Recent Posts
What to Do if Your Art Stops Selling
Last week an artist told me he was suffering. His sales were way off, and the steady income he had become used to had suddenly come to a stop. He also told me his galleries were not selling much of his work anymore. I asked him what he thought the problem was, and he told me he is doing everything he can to generate income … more workshops, working on a book, working on a video, getting into more plein air events, doing an online mentoring program and an online school, and trying to schedule some gallery shows. As I probed this with him, I asked which came first … all the activities or the slump in sales? His answer was no surprise. “I was doing really well and hardly had to do anything to sell paintings, but I wanted to make more money, so I started working on these other projects.” When I asked him if he was painting as much and sending as much to the galleries, he said, “Well, no. I don’t have as much time.” This is going to sound absolutely counterintuitive, but less is more. The disease many of us have is thinking we have reached a peak with our income and that therefore we need to start doing new things to bring in more money. An example is my buddy Jim. Jim [...]
Why I Hate Marketing
Dear Artist Friends, I hate marketing. There, I feel better now that I’ve said it. I hate marketing when it’s sleazy. I hate marketing when it’s dishonest. I hate marketing when it exaggerates. I hate marketing when it lies or it misleads. Most of the artists I know also hate marketing. They think it’s dirty. In fact, most of the artists I know believe that art should sell itself. That someone should see it, respond to it, and buy it. I’d like that too. I’d also like it if I sat down at the counter of a soda fountain in Hollywood and had a producer walk in, discover me, and make me famous. That’s what supposedly happened to Lana Turner, a 1940s Hollywood star. But it turns out it’s a myth — it never happened. It was crafted by a Hollywood PR agent so people would feel more connected to this new star as “one of them.” Tens of thousands of young wannabe stars show up in Hollywood hoping to be discovered. And those tens of thousands get whittled down to a few hundred who ever get a part, a few who become famous, and a tiny number who stay famous. Though most in Hollywood want to believe that luck plays a role, most Hollywood agents will tell you that the ones who succeed make their own luck [...]
What One Marketing Method Would You Use If You Were Just Getting Started?
Louise Murphy of Fredericksburg, Texas, asks, "What one marketing method would you use if you were just getting started?” Well, I know you’re eager to get out and start marketing. But Louise, before you do anything, before you get your work out there and start selling, you need to know where you want to go — before you go there. You don’t get in your car and start driving before you have a destination in mind. Same for this: Before you start marketing, you need to set your goals. Then you’ll build a strategy and tactics to get you to that goal.
Are First Impressions Killing Your Art Sales?
Last week I gathered my family for our annual visit to a local history museum that we love very much. We’ve been members for years. In fact, I’d received a membership renewal e-mail the week before, which is why the museum became top of mind, prompting us to visit. Thinking I’d be at the front desk to check in anyway, I’d simply renew my membership on the spot, which would probably be faster than taking time online. (I know, it sounds backward.) We arrived, were asked if we were members, and of course I said we were, and that I had just received a renewal notice. “Sir, you’re not a member. You must be mistaken. You don’t show up in our system.” I was frustrated, but I recognize that people often spell my name wrong, or try to use the name on my credit card, which is not what I go by. Still no results. The looking went on for 10 minutes while my family waited impatiently. Finally, the woman at the desk, sounding angry and frustrated herself, said, “You’re not a member, never have been a member. Would you like to become a member? All you need to do is fill out this form.” Not wanting to take more time, I simply said, “I’d just like to buy tickets.” At which time I was told, “You’ll [...]
How to Destroy Customer Relationships in Four Words
Just four little words can turn a happy customer into an unhappy customer. These words, when uttered, send a signal that you don’t care about your customers and that your business is screwed up.
These four little words wound customers and tell them you won’t do whatever it takes for them. They also say you hate your job, hate your company, and are very self-centered.
What are they?
The Empty Building: What You May Be Missing as an Artist
Minutes from my home, in a very popular part of town, I’ve watched a new office building go up as I pass when driving our kids to and from school each day. Now, after months of construction, the building is ready and available for tenants. The sign went up long before the building was finished, and yet today, months after it’s been finished, it sits empty. Keep in mind that Austin is booming, companies are leasing space like crazy, and all the neighboring buildings are full. So what’s the problem? And what does this have to do with marketing art?
The Ultimate Power of Branding: Why a da Vinci Sold for $450.3 Million
Chances are you saw the buzz about the painting called Salvator Mundi (Latin for “Savior of the World”) by Leonardo da Vinci, which was offered recently by Christie’s auction house. The painting was sold to an undisclosed buyer for $450.3 million, the highest price ever paid for a work of art at an auction. Prior to this, Picasso’s Le Femmes D’Alger (Version “O”) held the record at $179 million. Willem de Kooning’s Interchange is known to have been sold privately in September 2015 to Kenneth C. Griffin, a hedge fund manager, who paid about $300 million.
How to Kill an Ad Campaign
Whatever you do, do it with repetition. Don’t get overly concerned that people have seen it or heard it, because they go through many stages before they are aware enough to buy, and then they need to be in the market at the right time for them.
The Land of Danger for Art Marketers
As artists working on our own marketing and branding, we often feel like we’re in the desert. We feel barely able to make it, but then something gives us hope, something gives us the feeling that we’re making great strides — but it’s only a mirage.
How Art Businesses Die
Though we like to think of ourselves as artists, if we’re selling paintings, we are running a business. According to trainer Tony Robbins, businesses go through the following cycle: Birth Infancy Toddler Teenager Young Adult Mature Adult Mid-Life Aging Institutionalization Death Rather than explaining these cycles in depth, I’ll just say they are much like life. Each of us and our art businesses are at a different point in the cycle. If you’re just launching or planning your art business, you’re pregnant and about to give birth. If you’re a teen, you make reckless decisions. The longer you’re in business, the more you mature, until you grow old. The part of the cycle I want to discuss today is death — when your business is no longer sustainable and there is no one to support it. My goal is to help you, or those you know, to prevent death — to keep art selling. All Cycles Are Predictable One thing always follows the other. The problem is that we often cannot see when we’ve gone from one part of the cycle to another, and if we’re not paying attention, it’s often too late. Recently I met an artist who had been a queen in the art world. She was a big seller, she’d made a lot of money, but she came to me for marketing advice because nothing is [...]
