Let me emphasize that by saying it a different way: There is nothing more important you can do to build your art business and career than to nurture your relationships.
In reality, most artists have 3 mailing lists, not just 1. Here's what I mean.
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]]>Your artist mailing list is your most valuable marketing asset.
It is the primary tool you use to share your art with the world. It’s your #1 marketing asset. Let me emphasize that by saying it a different way: There is nothing more important you can do to build your art business and career than to nurture your relationships.
In reality, most artists have 3 mailing lists, not just 1.
What is your mailing list?
Your list is something unique to you and your career. No one has this same list. No one makes art like you do; no one knows the same people as you do; and no one has the exact vision that you have. Nobody!
Your list is almost worthless to anyone else, yet it’s invaluable to you. But only if you use it.
[ How to Warm Up a Cold List ]
It is the primary tool you use to share your art with the world. Again, it’s your #1 marketing asset. (You may get tired of hearing me say that.)
We call it a list as if it’s a single unit, but it’s key to remember that every name on your list represents a human being. You’re not mailing 1 unit. You are mailing tens, hundreds, or thousands of people over time. You can’t pretend that they are a cohesive entity.
And whether it’s 5 or 5,000 people, it’s not the numbers that are important. It’s the people. Remember to care about people, not the list itself or its size.
It may seem silly to spend time talking about what a mailing list is, but hear me out. A mailing list doesn’t have as clear a definition as it seems.
I have a philosophy around this 2-word phrase that we frequently take for granted. It’s this …
You don't have a single list.
You have multiple lists.
I use the term Mailing List as an umbrella term, but, in truth, you have three lists: (1) your email list, (2) your VIP list, and (3) your online followers.
Here’s how I see the difference among them and why you need to remember all of them when you’re thinking about your mailing list.
Listen
Your list for emailing
Your first list is an email list made up of people who have opted in to receive your bulk emails. When we think of a mailing list these days, we’re likely thinking of *just* an email list. (Not the case, as we’ll see.)
You don’t add any email addresses to your email list without consent. People on this list have raised their virtual hands and said, “Send me your email!”
Email lists are stored and automated in an email marketing platform like MailChimp, Constant Contact, or ConvertKit.
These software platforms are designed to automate the email signup process and to send bulk email messages. For legal and ethical reasons, email marketing platforms cannot be replaced by the email program on your computer.
You cannot email tens or hundreds of people at once from Gmail, Apple Mail, Outlook, or similar.
Your list of VIPs
Your second list is a contact list where you store your network of buyers, collectors, VIPs, and leads. It might also include friends and family. In order to provide for all of the people that need to be here, I’m going to call it your VIP list.
While every human being on any of your lists is special, those on your VIP list are the most cherished. They’re either more engaged with you already or you seek a closer relationship with them.
Your VIP list is simply a place to keep names and contact information for safekeeping. It stores potential—similar to an old paper address book or Rolodex, if you are old enough to remember those as fondly as I do.
Did you hear about someone who is curating shows in public spaces? You may not know them yet, but you want them to know you. Add them to your VIP list.
Are you on the lookout for new gallery representation or other venues for showing your work? Add the venue names to your VIP list and fill in the names of individuals at those venues as you come across them.
It isn’t appropriate to add people to your email list who don’t know who you are and haven’t opted in, so you must keep this list separate—perhaps in your Artwork Archive database. Some of these people may eventually land on your email list, but you need to stay in touch with them in the meantime.
The people on your VIP list usually require a more personal touch than those who might receive your monthly email newsletter.
The final list is …
Your online followers and connections
When you think about your mailing list, this final list of people—your online followers and connections—probably don’t come to mind. After all, they’re not really a cohesive group you can wrangle and view in a coherent way.
But you must include them.
They are clearly people you want to stay in front of. After all, they followed you for a reason.
