Recent Posts
Using Frames To Sell Artwork
In the world of selling and marketing your art, there are obvious tactics and subtle tactics. Obvious are things like marketing plans, and all the tricks and techniques I talk about in my Art Marketing Boot Camp series. But there are also many subtle things that we rarely think of as important in selling art. One such subtlety is the impact a frame has on the sale.
Burying The Lies That Are Holding You Back
A Marketing Message from Art Publisher B. Eric Rhoads Room where Vincent Van Gogh died A few weeks ago I visited the grave of Vincent Van Gogh, in the quaint little Northern French village of Auvers-sur-Oise, as part of our annual art cruise. We were walking the same streets and trails Van Gogh traveled and painted. Van Gogh has become the model of the "starving artist." How many people have told you the life of an artist can't be a good one because it's such a struggle? It's a lie. Though adversity stimulates growth and life's problems do typically make us better people and artists, the idea that success in their lifetimes is not possible for artists is simply a lie. In that same town, artists such as Daubigny, Pissarro, and Corot were great successes, as were many artists around Normandy and Paris. Yet we hold on to this romantic notion that we as artists have to struggle. The Church Van Gogh painted What lies are holding you back as an artist? We have all been held back by lies -- lies others have told us, lies we absorb, lies we tell ourselves. You can either choose to believe them and allow them to affect you, or you can choose to prove them wrong. We all cling to the lies we've heard from family members, friends, teachers, and colleagues, [...]
How to Sell Art Every Month of the Year
It's summertime, and art is selling. I'm hearing from galleries around the country that are having a great summer. If you're an artist they're representing, that's great news. But what happens when summer is over? Can you survive on a few paintings sold over the summer? Or would you like to have consistent business all year? I'd like to share a strategy that can keep the cash coming in every month of the year. Vacation ModeWhat I failed to mention is that the places selling a lot of art this summer are vacation spots. Anyone who runs a retail location knows that people are a little looser with their pocketbooks when they are on vacation, in a non-stress, non-work environment. Those vacationing in expensive resort areas are likely to be able to afford a nice memory of their trip to hang on their wall, whether it's a painting of the local area they're visiting, or just something they love that will help them remember where it was purchased. I have a house filled with memories purchased when we were in "vacation mode." We're out to dinner having a great time, maybe we've had a couple glasses of wine, and we wander into a gallery, and WHAM! We fall in love with a painting. Since we want our vacation time to last forever, this is a great way to [...]
Branding Your Cow
The Importance of Branding in the Sale of Art Moos of panic filled the dusty air as cowboys pressed the hot branding iron against the flesh of the cattle out West. This painful exercise, branding, served the purpose of marking ownership of the cow. But the mark on the cow was less important than the reputation of the rancher. For instance, cattle rustlers knew which farmers would overlook the loss of an occasional cow and which were so tough they would hang cattle thieves on sight. Rustlers would avoid stealing cattle with certain brands. The behavior of the rancher became the meaning of the brand.If you're marketing art, you've probably heard a lot about branding, and you may be wondering how it relates to you. We know companies like Apple, Coke, and McDonald's have the most recognizable brands, but those brands also have meaning. For instance, the McDonald's brand means consistent quality and fast service.Think about the meaning of each of these brands.Harley-Davidson: Loud, thunderous mufflers, radical, non-conformingApple: InnovationLouis Vuitton: EleganceWalmart: Lowest pricesTarget: Low prices with styleSmart marketers seek to define a brand and make everything they do a relentless reinforcement of that image. Once established, a brand never, ever changes.If I were to ask art collectors for the names of the most successful artists who command the highest prices, I would hear the same names, over and [...]
When Advertising Is A Bad Idea
Ten Reasons Not To Advertise My clients are often surprised when I tell them not to advertise. Since I own a few magazines, they assume selling them advertising is my only interest. Not every client is ready to advertise, and others may not be a fit for certain magazines or websites, including my own. It depends entirely on their needs and goals. No one would ever trust me or my people if the solutions we proposed always led back to our magazines. Here are 10 reasons you should not advertise. Ten Reasons Not To Advertise 1. You Don't Know What You're Trying To AccomplishFrequently a meeting with a gallery or artist will reveal that they need to improve their business, but they don't have a specific strategy. They often approach us about advertising with nothing more in mind than "I'm not sure of my goals, I just want to sell more." Though that's a starting point, it's never good to advertise until you have a deep, specific strategy. We can help you work on a strategy, but you must have that in place before you do anything else, or you may waste money and hurt your reputation. 2. You Don't Know Who You're Trying To ReachIt's hard to hit a target when you don't know what it is. It's important to understand where most of your existing customers come from and [...]
The Fastest Painting Sale In History?
