember that!

There are good, sound marketing reasons why manufacturers and distributors have not said a word about the shrinking of their product packaging while the prices increase (ie:consumables such as coffee, tea bags, 1 lb bags, etc.)

This is not new. As a kid I remember 36 birthday candles in a consumer box. Then watched it drop to 24, then 18 and now I think it’s 12? LOL-tampons used to be 12 in a small box now it’s down to 8, and the number of sticks in a package of gum has certainly dropped…etc. Unless you use a product regularly (coffee comes to mind) you do not notice some of the small changes.

And NO one announces these changes by the way…they usually come through some expose’ in an afternoon TV show

Having commented on the shrinking product, Steve did the identical thing when he kept his well known $100 price tag for one group of his popular oils by decreasing the size of what that amount purchased. Same quality, same price, smaller package.

There will always be that school of thought that says announcing an increase in prices will result in a flurry of sales “before the increase”. Our experience has proven that it is not quite that cut and dry.

If you study marketing and do your own due diligence, you will see that with “end of year” sales, inventory sales, etc, etc, there is a pattern that all the businesses use and imitate. You would do well to follow the patterns of successful businesses and see what the trends are (they all have invested big bucks into market analysis) before randomly deciding to increase or decrease something as complex as pricing.

If you go back through the newsletters you will see an article I wrote for our Art Career Experts and shared with other online magazines/blogs about pricing art. (Help me Sell my Art)

I repeat a key point here-it is NOT some magic number that will help you sell your art-it is your whole package. Having the “perfect price” will not sell your art. Perfecting your image and your art package will

JC Penney ending sales? What does that mean?

ace — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:28:09 +0000

As the economy rolls on, all businesses are faced with decisions that were not in a long range business plan! Even the big boys are struggling to make sense of changing customer needs and have had to come up with creative and innovative marketing ideas to stay afloat.

So this article in the Associated Press caught my eye. Are we really so different from other retailers?

J.C. Penney Says ‘No Sale’: Cuts All Prices, All the Time to Simplify Bargain Hunting

J.C. Penney (JCP) is permanently marking down all of its merchandise by at least 40% so shoppers will no longer have to wait for a sale to get the lowest prices in its stores.

Penney said Wednesday that it is getting rid of the hundreds of sales it offers each year in favor of a simpler approach to pricing. On Feb. 1, the retailer is rolling out a three-tiered strategy that offers “Every Day” low pricing daily, “Monthly Value” discounts on select merchandise each month and clearance deals called “Best Price” during the first and the third Friday of each month when many shoppers get paid.

The plan is similar to Walmart’s (WMT) iconic everyday low pricing strategy except that Penney’s goal isn’t to undercut competitors. Instead, Penney aims to take the guesswork out of shopping in its stores by offering customers fewer sales and more predictable pricing.

Penney’s plan comes at a time when stores are struggling to wean shoppers off the profit-busting bargains that they have come to expect in the weak economy. The move is risky because shoppers who love to bargain-hunt may be turned off by the absence of sales.

See full article from DailyFinance: http://srph.it/Aml32Y

An artist’s business plan and a bottle of wine

ace — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:56:23 +0000

So what would an artist business plan and a bottle of wine have in common?

We have an artist’s only business plan template on our site designed by us, for artists, for a $4.99 investment. It is an immediate download.

Now why, you may ask, is it not free?

We have discovered that the value of our advice, just like art and a bottle of wine, is often determined by price.
Think about it. A bottle of wine at a dinner may range from $9.99 to $299.00 and although you may not know wine, the first thought in your mind is, “Wow that $299.99 bottle must be something special!” It’s a natural response
But it is also surprising how many people will sip both wines and determine the $9.99 actually tasted better! (I was privy to that blind taste drama once and the results were exactly that-royally ticking off the connoisseur!)