Ultimately, we like to get these online followers on your email list, but we have to meet them where they are. We have to engage with them, prove that we’re worthy of their attention, and invite them to become more involved.
Your expanding mailing list
Those are the 3 lists you have: your email list, your VIP list, and your online followers and connections.
Don’t even think about putting them into a single database, cross referencing the names, or trying to figure out who is who. You have better things to do with your time.
Be aware that they all exist. And that even if someone never signs up for your email list, you may interact with them on social media or through private emails or texts. Accept that this is the way the world works these days and be okay with it.
Your mailing list is bigger than you think, right?
And it can get still bigger.
Check out my Followers to Collectors workshop
I am especially interested that you find more names for your VIP list. That’s what will move the needle.
It’s not about a huge email list. It’s the cherished people you connect with 1-on-1. That’s who you want more of.
Get your lists organized and use them! See my Followers to Collectors workshop.
Related
Articles and podcast episodes that feature artists who understand the value of their mailing lists—how they are using them to grow their art businesses …
This post was first published on February 18, 203 and has been updated (a lot!) with a podcast episode added, and original comments intact.
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]]>The post Build Your Own Website In 10 Minutes (Not) appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>I read in several places that you could “create your own website in 10 minutes” [link removed at author’s request] with WordPress. While I never believed it would take 10 minutes, I never imagined it would take 100 hours.
Perhaps you can benefit from my experience.
I already had an art website, a contract with a web hosting service, a domain name, and a blog hosted by Google (Blogger). But my site was 5 years old and needed to be totally overhauled with new, fresh content and current styling. It also needed to be integrated with my blog.
The objective was to get a very professional, crisp and clean looking website that leveraged the excellent advice from I’d Rather Be in the Studio by Alyson Stanfield, Guerilla Marketing for Artists by Barney Davey, and Starving to Successful by Jason Horejs.
I debated between using a DIY website platform and creating a self-hosted website. Self-hosted means you own your website and have full control over it. It also means more work to set up and maintain.
Full control means complete responsibility.Nevertheless, I opted for a self-hosted WordPress website (WordPress.org) in order to have more options and functionality for my site.
Like most artists, I am very selective about the look and feel of my website. I want to be sure that it shows off my art well, so I put a high value on having the control of a self-hosted website.
WordPress is used widely and here to stay. Because I learned a valuable skill set, I will be able to maintain and update my website for years to come. Websites need to be living things and constantly infused with new images and content.
The Specs
Here are the technical solutions implemented for HollyVanHart.com, along with the costs.
| TECHNICAL SOLUTION |
COST |
| WordPress.org software | Free |
| Hosting service (Linux) | ~$6/month |
| ‘Salient’ theme for WordPress | $55 one-time fee |
| 18 WordPress plug-ins for special purpose functions | Free |
| My time to learn WordPress and create the website | 100 hours of my time |
Why 100 Hours?
Why did it take me 100 hours?
My investment of time included learning WordPress and creating all-new content. It also included tweaking the site until it had the look and feel I wanted. Still . . . 100 hours of my time was way too much!
WordPress is a wonderful solution and is used by 19% of websites today. But it’s not for the inexperienced. I didn’t realize the needed functionality would require not only WordPress.org software but also a custom WordPress theme, no less than 18 special purpose plug-ins, and a lot of research on how to piece it all together.
Benefit From My Experience
The response to my new site has been all positive and encouraging, but I can’t recommend building a website on your own.
If you need a new website for your art and, like me, don’t have prior website experience, I recommend using a DIY website platform or hiring a consultant who knows what they are doing. Just be sure that you can add/edit your images easily and make other simple changes on your own.
Our time is better spent in the studio.
Did you DIY your site? What is your experience?
About Our Guest Blogger
Holly Van Hart is an award-winning artist based in the Silicon Valley. She paints abstract nature paintings that surprise us with unusual colors and textures, and ignite new excitement about a particular slice of nature. Click here to learn more about Holly and her work.
