Artist Career Training Book Reviews

Learning Opportunities to Help Artists Make More Money

2010-07-27T16:13:56Z

Free Art Business Tips: How to Use Print Promotional Tools
If you are on a tight budget, our practical tips will help you use low-cost marketing tools to promote your art with class.

Your Promotional Identity

Business Cards and Cover Letters to introduce yourself and your art

Free Download: Please forward to artist friends. Treat your art business like any other serious profession. The business of art is creating unique work of high quality and value to your viewers. The art of business is consistently building sustainable relationships through strategic work habits and well-organized business systems.

Sponsored Spotlight:
Public Relations is free advertising. Words of advice from The Publicity Hound®, Joan Stewart

One of the artists in the A.C.T. community has a great tagline for her e-mail signature: "Lord, please help me to become the person my dog thinks I am." This is a great way to engage the people she wants to attract for pet portraits. If it's time to write a news release and you can't come up with a line that even your dog would love, I've found the very best site on the Internet to help you. Joan Stewart. She's a great resource. Fine artists who want to squeeze their pennies can get thousands of dollars in free publicity by following the tips, tricks and tools, courtesy of Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound®. She's a former newspaper editor, a small business owner AND she was tapped by Entrepreneur.com as its public relations expert.
Click here to get more than a few licks of common sense.

*FTC disclosure: When we find people who have deep, proven experience in a topic that will help you make a better living making art, we put them front and center. When these fine folks offer services and products that are first class, sometimes we agree to help each other get the word out to you with an "affiliate" arrangement, which means that we will earn a small commission for referring you to their resources. Those are marked with an * asterisk on our web site, in ArtMatters! and our tips.

Robin's Marketing Action Tip - Got Master Files (and Backups) of Your Stuff?

2010-07-27T15:19:00Z

This tip is short but r-e-a-l-l-y important. It's your art business, you put a lot of time, money and sweat equity into it. Keeping "master files" of what you create for your business and having backups of those files will, I promise, make your life soooooo much easier down the road.

I know this because (big confession coming...) I didn't used to (like, ten years ago when I was a newbie at this) and I so paid dearly for it. Ahhhh, live and learn, as they say.

By "Master File" I mean files that you keep and use over and over again, including high resolution images of your art; design files of your postcards, business cards, brochures, and rack cards; and your logo and other graphics you use (both high resolution for print use and low resolution for web and online use). Don't forget your documents like agreements, artwork documentation, and contracts. I keep one as the "Master File" and do knock-offs from there. That way I always have a clean original to work from. My favorite command is going the the File menu and doing a "Save As" to make a copy to alter and save for that particular use.

Then, backup all the files on your computer, often. Use an external hard drive, an online backup and storage service, or even CDs, but DO backup and do it often. Think of it this way: What image files and documents are you willing to lose forever if your computer crashes before the next backup? I dunno about you, but I'm on the computer all day creating. I don't want to lose anything, so I have a Mac and use Time Machine with an external hard drive for hourly backups. Actually, I have two external hard drives. They get rotated every other day into a large fireproof safe located in a different building. If we burn down, I can just go buy a new Mac, plug it into the external hard drive, and I'm back in business.

So, what about you? Got Master Files and Backups??

All my best to you and yours,

Robin Sagara
Web Marketing Mentor
robin@artistcareertraining.com

How to Use Print Promotional Tools: Brochures

2010-07-21T23:50:41Z

part of the series:

How to Use Print Promotional Tools

So far, we have covered Business Cards and Cover Letters to introduce yourself and your art, Postcards and Rack Cards to give information.

Another way to broadcast your information is brochures.

Brochures are great promotional tools for artists with a reasonable budget and graphic design skills (or someone who has them).

Brochures Say "Real Business"

Since brochures take a bit more time, money and energy to create and produce than flyers or postcards, discerning readers are likely to take you a bit more seriously.

It's About Your Audience

You should have this memorized by now, but it bears repeating - any marketing activity starts with your audience.

Here are the questions to ask yourself before you get to the design stage:

How do you show them that you care about them?
What are the benefits of what you are offering?
Where are they most likely to see and read your brochure?
What information do they need and in what order?
What will get them to take action?