So if you are serious about laying out your 2012 business plan and do not know where to start, we promise that the taste test won’t flop! Our template is designed to get you thinking about your 1 year plan in art. We want you to think BUSINESS and all it entails.
Take it seriously-as though you had to make the plan for a bank loan, THAT will force you to look at goals, costs, needs and how to get there!

If you read our advice on creating your artist’s business plan and think “but I just want to be an artist” or “so and so’s online advice seems easier”, then you are buying into the fantasy world that non-working artists are promoting and will have to make some intelligent choices .

Writing down your goals takes some thought. Making it happen takes some work. Set 2 bottles of wine aside somewhere in your studio. Use them as a reminder that price often determines value….think your business, your art…..but in the end, when you have thought out and completed your plan, you will feel like celebrating…..and guess what? You will really know what being empowered feels like! And sure, open one of those bottles to celebrate!

The Fast and Easy Shortcuts to Success?

ace — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 11:00:43 +0000

ACE Newsletter (teaser!)

The Fast and Easy Shortcuts to Success?

by M.Theresa Brown

An interesting discussion began the other day when, on a yahoo group message board, a list of the 12 ways to be successful as an artist were published. The 12 steps were “OK advice” but pretty generic and from a popular Internet art marketing site and I responded to the post with the following:

“Oh my, real world experience counts for a lot in these discussions.

It is telling that the most often asked question in our art marketing seminars is “How do I price my work?” The artists who ask, regardless of what they just heard from me in the seminar, are searching for an easy, magical formula for instant success. And top of their list is the thought ” skip the rest-just tell me how to price my art so I can sell”

Those artists are not understanding or accepting that there is no single answer. I tell them it is the “whole package” which is the key to pricing their art. But even putting the “correct price” on a piece of art will not sell it!
From what I have seen and heard, very few artists today are willing to work as hard as it takes to develop that package

They pop from one guru’s message to another looking for the yellow brick road and a way to the top with as little effort as possible:-) And along the way, they go nowhere because there is always the underlying voice telling them “but that’s a lot of work” or “I don’t know if I can do that” and off they go looking for a message that sounds more in keeping with what they’d like to do.”

Want to read the rest of this insightful article? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletters and enjoy articles from us and our knowledgeable guest artists by signing up for our FREE newsletters at Art Career Experts.

BTW-did you notice the “teaser” form of writing? This seems to be the era of a new news form of Internet writing. Gone are the days when the summary of the whole article was in the first paragraph. Now most headlines when you turn on your computer are questions. “Did the man jump from the building?” “Did the war end?” The old time newsmen would roll over in the grave.

Linkedin-is it helpful?

ace — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 11:01:47 +0000

One of our members emailed me to ask if I had found “Linkedin” to be useful.
My response is a No followed by a “not yet”
So do I expect it to be useful? Honestly, who knows?
I had (like many) started a Linkedin profile then let it sit and then a few months ago, someone whose business acumen I respect, asked to join my network. So I thought “What the heck” and did so and so I have done more “joining” in the past 3 months than I ever did the first 2 years of it.

If you follow the ACE blog, blurbs, comments at all you’ll know that I feel the best solution for all the networking sites is to simply participate in the ones you can keep up with. The advent of even more new social networking sites has most of us heaving a big sigh and thinking “what? Another?”

So yes I am on Linkedin as M Theresa Brown. I think I may be on there also as Theresa Brown…..really not sure (Now don’t you feel better?)
The point is, other than the initial activity “I’d like to add you to my network”, nothing else comes of it that I can see. I do not post, do not advertise on it so back to the question of is it beneficial?

Well, rather than giving a flat out NO (my first thought) as you all know, I am a firm believer and experienced user of the “rule of seven” so I see Linkedin , at the moment to be one of those “hear, see, read, or experience” ways of getting your name out
And with that application, it only takes a minute to network here and there so in the course of daily activities, this one ranks low in possibly wasted time.
So immediate benefits? Don’t see any. Long term? Well I will not hold my breath but just to be sure, I’ll continue to add business contacts to my network ! So don’t hyperventilate over the multitude of online social sites. Handle only what you can handle. After all, at some point you have to find the time to create your art!

