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Straight Talk about Art, Marketing,
Inspiration and Fine Living
For Artists, Collectors and Galleries
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Your Greatest Asset . . .
by Marsha Robinett
TODAY:
As artists we are told that our in-house mailing list is our greatest asset . . . yet I've found this to be one of my most difficult things to accomplish . . . .
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Wednesday, February 06, 2008
San Antonio, Texas
Judy recently wrote to ask us, "On one of your recent emails you said to make sure that your website captures emails when people visit your site. I am not sure how that happens. Could you please explain?"
Judy, thanks for asking. After thinking about your question, we see the confusion....and our poor choice of words.
The email in question was FineArtViews issue number 138, Where do Most Artists Sell Artwork?
In it we provided six guidelines for selling art online, including number 3, "Make sure your web site can capture visitor's email addresses."
To clarify our true intent, here is what we should have said in number 3:
"Persuade site visitors to provide you with their email addresses with a clear, automated and enticing newsletter sign up page."
We sincerely hope this clarifies the idea.
Speaking of persuading site visitors to sign up for your email list, artist Marsha Robinett has graciously outlined her real-world experience of trying to increase her newsletter sign up rate for us.
Enjoy her article below . . .
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Your Greatest Asset . . .
by Marsha Robinett
Dear {{FirstName}},
As artists we are told that our in-house mailing list is our greatest asset...
yet I've found this to be one of my most difficult things to accomplish. I've shown my art three years now, looking at a fourth season of juried art fairs just around the corner...and again I'm faced with the same question; am I going to be able to get those names and addresses!
The first year that I showed my drawings, I was so darn happy to have a tent and some art to put in it that I didn't even think about a mailing list. Knowing this was important, the second year I had a Guest Book for people to sign. It didn't take long to realize that few people were willing to fill out the information and most of those who did...well, I'll just say this, cat scratches would be complimentary. If you can't read their information, you can't use it.
I finished my '06 season in the fall and set up my website that winter...now I really wanted that mailing list because I had something to tell people about. I started publishing my Email Newsletter with only 58 people on my mailing list and I'm embarrassed to say most of those were friends and relatives!! However, it was a start.
In the spring of '07 I went after this illusive mailing list with new gusto. When my art fairs began, I had a plan....simple as it was, it worked. And it had been in front of me all the time.
Since most people paid with check or charge card, it was only logical that I ask for their contact information. I bought a sales book larger than I needed so the top portion had plenty of space to write. If things were slow, I filled in their information myself while we talked... asking permission to add them to my mailing list. If I had other people waiting, I ask them to do it...while I wrapped their purchase. I then compared what they had written with their drivers license, correcting anything I couldn't read, and wrote down their email address. At the end of the season I had a long list of firm, readable, contacts...and the best part, they already owned at least one piece of my art. I was ecstatic!
The downside to this method is the time it took me to enter them into my data base, and copy their information onto a 4x6 note card for the hard file that I keep on each customer...and I have to admit that sometimes when things were really hectic, even my handwriting was difficult to read. And I would occasionally forget to ask for their email address. All in all, I was still miles ahead of where I was the year before.
My last effort was to increase direct sign-ups on my website and blog. This area had been growing...but virtually at a snails pace! I began to think about the guest book I used that second year. Looking through it again, I realized that those who were interested in my drawing classes wrote down their contact information very carefully....you see, they knew if I couldn't read what they had written, they wouldn't receive my fall class schedule. I had possessed something of value that they wanted!!
My question was this...Could I recreate this situation and this time use it to my advantage? I decided to offer a free "mini print" to everyone who signed up for my email news letter. Yet I really struggled with the word Free and ask myself...Can Free have value? After considerable thought I decided the answer was yes, if presented correctly. Here's how I approached it.
What did I do here? First of all, they aren't just signing up for a newsletter but joining a Newsletter Group that has benefits. The links on my Home Page and Blog create curiosity. The "New Membership Gift" announcement explains what they have to do to get their free print, how often the newsletter is sent, what information will be in it...and finally, I let them know that "I will never share their personal information".
The results after less than two months...close to 30 new "members" have joined my Newsletter Group, and I have both their "snail mail" and email address!
So...Can Free have value? I say, absolutely!
Let me know what you think. What comes to mind when you here the words free print or free original? Is it compromising your standards? Does it lower the perceived value of your art? Does it generate business? What's your opinion...Can Free have value?
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This article is reproduced with permission.
Copyright 2008 - Marsha Robinett.
To get more of Marsha Robinett's thoughts about art visit her blog at:
The Extraordinary Pencil by Marsha Robinett:
This article originally appeared at the following URL:
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Editor's Note: Each day we republish selected comments and artwork by artists who comment about the previous day's article. If you would like to share your thoughts, artwork and views with thousands of artists and collectors, (not to mention getting a valuable inbound link to your website) be sure to post a comment on today's article at the following link. To be considered, be sure to provide your comment through the link NOT by simply replying to this email. Make sure to comment before the end of the day to be considered for inclusion in tomorrow's newsletter:
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just comment on today's article before midnight,
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(*If you a right-click disabler on your images, we will select a different artist to feature, as it is too much trouble to display the image)
How Art Scams Work, Revisited
Denise Williams Wrote:
Scammers take on a new scheme if you have PayPal. They pretend they are not able to use your paypal and request your banking information so they might wire transfer or western union you money. If you give them this information, it allows them to access your account and fraudulently withdraw funds.
Another thing they do with PayPal, aside from pretending to be your bank requesting additional information for various reasons, is they pretend their paypal transfer to your account did not go through and send you a legitimate looking letter from PayPay requesting that you log into their website and update our information. I am not clear exactly how it works, but I do know if you log into one of these sites even, if you don’t enter any information, you open yourself to security breaches.
Scammers also poise as artists wishing to sell you work and will steal your identity and your money when you use their paypal, or wire transfer their requested funds. These scammers generally are showing art that they have stolen from another site, and the art is very inviting, so tempting it makes you want to trust them in an effort to obtain the art from the so-called incompetent artist as they play heavily upon this theme; if not the incompetent artist, then the serious artist facing governmental issues with their ability to make overseas transactions. Many of these websites have such a multitude of languages one wonders how any one person could have such diverse communication skills. This greatly upsets me as it further damages the on line collector’s market for artists who sacrifice much to be where they are.
Our role in the art world has grown into one in which we have to be not only vigilant, but have also have to provide added security measures for those choosing to trust us.
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