Include a Call to Action

Once you have someone's attention, your next goal is to make it easy for them to take action. What do you want the reader to do:

Call you? Then make sure to provide your phone number(s).
E-mail you? Then make sure to provide your e-mail address.
Register? Then make sure to provide a website link or instructions to call or e-mail you.
Meet you? Then make sure to provide the address, telephone number and map or map link so they don't get lost.
Pass the brochure on to others? Then make sure to provide more than one.

If you are thinking these instructions are obvious, good for you - as long as you use them. This is one of my pet peeves: I get interested in a piece of art and then I have to work to reach the artist to get what I want. At the very least, include your contact information on everything you send out. Don't be lazy - you may lose out to another artist out there who takes better care of their audience.

Why Use Brochures Instead of Rack Cards?

Brochures have the advantage of more "visual real estate" than rack cards to get your message across. Like rack cards, you can promote your art, gallery tours, portraits, private lessons and workshops. In the extra space, you can add a bio, and tell a story about your work, awards and honors or highlight your special talents with testimonials.

Design Brochures With The Future in Mind

Brochures are a bigger investment than the promotional tools we've covered so far. If you want to stretch your budget, and keep a consistent look, create or commission a template you can use more than once for each event or promotional purpose.

Showcase your brand. What makes you and your art distinctive? How can you make your logo, type font and colors a core element of the design?
See your brochure from the reader's eyes. Decide what you want on the front and the back. Choose the best placement for your headline, contact information, text and images. If you have a 2-panel or double-sided brochure, check that it "reads well" no matter which side it opens. Decide which way you will fold a 3-panel brochure to guide the reader.
Design for the total picture. Consider each panel and the overall effect, once the brochure is open. If you use titles that are large and bold make sure they read well no matter how the brochure is opened.

The good news is that you can still use brochures in racks if you design them to rack specs.

Get Help When You Don't Have the Time or Skills to Do-It-Yourself

Remember, if brochures eat up your precious studio time, are technically beyond you, or frustrating, please let Robin help. It's not a big investment and you'll end up looking ever so splendid! Her dedicated support has helped me, and can help you, make a better living making art. Robin is located in Los Angeles, and serves artists worldwide. For more info on how she can help free up your time so you can focus on what you do best, email her at Robin@ArtistCareerTraining.com 310-649-4434 Pacific time. Contact her for a complimentary 15-minute consultation.

P.S. You shouldn't have to go broke just to create and update your website, online marketing, and printed marketing. Deciding where, and when, to spend your time and money can be confusing.

Take a peek inside and read Part 1 here.

Buy Now for $29.95

Robin's Marketing Action Tip - How to Waste Every Dollar You Spend on Marketing (A Tale of Two Artists)

2010-07-21T23:49:05Z

A few weeks ago I was with my husband Harry at the Dwell on Design show in Los Angeles.

We went to an artist's booth and it was wonderful, with nice art beautifully displayed and an assortment of colorful printed materials including an eight-page brochure on sumptuous paper. The artist was tastefully dressed. Stellar, huh? Not so fast.

I was impressed and decided to feature him in this newsletter, as an example of "how to do things right." So I tried to introduce myself, but he was very distracted (I was the only visitor there.) His demeanor was stiff and his attitude arrogant. His attitude said, "The great artist" standing in his booth, holding court. I did not feel that he valued our conversation, not at all. But I handed him my postcard, and started to explain what I do, that I write this column and.... he took my postcard, glanced at it, and scowled. Looking at something in the distance he said, "What is it you do?" and I started again. A few words later it was obvious that he had decided I wasn't worth listening to. He handed the postcard back to me (!), took a call on his cell phone, turned his back on me and walked away. No "thanks for stopping by." Not even a "no thank you."

Another artist booth I visited was very different. Not a big fancy booth, hers was small and simple, well-lit and covered in her framed work. (Sorry, I didn't get a photo, but below is one of her at another show.) Jessika sat in a folding chair next to a small table displaying her colorful postcards, with a fishbowl to collect business cards for her mailing list. As I approached, she made eye contact and greeted me warmly. She listened to me as if I was the most important person in the world.

I complimented her on her art and postcards, and asked where she got the postcards printed. We chatted and I explained that I collaborate with fine artists, helping them build their art businesses. I handed her my postcard, she took it, looked at it, and smiled. How nice she was! Obviously, I wasn't buying (at the moment), but did she turn her back on me and walk away? No, she didn't. Instead she told me about her wonderful printer, she showed me other samples of his work (her prints, which were very good quality), and as she searched for one of his cards for me she explained about all the great things he does to help her.