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]]>The post How Evernote Can Save Your Relationships with Collectors appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>Using a database or spreadsheet to take care of your customers can feel like choosing a Swiss Army Knife to file your nails. It works, but it sure is awkward.
Databases Can Be Too . . . Too
Database/spreadsheet programs for artists try to have the tools to do everything, but they can be a little clunky when it comes to actually using them. They promise to track your art, your customers, your sales, your shows, your editions, your invoices… and heck, probably even your dinner date next week!
The programs are so complex with interwoven cool database-y, interlink-y tricks that pretty soon you’ve got 10 windows open and you still can’t find that note you made in a comment field about what your customer likes.
What is the right tool for any job? I think the right tool is:
- The simplest one,
- The one you will actually use, and
- The one where you can find the information you need quickly.
Evernote, an awesome, free app for Mac, PC & mobile devices, can do just that—and help you serve your customers better.
Your Collectors Deserve Better
Is your buyer a piece of data or a living, breathing person?
Customers (and potential customers) need nurturing. Relationships are so much more important to growing your business than filling out database fields for super-dupery sorting. When you put your buyer’s name and contact information into your database of transactions, or a potential customer into your gmail contacts, they might get filed away and forgotten.
Evernote makes it easier to keep in touch with the people who love you and your work by supplementing your brain—making links between the things you know, and the people you’ve interacted with.
5 Ways to Use Evernote to Cultivate Collectors
1. Store your buyers’ info.
Make a note for every person you want to stay in touch with.
Record all of your interactions including the conversations you’ve had, their hobbies, what they’ve bought… and ANYthing you can think of. You are not bound by rigid fields someone else sets up for you.
2. Search for connections.
Evernote searches all of your notes organically, retrieves and shows you connections and possibilities you may never have thought of.
Alyson has posted about how handy the web clipper is in Evernote for researching and syncing between devices.
With your customers and their interests lodged in Evernote, you can quickly do a search and find an interesting, pertinent article to send to your customer.
3. Connect spontaneously and informally.
You’re walking down the street and you see something that reminds you of a conversation you had last month with a fan … but who was it? Evernote reminds you, and you can take a quick pic and email it off with a note.
As an artist in business, your most valuable asset is your list of fans. Doesn’t it sometimes feel pushy to send out only announcements? With Evernote helping you, you can send them personalized notes that delight and inform them, so you stay at the top of their mind.
4. Keep your email inbox clean.
You can forward important customer emails from your inbox right to Evernote using your assigned Evernote email. Don’t forget to modify the Subject line to include your customer’s name. (See how to do this.)
5. Connect buyers to purchases.
If you also set up Evernote to track and catalog your art, use Note Linking in Evernote to quickly see what each customer has purchased.
All the information you need is at your fingertips in Evernote, in a format that is easy to access that you will actually enjoy using. Try it!
About Our Guest Blogger
Laurie McCarriar is an Asheville-based photographic artist and artist geek, who helps artists & creatives learn and embrace simple tech tools to make the business of art less overwhelming—you get more time in your studio! Upcoming online course and reference guide: Artist Geek Guide to Using Evernote (for Artists)—ninja tips, tricks, workflow and templates to track your art, organize your brain, and keep your customers happy. Evernote is also one of the featured topics at her Beach Geek Retreat Week, held in Sandbridge VA every September.
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]]>The post Features to Look for in Artist Software appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>I do know, however, that my clients are very happy with Artwork Archive.
These are some of the features that I would want in a database. I’d make sure any program had the ability to:
- Print labels and reports directly from the program without having to export data
- Change formatting or add fields
- Categorize the mailing list (friends, family, collectors, prospects, . . . )
- Add photos
- Export data in a CSV file format
- Import data from a CSV file format (especially if you currently have a lot of information stored in Excel)
- Search for records by keywords, media, name, or whatever
What am I missing? What couldn’t you live without in a good database?
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