In the Art Marketing Minute Podcast, you’ll learn how to sell your art, how to market your paintings, and everything else you need to know in order to have a successful art career. Each episode answers questions from artists by host Eric Rhoads, author of “Make More Money Selling Your Art,” publisher of several art magazines and newsletters, and author of ArtMarketing.com.

In this Art Marketing Minute, Eric Rhoads shares thoughts on why “marketing” and “selling” shouldn’t be considered “dirty words” for artists, and if it’s okay to barter your paintings in exchange for goods or services.

Click Here to Listen to the Art Marketing Minute Podcast: Episode 40

 

Submit Your Art Marketing Question:

What questions do you have about selling your art? Email Eric today at [email protected] (include your name and where you’re from) to hear your question answered on an upcoming Art Marketing Minute Podcast.

FULL TRANSCRIPT of the Art Marketing Minute:
DISCLAIMER: The following is the output of a transcription from an audio recording of the Art Marketing Minute. Although the transcription is mostly correct, in some cases it is slightly inaccurate due to the recording and/or software transcription.

Announcer 0:02
This is the Art Marketing Minute with Eric Rhoads, author of the Amazon best selling book, “Make More Money Selling Your Art.” In the marketing minute we answer your questions to help your art career brought to you by artmarketing.com, the place to go to learn more about marketing. Now, here’s your host, arts magazine publisher, Eric Rhoads.

Eric Rhoads
In the marketing minute I try to answer your art marketing questions. You can email me anytime [email protected] This question comes from Sammy in upstate New York who says I keep hearing that I need to learn to sell and market my artwork, but I feel selling in marketing or dirty words. Can you address that? Sammy? I hear that a lot. I don’t know what’s caused it, but I think you could be confusing, unethical marketing and high pressure selling with the terms marketing and selling. Everybody who is in business has to do marketing everybody. hospitals, doctors, lawyers, churches, charities, even the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts do marketing and selling, but marketing selling gets a bad name from those who abuse it. You know, the arm twisters? The ones who do the curb commercials that are screaming at people, people who are unethical in some way I think that’s, you know, that’s abusive. Think of it this way. If you’re in the fourth grade and your teacher asks you a question and you raise your hand In a way, that’s marketing, right, you’re raising your hand, putting yourself out there finding a way to get noticed. Now, I don’t recommend ever doing anything unethical and marketing or in marketing or pushing yourself too hard in sales. But I also know that repetition of a good solid ethical message will increase, improve increase your sales. So, repetition is everything. And most artists are like, well, I don’t want to be too out there. You You, you can’t be too out there. You maybe you could be too out there if you sent 30 emails a day, but you just you just got to be considerate of others. So think about this. Am I okay if my work never sells, because I’m not willing to seek out ethical ways of marketing or selling. And if you’re okay with that, that’s fine. But chances are if you want things to sell, you can’t rely on Anybody else to do it for you? You can’t always rely on even a gallery to do it for you, you have to control your own destiny, your own career. And the way to do that is to really master and understand marketing. I’ve got lots of articles on marketing, ethical marketing at artmarketing.com.

The next question comes from an anonymous listener who says, Is it okay to barter with my paintings in exchange for goods or services? Well, anonymous, everything is about strategy. For instance, if there is something you would pay cash for any way, that’s part of your strategy, and it helps you save cash. Why not barter? For instance, let’s say your strategy says that you have to have a program in the local high school yearbook. All right, well, I wouldn’t buy an ad in the high school yearbook if it wasn’t part of my strategy, but they might say, Well, you know, give us A painting so we can use it for a charity auction. that’s a that’s a win win. But don’t, don’t buy things you don’t need just because you can trade it, right. And be careful about that too. People get into trouble with barter sometimes because they don’t necessarily understand it. You want it to be part of your marketing plan, if it’s part of your strategy, but make sure you get dollar for dollar and document it carefully. Everything should be in writing. Also, I’m not an attorney or an accountant, but you should check with them. Because I think that barter is treated the same as cash, meaning you probably have to pay tax on what you receive. I haven’t done barter in many, many, many, many, many years. But I remember when I did, I had to file as if it was income, and so does the person you barter with so can’t hurt to double check. The key to barter is only saving cash that you would have spent anyway. So think about it that way and I wouldn’t overdo it. You don’t want to get a rep. mutation is somebody who does all bartering all the time. But you know, there might be a time to do it from time to time. You know, one thing that happens a lot of artists will trade paintings. It’s not barter per se because you’re not buying a service in exchange for a painting. But a lot of artists do. Just say, Hey, I’ll give you a one of mine If you give me one of yours. Anyway, hope this helps.

Well, this has been the art marketing minute with me. Eric Rhoads. My goal in life is to eliminate the idea of the starving artists to help your dreams actually come true. So if you want to submit questions, simply email [email protected]. And to learn more about marketing ideas, you can visit Artmarketing.com. Thanks for listening.

Remember to Submit Your Question: What questions do you have about selling your art? Email Eric today at [email protected] (include your name and where you’re from) to hear your question answered on an upcoming Art Marketing Minute Podcast.