THIS artist understands how to market her art. Sure, I wasn't buying but she was wise enough to be friendly and helpful. She understands that genuine interest, good listening skills and pleasant conversation are very valuable marketing tools.

Who will I buy art from in the future? Her, or the rude artist? Yeah, her of course (and I suspect so will everyone else at that show). And who did I choose to be featured in this article and benefit from the exposure? Her, of course.

Her name is Jessika Cardinahl and you can read about her and view her work at www.jessikacardinahl.com.

Oh, her printer? His name is Dan Rider. He is located in Alhambra, California and I suggest you look him up at www.j6creative.com.

The rude artist? He wasted all that money he spent on fancy printed stuff. As I walked around the show I glanced at his booth from time to time. It was usually empty, and if someone visited it wasn't for long. Can you blame them?

All my best to you and yours,

Robin Sagara
Web Marketing Mentor

How to Use Print Promotional Tools: Flyers

2010-07-13T17:08:03Z

part of the series:

How to Use Print Promotional Tools

So far, we have covered Business Cards and Cover Letters to introduce yourself and your art, Postcards and Rack Cards to give information.

Another way to broadcast your information is flyers.

Flyers are a great Do-It-Yourself promotional tool for artists on a tight budget. They are easy to create, produce and distribute.

You don't need graphic design skills to create flyers. You can use ready-made templates in most word processing software. Just fill in the blanks with words and images.

You don't need special equipment to print flyers. You can print small quantities on your home printer.

You don't need a huge mailing budget to distribute flyers. Most flyers are distributed by hand. You just need a supply of colorful stick pins or a good staple gun and the occasional bandage for paper cuts.

You don't have to cram your message into a small space to broadcast your message. You can use both sides.

No muss, no fuss, no waste. You can print on demand. If you run out, you just open up your document and print more.

Flyers are versatile. Anything you can do with a postcard or rack card you can do with a flyer.

You can use flyers to:

promote events and workshops

highlight special promotions

offer prizes through raffles

educate art lovers with tip sheets

create mementos of exhibits

You can post them on bulletin boards and in windows, insert them in newspapers and magazines, hand them out and mail them.

Design Flyers With the End Point in Mind

By now you should know that any marketing activity starts with your audience. State the benefits of what you are offering. Think about the places where they are most likely to see and read your flyer.

Make your flyer visually appealing. It may be tempting to fill very nook and cranny. Don't. You can use both sides of the flyer to create a nice balance between text and images.

Decide whether you want to use a template, design your own or get help with a custom branded design from a graphic designer. That way, you can work out the timeline and your budget.

Decide how you are going to distribute your flyer and how long it will be around. If you plan to post outdoors, take the weather into account. If you want a "collectible" version as a memento, give extra attention to the archival quality and visual appeal.

Get Attention When You Distribute Flyers

Share the space and make it easy for people to look at the whole board. When you post flyers on a bulletin board, you can improve the chances that your flyer is visible. I am famous for tidying up bulletin boards. Most of them end up a mess as people add new items, with no thought to what they cover up. Of course that means you can pick a prime location for your efforts.

Some venues require you to ask permission before you post. If the bulletin board is in a store or restaurant, make sure to follow any guidelines. Don't annoy them or waste your time by ignoring their rules.

Add a personal conversation to your piece of paper. I like to go one step further. I talk with the owner and staff to let them know about my event. They often let me know that they have told their regular customers to attend.

Get Help When Flyers Get Frustrating

Remember, if the process eats up your precious studio time, is technically beyond you, or frustrating, please let Robin help. It's not a big investment and you'll end up looking ever so splendid! Her dedicated support has helped me, and can help you, make a better living making art. Robin is located in Los Angeles, and serves artists world-wide. For more info on how she can help free up your time so you can focus on what you do best, email her at Robin@ArtistCareerTraining.com 310-649-4434 Pacific time. The first 15 minutes is on us.

P.S. You shouldn't have to go broke just to create and update your website, online marketing, and printed marketing. Deciding where, and when, to spend your time and money can be confusing.