A Story about Art Marketing from Eric Rhoads My friends will tell you I'm a fairly modest guy. I've learned to overcome my shy nature because, to succeed in business, you have to learn to blow your own horn once in a while. It's the hardest thing I've ever learned, and I know it's tough for most artists as well. So here I go, blowing my own horn. I was flattered when Jim and Mark at Greenhouse Gallery asked me to conduct an art marketing workshop at their gallery the day after their Salon International dinner. My Frantic Saturday Morning I drove home to Austin on Friday night and had to return to San Antonio for the 2 p.m. seminar on Saturday. I was making last-minute changes to the presentation when the phone rang. It was my artist buddy Anne Nelson Sweat, who was planning to accompany me on the 80-minute drive. "If we're going to be on time, you need to be here to pick me up in 15 minutes, " she said. I was still in jeans and sneakers. I spent another 20 minutes preparing the notes and rushed out the door to pick up Anne. Driving Like A Madman I suddenly realized I hadn't had a bite to eat all day, but traffic was bad and there wasn't even time for fast food. I was [...]
A Marketing Idea Gone Wrong
A message from Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine Publisher Eric RhoadsSorting through the mail, my wife, Laurie, discovered a postcard from a chiropractor with a real Band-Aid stuck to it. It stopped her in her tracks -- enough to make her read it and save it. After all, we had recently moved and knew we would be in need of a chiropractor.Two weeks later, I heard Laurie screaming in agony. She had sprained her back, and we began a search for the card with the Band-Aid. We couldn't find the card, nor could we remember the doctor's name or location. A quick Google search of our town + Chiropractor + Band-Aid didn't give us an answer, nor did the Yellow Pages.This chiropractor blew it. Though the creative message (the Band-Aid) cut through the clutter, there was no followup. Had this doctor sent more cards, three or four weeks in a row, she would have gotten our business. Instead, we just picked someone else at random. Marketing requires repetition. People lose things, they don't notice things, and they need reminders. Plus, when we started looking for clues elsewhere, we couldn't find the chiropractor with the Band-Aid.Message Unity: How The Band-Aid Could Have Worked BetterThe idea of the Band-Aid on the card was effective enough to get us to stop for an extra second to read the card while sorting the mail [...]
How Marketing A Gallery Is Like Football
A Message from Fine Art Connoisseur Publisher B. Eric Rhoads Last week's Super Bowl hoopla reminds me of how is great marketing works like football.Rarely does a quarterback run the field for a touchdown on the first play. Though it can happen, coaches know that success is earned one play after another, with a yard or two gained with each play. You wouldn't bet on a football game if a team had only one play to win. But this is exactly what inexperienced marketers do. They run one ad or do one mailing and expect the phone to ring off the wall. Sure, it can happen. But, like a lucky run, it's not the norm.Why Advertising FailsAdvertising works as a series of plays, making a little progress at a time. Campaigns with multiple impressions and touchpoints work best. Campaigns are a series of plays designed to score several touchdowns and win the game. Advertising fails when marketers run single ads instead of campaigns. As in football, momentum is gained with consistent forward motion. Advertisers who start, stop, and start again are losing momentum. You make the most progress when you hang on to the ball. Repetition SellsNo matter what kind of advertising you are doing -- print ads, e-mail marketing, direct mail -- you need lots of repetition. The average person needs to "catch" the message three or [...]
Selling More Art at Fine Art Fairs
Did you ever wonder why one dealer has a crowd hovering around their show stand much of the time while other dealers seem to be passed by? Or why one dealer always seems to sell more artwork? What can you do to get your unfair share of customers from your art fair investment? What can you do to stimulate more sales following an art show? Most dealers’ strategy is merely “showing up.” Yet following this course is placing 100% of your faith in the show’s ability to deliver and is still no guarantee that customers will visit your stand and buy from you.
What Do Your Customers Care About?
Peg the Needle on the Relevance Meter If You Want to See Results I liked this so well I am reposting it from www.wizardofads.com Ads are often written under the assumption that we can get people to care about things they don’t really care about. But this approach rarely succeeds. Traditional ad-think says: 1. Target the right people 2. Leverage the right media (visual media for visual products, etc.) 3. Use creativity in delivering your message. But nontraditional ad-think gets far better results: 1. What you say matters most of all. Speak to a felt need. Good advertising isn’t about the product or the company that sells it. Good ads explain how the customer’s life will be different. EXAMPLE: Don’t say, “Dr. Bill Dipweasel was voted gentlest dentist in Saginaw County.” Say, “Get your teeth fixed. You’ll be more attractive and your confidence will skyrocket. People will treat you differently.” 2. How you say it is critical. Clarity is more important than creativity. Talk like people. People don’t say, “I’ve elected to have cosmetic dentistry.” They say, “I’ve decided to get my teeth fixed.” (Dr. Bill Dipweasel will give you push-back on this because he doesn’t think “get your teeth fixed” sounds professional. Also, he wants the ad to be about him.) 3. Deliver your message using whatever media offers the best psychological environment. In what moments would [...]