Theresa

50 Things under $50.00 to promote your art

ace — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 15:11:46 +0000

Great article by Penny Sanseverini who promotes ways to sell BOOKS! LOL-Now you think selling art is difficult? Try selling books where the author gets…what, a few dollars for each book sold? Talk about getting out and hustling!

All of Penny’s contact info is at the bottom of the article-just substitute “art” for “book” and you see that it’s all the same!

Theresa

Fifty Things Under $50 Bucks To Promote Your Book

These days it seems like everyone’s book marketing budget is a little tighter. If you’re feeling the pinch, or if you’re just looking for some great free stuff to do on your own, here are some tips that could help keep you on track.

Buy your domain name as soon as you have a title for your book. You can get domain names for as little as $8.95. Tip: When buying a domain always try to get a .com and stay away from hyphens, i.e. penny-sansevieri.com – surfers rarely remember to insert hyphens.
Head on over to Blogger.com or WordPress.com and start your very own blog (you can add it to your Web site later).
Set up an event at your neighborhood bookstore. Do an event and not a signing, book signings are boring!
Write a few articles on your topic and submit them onto the Internet for syndication. You can submit them to sites like ezinearticles.com and articlecity.com.
Check out your competition online and see if you can do some networking.
Do some radio research and pitch yourself to at least five new stations this week.
Ready to get some business cards? Head on over to Vistaprint.com. The cards are free if you let them put their logo on the back, if you don’t they’re still really inexpensive.
Put together your marketing plan. Seriously, do this. If you don’t know where you’re going, any destination will do.
Plan a contest or giveaway. Contests are a great way to promote your book.
Google some topic-related online groups to see if you can network with them.
Send thank you notes to people who have been helpful to you.
Send your book out to at least ten book reviewers this week.
Do a quick Internet search for local writers’ conferences or book festivals you can attend.
Create an email signature for every email you send; email signatures are a great way to promote your book and message.
Put the contents of your Web site: book description, bio, Q&A, and interviews on CD to have on hand when the media comes calling!
Submit your Web site to the top five directories: Google, MSN, Alexa, Yahoo, and DMOZ.
Write a great press release and submit it to free online press release sites like: PR4 – http://www.prlog.org/ , http://www.1888pressrelease.com/, http://i-newswire.com/, http://www.prfocus.com/
Write your bio and have someone who can be objective critique it; you’ll need it when you start pitching yourself to the media.
Schedule your first book event!
Start your own email newsletter; it’s a great way to keep readers, friends and family updated and informed on your success.
Start a Twitter account and begin tweeting. If you don’t think Twitter is significant, think again; it’s been a major part of our marketing strategy for over 2 years now (before anyone even knew what Twitter was).
Develop a set of questions or discussion topics that book clubs can use for your book, and post them on your Web site for handy downloads.
Add your book info or URL to your answering machine message.
Start a Facebook Fan page. Fan Pages are much better than groups because they’re searchable in Google.
See if you can get your friends to host a “book party” in their home. You come in and discuss your book and voila, a captive audience!
Find some catalogs you think your book would be perfect for and then submit your packet to them for consideration. If you’re unsure of what catalogs might work for you, head on over to http://www.catalogs.com/ and peruse their list.
Go around to your local retailers and see if they’ll carry your book; even if it’s on consignment, it might be worth it!
Add your book to Google Book Search.
Research some authors with similar subjects and then offer to exchange links with them.
Start a Squidoo page and make sure it’s linked to your Twitter Account and Facebook Fan page.
Make sure your blog is connected to Amazon via their Amazon connect program (yes, it’s free).
Ask friends and family to email five people they know and tell them about your book.
Leave your business card, bookmark, or book flyer wherever you go.
Subscribe to Google Alerts and make sure that you are getting alerts under your name as well as your book title(s), brand, and keywords.
Pitch yourself to your local television stations.
Pitch yourself to your local print media.
Work on the Q&A for your press kit. You’ll need it when you start booking media interviews!
Pitch Oprah. Go ahead, you know you want to.
Is the topic of your book in the news? Check your local paper, and write a letter to the editor to share your expertise (and promote your book!).
Stop by your local library and see if you can set up an event. They love local authors.
Do you want to get your book into your local library system? Try dropping off a copy to your main library; if they stock it chances are the other branches will too.
Go to Chase’s Calendar of Events (www.Chases.com.) and find out how to create your own holiday!
Going on vacation? Use your away-from-home time to schedule a book event or two.
If your book is appropriate, go to local schools to see if you can do a reading.
Got a book that could be sold in bulk? Start with your local companies first and see if they’re interested in buying some promotional copies to give away at company events.
Don’t forget to add reviews to your Web site. Remember that what someone else has to say is one thousand times more effective than anything you could say!
Trying to meet the press? Search the Net for Press Clubs in your area, they meet once a month and are a great place to meet the media.
Want a celebrity endorsement? Find celebs in your market with an interest in your topic and then go for it. Remember all they can say is no. Check out the Actors Guild for a list of celeb representatives.
Ready to get some magazine exposure? Why not pitch some regional and national magazines with your topic or submit a freelance article for reprint consideration?
Work on your next book. Sometimes the best way to sell your first book is by promoting your second.