If you were away last week, you might have missed the announcement of our newest e-book "Affordable Marketing That Really Works For You" Your website, online marketing, and printed marketing materials by Robin Sagara.

SPECIAL BONUS: Buy it and receive a complimentary video of up to 30 pieces of your artwork that you can use on your website, as a DVD to send to galleries, as a YouTube video, and more! The first ten people to order receive the video, a $150 value. Robin will create it custom, with music, just for you. This is an incredible deal, all for $29.95. See sample videos here.

Take a peek inside and read Part 1 here.
Read More or Buy Now for $29.95

P.P.S. Welcome new subscribers and thanks to loyal readers. Please help us build our mailing list. If you like these tips, please help us spread the word to all your friends and ask them to subscribe today! We want to help artists everywhere make a better living making art and YOU can help. To spread the word, just forward this tip or post a link Twitter and Face Book.

Robin's Marketing Action Tip - The best way to print your flyers and other stuff

2010-07-13T17:06:05Z

If you only need a few, it's probably better to print things yourself. But if you need quite a few, it may be better to have them printed at the local print shop, or from an online printer.

Take a few minutes before you print to "run the numbers." Figure out the real cost of each, you may be surprised and find that it's cheaper to pay a professional to print them.

Here are a couple of examples. Let's say you've designed a flyer, it's 8 1/2" x 11", color, on one side only and you want a nice glossy heavyweight paper. Remember, this flyer represents you and your art, don't go all cheapo and end up handing out something that doesn't represent you well.

To print it yourself:
Figure out what it's costing you to print each page. The cost of ink for printers varies, and the manufacturer's website will give you an idea of how many pages you might expect to get out of each cartridge. I have a fairly standard inkjet printer, basic model, nothing fancy. My ink gives me about 400 pages per cartridge, there are four cartridges in my printer (three colors and black). Total cost for the four cartridges is about $70 including tax (the real ones from the manufacturer, not the cheapos which yield poor color and fewer pages). Divided by 400 pages (more or less) means I pay about $.17 each. Plus the cost of paper, glossy brochure paper (wonderful, love it) costs about $.22 each. (If you must use regular inkjet paper, figure about $.02 per sheet.)

So, to print them myself costs me about $.17 + $.22 = $.39 each. Not bad. But remember, this is only if you need a few. If you need larger quantities, having a printing company do them may be more cost-effective.

To have them printed online:
One of my favorite places (www.overnightprints.com) costs from $1 each (small quantity of 100) down to $.32 each for 500. Add shipping costs, which adds a few cents or more to the cost of each one, depending on how fast you need them. Some companies offer free shipping. At larger quantities, it's still cheaper to have them printed for you and you'll prolong the life of your inkjet or laser printer.

Resources:

Here are some of my favorites. Ask around, there are plenty more...
www.overnightprints.com Small quantities OK, good quality and prices.
www.drivethruprinting.com Great printing/mailing company for quantities over 1000. Convenient floating cost calculator shows you exactly what it's going to cost.
www.vistaprint.com Usually a bit cheaper, but the quality is often not great. If you're not that concerned about the color, give them a try.
Helpful article at eHow.com on how to calculate printing costs.
Printing cost calculator for HP printers. Is useful even if you have another brand.

Also, write to me if you have questions and I'll cover them in upcoming tips (robin@artistcareertraining.com).

All my best to you and yours,

Robin Sagara
Web Marketing Mentor

Aloha! Meet Aletta in Honolulu in July

2010-07-01T23:50:32Z

Aloha! Hawaii is my favorite place to get away, and I am traveling there in July for a break with my family, and I can't pass up the chance to meet in person with you if you live there or will be there July 21st - 29th.

If you want to step up your art business to make more money or waste less time marketing, this is a great opportunity.

If you want to laser in on your most pressing art business issues, I can give you an hour of personal attention in a one-to-one consultation. Two of the eight time slots I have available were snapped up already, so there are only 6 left as of today. The regular fee is $325. I am offering 5 artists a special Aloha fee of $195. (That saves you $130 for art supplies.) The dates are July 21st and 22nd or 28th and 29th at one of the following times: 11:45; 1:00; 2:15; 3:30 on each day. If you are interested, e-mail Aletta@ArtistCareerTraining.com or call 650-917-1225 Pacific time before Friday, July 17th.

