Art Career Experts » art marketing success secrets

The Rise of couponing in small Business

ace — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:41:25 +0000

Interesting article that should interest those who wonder if coupons may work in their business. It has worked in our area of the arts for art lessons and all aspects of marketing should be explored before being randomly discounted! An excerpt:

…..Consumer demands are changing. Customers want more immediate access to the best relevant deals and are using the Internet as the primary way to redeem coupons. Now, one in five smartphone users use mobile coupons and the demographics of coupon users are shifting……..

The Rise of couponing in small Business

Greg Voakes

This week, couponing and consumer savings site Coupons.org launched an infographic called “The Coupon’s Comeback.” The graphic argues that couponing, a phenomenon largely dormant for the last 20 years, has found a resurrection in the form of online media, social couponing sites, and more traditional dashboard sites. “The Coupon’s Comeback” explores the rise in coupon offers and redemption since pre-recession times, the surprising demographics of coupon use, and the evolution of online couponing.

According to the graphic, Americans have been engaged in a “long-term affair with the coupon,” which is not entirely surprising, since the coupon has been around for over 100 years. Recently however, there has been a huge surge in coupon use and as a result, spending and savings are up. More and more small businesses are offering coupons, and the number of online coupons increased 360 percent since 2009. As more retailers get online, that number will continue to multiply. By 2014, the number of mobile coupon users is projected to grow a staggering thirteen-fold.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-voakes/the-rise-of-couponing-in-_b_1291453.html

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

The 3 things your business plan must have!

ace — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 13:43:50 +0000

It is always good to see what professionals in other businesses are doing and when it comes to the elusive “business plan” maybe the best way to encourage an artist to create one is to bring in additional articles!

We created the “Artist Business Plan” template to help artists over this hump. Just $4.99 and you’ll have an instant download!

Additional helpful information can be found (as we mention in the introduction) at both the Small Business Administration (SBA) and SCORE is a sub-chapter of this organization.

Rieva Lesonsky

At the end of the year, most people are in dual modes of looking back at how their business did over the past year and looking forward to what can be improved in the New Year. It’s probably time to blow the dust off your old business plan and see what’s missing. Most likely, there’s room for significant improvement. Here are three ideas to craft a fresh and effective business plan for 2012……….

http://www.score.org/resources/columnists/rieva-lesonsky/three-things-business-plan

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

First Complaint from a client-Customer Service

ace — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:34:28 +0000

Recently on another message board devoted entirely to artists who paint one particular subject (all styles, etc) someone had dealt with a first complaint from the client and was asking how to handle it.
I am blogging my reply here because it is relevant to any artist who works on commission…no matter what you paint. Also realize that there is no ONE answer to handling a client’s complaints…..it is all a package-you, what you do and how you present yourself and your art to the world (so to speak) References to ACE are because it was originally posted on another site
__________________________________________________________________________

Oh my, this is actually a complicated question with lots of replies based on so many factors, but OVERALL, The whole complaint issue can be resolved ahead of time by YOU being (or learning to be) the one in control

Working on commission means you are an artist for hire. Plain and simple.

The other determining factor in your “complaint meter” is PRICE. Price determines everything.

With over twenty years and thousands of portraits behind me, I find that the more money people invest in my portraits, the more cooperative they are. Seriously. The $300.00 person will, without exception, ask for more changes than the client who just invested $5,000.!

But there’s much more…..although staying in control means you are the expert and the professional, you need to be skilled enough to be able to do what you have been hired to do! You are, after all, working for them

I have found many artists who never practice their craft until they get a commission and then wonder why the client is unhappy.
Your client should not be your guinea pig
Many artists I know, give painting workshops and the next thing they know their happy students are getting a commission (good) but the instructor is getting phone calls and emails from that student wanting to know why their new client is not happy with the results (bad) …the photo is not clear, the eyes are in shadow, etc., etc………..If you are skilled enough and have painted enough, and know what your subject really looks like, then you know how to work around bad photography.

You are confident of your abilities because you have practiced! And along with that comes your PEOPLE skills.

Browse the articles on my other site, www.artcareerexperts.com and find the one about how to stop clients from coming back for changes AFTER the sale. It took me investing a lot of money into non-art marketing information to discover THAT sales technique (I had to learn it too)
In summary and fact, (and I stress this in my ebook- ) clients do respect your professional opinion and expertise more if you “charge” enough money for your work! They put more value in your opinion as the expert. “price determines everything.”

Theresa
The Portraits: www.MTheresaBrown.com
The Artist’s Day: www.mtheresabrown.blogspot.com
Art Classes: www.ArtStudentAcademy.com
Career Artists: www.ArtCareerExperts.com

“Emerging Artist” tag and why you need to dump it!

ace — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 14:53:57 +0000

Our newest Art Career Experts newsletter is coming out this week and for all of those who have been saddled with or have adopted the tag of “emerging artist”, you need to read why we feel (maybe insist is a better word) that you should dump it!

We are all about positive energy, positive marketing and positive thinking in order to advance an art career. That advice is for all areas of the arts, not just marketing artists by the way! Still, I am amazed again, at how that negative tag line “emerging” is ONLY applied to an artist’s profession.

Who dreams this stuff up?

For the full low down, make sure you are subscribing to our free newsletter. If you are not, sign up is easy-just fill out the newsletter form on our home page of Art Career Experts.
In the newsletter, I will examine why no other profession is “emerging!” LOL-they have more sense!

Selling virtually anywhere!

theresa — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 13:42:38 +0000

” First, I want you to know that I don’t consider myself as a salesman or a promoter. Who am I? I am an author who writes pretty good books; that’s it. When I said it was a matter of perception, I didn’t mean people’s perception of me—it’s my perception of them. When I am at a book signing, the people there aren’t there because of me; they are there because of my books. They don’t care what’s inside me. They care what’s inside my books. At a book signing, the questions have nothing to do with the author; it’s about the book, or future books….”, says John Foxglove in his excellent article on 1st Turning Point “How to sell Used Cars.”

This guy is humble, funny and has an amazing story to share…so what if he is a writer? Everything he shares pertains to artists as well! Read the entire article here: http://1stturningpoint.com/?p=4965

Browse through the many articles on 1st Turning Point where I am a columnist. Relevant materials for authors, artists and musicians!

And, hey relax! Opportunity is everywhere!

Thank you to our seminar participants!!

theresa — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 18:43:27 +0000

A collection of workshop images and our studio!

A great big THANK YOU to the participants in our September 11 seminar!

If you missed it, see us in November at the Art of the Carolinas!

http://www.jerrysartevents.com/th128.html