How would you like a free marketing evaluation of your book? Find out how by emailing me! penny@amarketingexpert.com

Wishing you publishing success,

Penny & Everyone at AME

The Power of Social Networks

ace — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 01:30:32 +0000

The Power of Social Networks

Although I have shared my insights and successes about social networking before, (especially Facebook) , there is nothing I can improve upon in the following article from marketing book author, Penny Sansevieri!

I am constantly encouraged at how many artists, once they see their business as a business, discover that ALL businesses operate in essentially the same fashion..and that their business is no different when it comes to the basics such as marketing, social networking, customer relations, etc.

Enjoy this nice, clearly written article from a writer’s perspective and see how it applies to you as an artist!

http://www.jerrysartarama.com/blog/post/2011/04/04/The-Power-of-Social-Networks-by-M-Theresa-Brown.aspx

Re-energizing your Marketing Details

ace — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 15:00:34 +0000

February brings semi-panic to those artists who have not created any type of business plan or course of action for the year and are just about ready to throw up their hands and say “Forget it! This is just too hard!”

Well sure it takes time to think about your career but that’s part of real life and any profession. Planning a course of action is not such an unknown that you don’t know what to do.

This challenge is one of those procrastination events that frequent our lives. We all know, that the “thinking about doing it” is always worse than the “doing it!”

I am staff columnist for a writer’s group and the link below will take you to the last 3 articles that I have written for them (as will , ahem, OUR Art Career Experts newsletters!) The title articles are conveniently labeled below that! Now see how simple it is?

http://1stturningpoint.com/?cat=2056

Artist Business Cards—Four Tips for a Powerful Marketing Tool

Artists: Learn to Sell the Sizzle First, Not the Steak!

5 Ways to Get More People Reading Your Email Newsletters

Set your Art Career in Motion!

ace — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 03:09:40 +0000

Art Career Experts Set your Art Career in Motion! Our seminar Sunday Jan 16 from 12-6 http://www.jerrysartevents.com/seyoartcainm.html

We can’t wait! We take the failure out of art marketing and put positive results within reach of the artist!

So you have a Facebook Page-now what?

ace — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 13:34:48 +0000

A great article from Constant Contact (the newsletter site) on keeping your Facebook page fresh and current. Enjoy!

With a business to run, and other communication tools such as a website to update, many Facebook pages unfortunately become inactive. How can a business owner make use of a Facebook page without devoting too much time to its upkeep?

http://blogs.constantcontact.com/commentary/so-you-have-a-facebook-page-now-what/