If you want share-the-air about art marketing, I am also doing an in-person Meet Up on Wednesday, July 28th at 5:00 p.m. This is a chance for you to get answers to your questions and network with other artists who are interested in making a better living making art. Please register by Monday, July 26th so I know how many seats to hold. The regular fee for my in-person MeetUps is $50, but in the spirit of Aloha, this one will be $25.00. www.meetup.com/Honolulu-HI-MeetUp-Making-a-Living-Making-Art

I look forward to meeting you in person.

Mahalo,

Author of the Forthcoming Book:
"My Real Job is Being an Artist - How to Make a Living Making Art"
Artist Advisor

Free Art Business Tips: How to Use Print Promotional Tools

2010-06-29T21:02:23Z

If you are on a tight budget, our practical tips will help you use low-cost marketing tools to promote your art with class.

Your Promotional Identity

Business Cards and Cover Letters to introduce yourself and your art (some PDF files, you'll need Adobe Reader to open some files, get it free.)

Postcards and Rack Cards to give information.

Sponsored Spotlight:
"Affordable Marketing That Really Works For You"
Your website, online marketing, and printed marketing materials

You shouldn't have to go broke just to create and update your website, online marketing, and printed marketing. Deciding where, and when, to spend your time and money can be confusing. Costs can escalate quickly. How do you know what you need and what you don't?

Marketing your art doesn't have to be oh-so-expensive or terribly-time-consuming. You've got other things to worry about, right? Instead of worrying, we want to help you

Experience less stress and a sense of relief from increased clarity on how your website, online marketing, and printed marketing fit together;

Easily shape your promotional activities with a clear vision of on-line and print marketing tools and strategies;

Be more productive, save time and money on your website, online marketing, business cards, postcards and other marketing materials.

This 8-part PDF and recording will help you unravel the mystery and confusion so you can make informed decisions.

Web Marketing Mentor Robin SagaraWeb Marketing Mentor Robin Sagara tells it like it is:

Why a web site, online marketing, and digital AND print marketing materials are now necessary to successfully market yourself and your business.
What a Web site, online marketing, and marketing materials can, and cannot, do for you.
How you can get a great Web site, and update it often, without going broke.
When to "do it yourself," and when to invest in getting help.
Myth Busting: "If you build it they will come."
SEO - What's all the buzz about?
How to create cost-effective marketing materials.
How social networking sites fit Into your overall marketing plan.

Take a peek inside and read Part 1 here.
You'll need Adobe Reader to open the PDF file. Get it free here.

Buy Now for $29.95

Robin Sagara*, Web Marketing Mentor and A.C.T.'s behind-the-scenes wizard has a relentless passion to find the very best cost-effective solution for any problem related to business and marketing. Robin helps artists make a better living by providing highly customized administrative, marketing, web site and creative support. Artists who use Robin's services reclaim the time and space they need to do what they do best, create their art!

E-mail Robin@ArtistCareerTraining.com for a complimentary 15-minute consultation.

Hire Robin to take a load off your shoulders. Artists do it all the time.

How to Use Print Promotional Tools: Rack Cards

2010-06-22T17:30:25Z

part of the series: How to Use Print Promotional Tools

Photo: Deflect-o DisplaySo far, we have covered Business Cards and Cover Letters to introduce yourself and your art, and Postcards to give information. Another way to broadcast your information is Rack Cards.

You've probably seen rack cards. Rack cards are usually in a wire or wooden rack - hence the name. They're those glossy cards in hotel lobbies, promoting local things to do while you're on vacation. (If you are wondering what a vacation is, you probably need one.)

Why Use Rack Cards?
You can use cards to connect with people who are mostly looking for a diversion.

You can promote your art business in full color without the work of addressing them or the cost of postage.

You have more room on a rack card than on a postcard because you don't need to respect post office boundaries or leave room for an address. Most rack cards are double-sided but you may be able to do a 2 or 3 panel version. (We'll be talking about these when we cover brochures in this series.)

The great thing about rack cards is that you can also use them to rack up connections without a physical rack. You can hand them out at events or include them in mailings.

When to Use Rack Cards
Rack cards are an inexpensive way to get the word out in hotels, resorts, tourism centers and entertainment venues. You can promote your art, gallery tours, portraits, private lessons and workshops.

