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<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="05bfd5a3.jpg"> <div> <B>Better sales through mailings</B><B> </B></div> <div> <B>347-LOVE-ART  (347-568-3278)</B><B> Toll Free 1-877-512-3333    Email: </B><A HREF="mailto:mike@mikealbin.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:mike@mikealbin.com"><U><B>mike@mikealbin.com</B></U></A></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="05cd2043.jpg"> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mike Albin.Com "><U>Mike Albin.Com </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="wd.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Web design"><U>Web design</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="ma.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Marketing Articles"><U>Marketing Articles</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="sr.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Show Reviews"><U>Show Reviews</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="mt.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Marketing Tools"><U>Marketing Tools</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="l.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U>Links</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#777777" TEXT="#080000"> <div> How to use e-mails and newsletters to boost business at art shows </div> <bR> <div> It's getting harder and harder to make a living on the art-show circuit. Some artists are dropping out to pursue one of those four letter words: jobs! Oh no, not jobs! That's what we all gave up to pursue our artistic dreams. And of the artists who have chosen to remain on the circuit, some have tried lowering their prices to encourage more sales, but that means working harder to make more inventory, while profits decline. </div> <div> So what are artists to do? Market better! You should already have a list of past and potential clients that you're sending a mailing to regarding upcoming shows. But it's not enough anymore to just give them the dates, times and directions, simply hoping they'll show up. Instead, get them excited about your work and the possibility of bringing a piece home by creating a sales letter or newsletter. List the benefits of your art - yes, artwork has benefits! Offer them new levels of service and payment options, and if all else fails, offer discounts. I know this all sounds confusing, and you're probably thinking, I'll never be able to write all of that. So I'm going to make it easy for you. You're welcome! </div> <div> Your sales letter should have eight separate parts, or paragraphs. If you break it up into the following eight paragraphs, you should be able to achieve greater success at shows. You will be selling before your foot is even out your front door! </div> <div> In <B>paragraph one</B>, you should give detailed show information. In bold, capital letters, write a headline such as, "WE ARE COMING TO ATLANTA FOR THE DOGWOOD FESTIVAL." That should be followed by dates, hours, booth location, directions to the show, parking information and a statement that reads something like this: "If you have trouble finding us, call my cell phone number, 555-555-5555." There's nothing worse than a customer wanting your work and not being able to find you. </div> <div> In <B>paragraph two</B>, you must create a need for your work by creating another attention-grabbing headline. "Are you remodeling?" "Tired of staring at those blank walls?" And if you have just added a new line of nature paintings, you might open with "Do you love nature and the beauty of the outdoors?" If you are a jeweler, you might ask, "Have a special birthday or anniversary coming up?" Think of some of the reasons people have bought from you in the past and use those. People skim over letters and e-mails, but if the opening statement pertains to their needs, you get their complete attention!</div> <div> Now that you have their attention, meet their needs. This is where most artists go wrong: They start spouting off about how good they are. People don't want to spend time reading about how good you think your work is. They want <I>their</I> needs met. Meet those with statements such as "Your home is going to look great" or "Your new remodeling job will look fantastic." This gets a lot more attention than "Our artwork is going to look great."</div> <div> Now tell your potential customers about custom pieces you can make just for them, as well as any other things you can do to meet their needs. "WOULD YOU LIKE A PRIVATE VIEWING IN YOUR HOME?" What an attention-grabbing headline! Who wouldn't like that? Go on to explain that you are coming to the show a day early and planning to stay a day after, and you are taking appointments for private screenings in the vicinity of the show site. Tell them that this is a limited-time offer, only good while you are in town. "If you don't want to fight the traffic and the crowds, I'll come to you." This is a great line to use if you think it's going to rain during the show. You can still sell and have a successful trip! </div> <div> Take a good look at some of the advertisements you see on television and receive in the mail. Notice how they are trying to hook you by meeting your needs and appealing to your emotions. Home-alarm companies show the mom and kids home alone at night when someone tries to break in. This is a conscious effort to appeal to your emotions and fears. Your artwork also has an emotional appeal, and you should try to capture that in your letter. Jewelry, for instance, can allow you to "capture her heart all over again!" </div> <div> <B>Paragraph three: testimonials</B>. People are skeptical when someone is trying to sell them something. But they will often take the word of someone who doesn't have anything to gain. Include in your letter one or two statements from former clients. Start with the header "This is what past clients are saying." The following is one of the letters Patty and I received a while back and used in one of our newsletters: "I have to admit I was very nervous about spending so much money for a piece of artwork that you were making for us. When ordering artwork, you never know what you are going to get. My picture arrived yesterday; I was so nervous opening the box, and it's better than I imagined it would be! It's amazing. I love it. Thanks so much! I can't think of words to describe how happy I am with your artwork. Joe in North Carolina." </div> <div> In <B>paragraph four</B>, you should write about the work you're bringing to this year's show. Your headline here would read, "I HAVE THREE NEW PAINTINGS TO SHOW THIS WEEKEND!" Be excited about anything you are showing for the first time at a particular show. Mention that this is the first time the work has been on display in their area and how well it's been received elsewhere. And if you're showing a piece you've just completed, write, "I have a new piece I'll be showing for the first time anywhere! Come see its unveiling." If this is an e-mail letter, have hyperlinks to images of the pieces on your Web site. Hyperlinks are convenient Web locations that the reader can just click on. Their Web browser then opens the site automatically, and your Web page appears. I put as many as 10 hyperlinks in every e-mail I send, instead of including attachments. People are afraid of viruses and often won't even open your e-mail if it comes with an attachment. Hyperlinks are a great way around this. To create one, simply go to the page on your Web site that you want people to view, copy the exact url that appears in the address bar at the top of your screen and then paste it into your letter. (You can tell that the link has copied successfully by checking to see if it's underlined and also be clicking on it yourself.)    </div> <div> In <B>paragraph five</B>, again use a big, attention-grabbing headline, this time to give the buyer a specific incentive to come to the show. Try "10% DISCOUNT ON ALL REPRODUCTIONS!" or "SPECIAL DISCOUNT FOR LOYAL CUSTOMERS!" You can offer to finance your work. Be creative. For example, offer buyers a free set of notebook cards with every purchase over $200. I have even sent out newsletters with the heading: "Next month we are raising our prices again; this is your last chance to buy at these prices." I then went on to explain that because of the rising costs of fuel, travel and doing shows, we needed to raise our prices to stay in business. Explain why NOW is such a good time to buy, and throw in phrases such as "don't miss out" or "limited-time offer." I know this sounds like we're selling used cars, but talk with artists around you and you'll find that sales for a lot of them are down. Desperate times call for desperate measures. People appreciate getting a good deal - you can provide them with one. </div> <div> <B>Paragraph six</B>: a call to action! This is the most important part of the letter and the most often left out! What is the reader supposed to do next? I know it's obvious to you and me, but it's not always obvious to the reader. "COME SEE US THIS WEEKEND" could be your headline, but you also need to explain that if they can't make the show, they can go to your Web site and order a piece from the there. Create pages on your site that are only accessible by clicking a link in the letter. On that page, thank them for visiting and include special offers for only the people who got the letter. Include your cell phone number and ask them to call if they have questions.</div> <div> Invite them to buy right now and give reasons why they should. Make a special piece or a limited number of prints that are available only to people on your list. Tell them, "This piece is not sold on my Web site or at any shows. There are only 10 of these limited pieces, and once they're gone, they're gone." It creates a sense of urgency. It also shows you are loyal to and take care of your patrons. If you made the offer for a private screening in paragraph two of your letter, say, "Call now to set up your personal screening."</div> <div> In <B>paragraph seven</B>, you have the option of including personal information or useful items not necessarily related to your art. This paragraph might contain noteworthy information about your life, such as births, kids, pets, graduations, etc. It helps the reader identify with you and get to know you better. People who buy your work do so because they admire your talent more than all the other artists at a show, and these personal items let them know more about the person behind the art. You can also share favorite recipes for everything from cookies to bread to chicken. It keeps people reading. Plus, if they make the cookies and love them, you'll get a big thanks the next time they see you. You can put these recipes on your Web site and include a link in the letter. Hey, it gets people to your site, and there's no telling what will happen once they are there! At the top of the page where your recipe appears, put a picture of one of your new pieces of art. If they print out the recipe and share it with others, your artwork will also be passed around. This is a great marketing tool, and if you end up selling a couple of more pieces of art a year because of it, then it was time well spent. </div> <div> Finally, in <B>paragraph eight</B>, you should include a heartfelt thank-you for taking the time to read the letter and follow your career. Be honest and sincere. Tell your readers what it means to you when people buy your work, how you feel, and how becoming an artist has changed your life. </div> <div> Write down these eight paragraph titles and then start composing the letter. Before you know it, you will have written a great newsletter and made selling your work a whole lot easier. And in case you didn't notice, that last sentence was my way of appealing to your emotions and meeting your needs, just like you will be meeting the needs of your patrons when you create your new letter. (For more information on writing effective sales letters, read <I>Power Sales Writing</I> by Sue Hershkowitz-Coore.) </div> <div> Once you've written your letter, you need to figure out the best way of reaching your patrons. There are many ways to do this: Some take time and very little money, while others take less time but cost more. E-mail letters cost nothing but your time. Postcards cost more to print and mail, but take very little time. You can also send newsletters through the regular mail, but postage is more expensive for newsletters than it is for postcards. Whatever you choose to do, do something! Good luck, and have a great time selling! </div> <bR> <div> This month's question is from me to you and concerns buy/sell products at art shows. We all know they sneak in from time to time, so what can (and should) we, as artists, do when we find it? There was a news brief in the September issue of <I><B>SA</B></I> about an award-winning jeweler at the Three Rivers Art Festival in Pittsburgh who gave back her $1,000 Best of Show award after being asked to prove she made her own product. The artist could have taken the necessary steps to prove she made her work but reportedly was offended by the accusations and gave back her prize. If she really did make her work, why on earth would she not take the time to prove it? </div> <div> My question to all of you is: Have you ever been accused of selling manufactured goods, and if so, what did you do about it? Also, if exhibitors are selling manufactured goods, what can artists do to keep them out of future shows? (I know what we'd all like to do to them, but stonings and beatings are no longer politically correct!) And what can show directors do to keep them from coming back? Should the National Association of Independent Artists (NAIA) start a blacklist of artists found guilty? Or maybe in addition to sending in slides to a show, we should all start sending in videos of us at work. No video, no acceptance. Or should promoters randomly select artists' studios to visit, to see who's actually making the work? </div> <div> Then there is the issue of dishonest artists falsely accusing their fellow exhibitors of displaying buy/sell products. I have a friend who sells metal creations at shows. I've been to his shop and seen him work. Unfortunately, a dishonest artist on the circuit has repeatedly copied that work and then had the nerve to tell show directors that my friend did not make his own stuff. Should shows punish artists who make these false accusations? </div> <div> If you e-mail your responses to mike@mikealbin.com, I will write a future article on this subject. I'm looking forward to responses from both artists and show directors.</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>