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 the best way to approach a former buyer about new paintings you have available, and if you should use your donations as a marketing point.

Listen to the Art Marketing Minute Podcast: Episode 55 >

 

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:
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:
Yeah, buy my book that would be pretty cool. In the art marketing minute I try to answer your art marketing questions. I always answer them whether or not I get them, right. I don’t know. But anyway, email your questions to me, [email protected] we’re always looking for questions. Here’s one from Russell Martinez in Boise City, Idaho, who says, What’s the best way to approach a former buyer about buying a new painting? Well, first off, Russell, it’s a great question and some important question. You see, we are all always focusing on how we get more new business. But the reality is that most businesses make most of their money on repeat business. And so if you can figure out a strategy to get repeat business, that’s important. I teach that in a lot of my art marketing, bootcamp video series, and I also teach it in my book, but the idea is that you want to find ways to engage people to buy more in the future. Now there’s a couple of things. First off, I have two answers. The first is to understand that the very best time to sell someone a second painting is when they’re buying the first one, you know, think of McDonald’s and they always say, what do you want fries with that, you know, they suggest something. The theory is that people buy more during the peak of enthusiasm if they are already on a dopamine high, because dopamine is triggered when you’re buying things, all kinds of research about that people like to buy more, that’s why they put all this stuff at the checkout counter at the grocery store. Because they’re buying stuff that just make they want to buy more stuff. And it doesn’t seem practical, but it works. And so they love you, they love your work, so why not? So another thing so here’s what you can do after you get a commitment on the first painting, you can say hey, by the way, you know, I want to show you a couple other paintings that would go really well with this one, because I kind of intended these to hang together now Don’t lie to anybody. If it’s not true, don’t tell them that. But you can say, here’s some paintings that I think would go well with that painting and a little grouping, you know, in your living room or something, and then you pull it out, create a little grouping, see how they react, they might want to buy it, they might say, you know, would you give me a discount on those or something you can decide what to do. I like to also think that a great way to do this is to say hey, you know, you bought a painting from me, I’m really honored that you would do it, you know, I make my living as an artist, it’s nice to find people like you willing to buy, I’d love to reward you by giving you a 10% or 20% off on any of the other paintings. If you buy them today, you know, and if you buy a whole bunch of them, I might, I might give you a really special discount. This is very effective. And people like to take advantage of that. And it’s a good thing to do. The other thing to do is to stay in touch with collectors and buyers over time. You know, when you get a buyer, send them a nice note, send them some note cards with their painting on the note card, stay in front of them touch base by email or mail don’t become a pest, but stay in touch. Because you know, even though I’ve bought painting, sometimes I don’t remember the names of the artists. That’s that’s not so much true anymore. But when I first started doing it was true. And, you kind of blend in with everybody else and they go What was the name of that person. So you want to stay visible because they might be going well, I got to get a gift or I got a birthday coming up or something. So I created a whole program called Art Marketing in a Box, which was designed to reengage buyers. And also to get local buyers and collectors more engaged and works really effectively. We had one artist who bought it and they doubled their sales in the first year using the strategy. Anyway, the idea is to stay visible. We use different pre written things. And you can of course adjust them. But the idea is that you can put things in front of buyers to stimulate purchases at different times a year when they’re seeking gifts or when you know other things are happening. And it’s just nice to stay in front of them. The more you stay in front of them, the more they will eventually buy. It’s just proven, proven science. I was talking about science earlier. Don’t be afraid to ask too. You know, if they love your work, they probably would love more. And you say you know, I’d love to see a couple more paintings go out the door with you today. Is there anything we can do to make that happened? And let them say, you know, yeah, maybe if you did this, or maybe if you did that? Don’t be afraid to ask. And also the other thing we all make a mistake of it’s don’t assume that somebody does not have money. Because they might have money and they might have a lot of money. You never know what they’ve got. And so just go ahead and never hurts to ask. If you don’t ask you won’t get right.

Now here’s a question from Amanda Lewis in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, Amanda says, I make an annual donation from my art to a nonprofit can or should I use that as a marketing point? And I would say Amanda, absolutely, yes. Here’s what I like to do. And I love to donate paintings, to auctions and to silent auctions. And I don’t care if it’s costing me a painting and sometimes I’ll do a really big one. And why? Well, because it’s a great marketing opportunity. And don’t look at it as how much this is costing you say, Well, if I give them a $2,000 painting, can I get two or $4,000 worth of marketing value out of this? Think about this. Most art marketing situations like I mean most high art marketing, where am I going with that most of these nonprofit situations where they’re doing a, they’re doing an auction or something a charity auction, they’re attending to attract local people who have money, and not always, but oftentimes, and those people are willing to spend because they want to give money to the organization. And so you can make yourself highlighted, what I oftentimes will say is, look, I would love to give you a $5,000 painting, I’ll give you a really big one. But in return for that, here’s what I want, I would like to be the featured. I’d like my image of my painting, maybe even my picture with my painting, I would like to have it on the cover of the website, right up front, you know, when our opportunity to win a $5,000 painting from Eric Rhoads. Now, the other thing you want is you want to be on their postcard, you want to be on their emails, you want to be on everything. And so you’re getting that the second thing I like is, I want an introduction at the event before my thing is auctioned off. And that way they stand. Here’s Eric. And that way, at the cocktail party, I get to meet people, and they have something in common, they can talk to me about, oh, I loved your art. And then I can collect business cards. The third thing is I always give them a second painting to give away in the silent auction or for a drawing and I’ll put cards in there, you know, I’ll put a thing in there to put your card into win. And that way I get the names and draw it. Now another thing I oftentimes will do this is sometimes effective sometimes not is I will actually suggest to them that I’d be willing to do a little bit more for them in exchange for the names in you know, or would they do an email blast on my behalf? You know, here’s a beautiful painting from this artist. He donated it to us and we want to make you aware of his work and his website, that kind of thing. So, anyway, it’s a great question, and it’s something you should do and look for an opportunity to use in your marketing.

Well, this has been the art marketing minute with me. Eric Rhoads. My goal in life is to eliminate the idea of 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.

How to Submit Your Art Marketing Questions: 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.