Before You Design Rack Cards
As you think about your design, as always, keep your audience in mind and be ready to describe the benefits of what you are offering.

Before you get started designing, make sure to check with the location to find out about the guidelines for locations where you plan to place your rack cards. You won't waste time, money and effort producing cards that don't fit the rack or the rules of the venue.


© 2010 Patrice Federspiel, Art of Aloha

Design with Purpose and Think About Rack Card Real Estate
Make your rack card visually appealing - that should be easy for you since you are an artist. Most rack cards are 4" by 9". You can use both sides of the card to get your message across.

The front of the rack card is visible, especially the top 1" to 1.5". That makes it prime real estate, so make sure you put the most important information here. This is your headline. It has to grab attention quickly, because people tend to browse the rack.

When browsers see something that catches their eye, they will pull it out and scan the front. To keep the front of the card easy to scan, use bullet points to describe what you are offering, why it is more entertaining than anything else the viewer could choose. Put your identity and contact information on both sides.

The back of the rack card is a great place to add detail. If you have captured their attention, people will flip the rack card over and read the back. You can make the information on this side denser. Include details about what you are offering, e.g. times, locations, prices. Add a bio and picture of you so they can connect with you as a person. Add maps so they don't have to work hard to find you. Who doesn't like a bargain, especially on vacation? Add tear-off coupons with bonuses for individuals or discounts for groups.

Keep track of your results

A tear off coupon is a good way to track your results by the numbers that are redeemed. If you use more than one type of card or have them in more than one location, customize the coupon design or code so you can identify the source.

Deliver Your Rack Cards in Person

Introduce yourself to the hotel concierge and front desk staff. Hand them several rack cards and let them know they can call you if they need more information.

Have any good tips to add about how to use rack cards? Please post them here.

P.S. If you missed Tara Reed Tara Reed* for "How to Find and Interact with Manufacturers Who License Art", no worries! You can get the PDF outline and recording here.

If licensing is new to you, here are three popular resources to help you decide whether or not you should license your art:

1. Read these free A.C.T. tips:

2. Check out this book: "Art Licensing 101."

3. Order this recording and PDF of Tara Reed's* other TeleClass: "Five Things Artists Should Consider Before Deciding to License Your Art

Robin's Marketing Action Tip - Committing Professional Suicide with a Camera

2010-06-22T17:27:52Z

I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it until the horror stops (Aren't I melodramatic today!)

It is professional suicide to use bad images on your printed materials and online. By "bad" I mean doing what I've seen many artists do (really truly): They stand in front of their already framed and under glass work with a cell phone (or other) camera, snap a picture, and use it on their websites and printed materials. Ack!!!

Totally okay if your art is to take photos with a cell phone. But that's

not what I'm talking about. By "bad" I also mean dragging the thing out into the living room, shining a light on it, and then cropping the skewed image in Photoshop to make it look square. Double ack!!

You're an artist, it's all about your art. Why oh why would you want an image of it that is less than absolutely fabulous? Think of it this way: Would you want your work displayed at a gallery with no lighting on your artwork, where they hang your work far below or far above eye level, where they make everyone stand to the side, and view the work from behind dirty tinted glass? Well, that's what you're making them do when you use poor images of your work in your printed materials and online.

Everything you do in your art business starts with great images. Everything. Professional, quality images and scans.

I'm not saying spend a fortune, just spend enough to get a great image. You can do it yourself IF you know what you're doing (you have the skills of a professional photographer), or save the time and angst and have a photographer or an artwork scanning service do it. Remember about the opportunity cost. It costs something to save a few bucks (like your time in the studio, time with your family, missed opportunities.) If you're not in this to become a professional photographer, maybe it's better left to the pros, ya know.

Resources:
Read this article about photographing artwork.
Search amazon for books on the subject.
Get info on artwork scans, start with Digital Arts Studio because we know and respect them.

Hire ME to help you decide. Artists do it all the time. You can even get a complimentary 15-minute consultation, or an in-depth consultation costs only $55 (up to 45 minutes on the phone) and you can pick my brain and get your questions answered.

Also, write to me if you have questions and I'll cover them in upcoming tips (robin@artistcareertraining.com).

All my best to you and yours,

Robin Sagara
Web Marketing Mentor