When you are starting out in your art business, you need customers and you don't have a lot of money to throw around. Here are some free or low cost ideas.
Some of these tips and ideas you may have already done for yourself, and if so, that is great. Do you have additional ideas? I'd love to add them to this page. Just send a message or comment!
What's in this page:
- Put Your Email Signature Line to Work
- Have It With You
- Open Your Mouth
- Art Marketing Books
- Issue a Press Release
- Donate Your Art
- Trading your Pencil Portrait Services for Advertising
- Barter Networks
- Offer Pencil Portrait Fundraising
- Contests and Raffles
- Offer Your Art as a Prize
- Using Direct Mail and Mailing Lists
- Print Advertising
- Art Advertising Tip:
- Free Places to Post an Ad Online
- Plug Your Site
- Drop me a line...
Put Your Email Signature Line to Work
Put your Contact Information in your Emails
It seems like such a simple thing, but easily overlooked. I can't tell you how many artists I have corresponded with who don't have a link to their site or any contact information in their emails!
Sometimes the artist is thanking me for visiting their site and commenting on their blog. But I can't for the life of me remember which artist, and which website/blog it was that they are thanking me for visiting! It's wonderful that they are taking the time to write the thank-you email. That's a great move, but simple contact information can help even more.
I've also emailed people regarding stuff other than art, and I hear back from the person that they checked out my site and loved the art and are interested. If the signature line information wasn't there, that wouldn't and couldn't have happened.
Most email accounts have a Signature area feature. Simply add at least your name and your website address. You may choose to go a little further and include your business or cell phone number.
This is free and takes less than 5 minutes to set up, so if you don't have a signature line yet, please go and do that now, and then come back and finish this page! I mean it. Seriously. Go.
It seems like such a simple thing, but easily overlooked. I can't tell you how many artists I have corresponded with who don't have a link to their site or any contact information in their emails!
Sometimes the artist is thanking me for visiting their site and commenting on their blog. But I can't for the life of me remember which artist, and which website/blog it was that they are thanking me for visiting! It's wonderful that they are taking the time to write the thank-you email. That's a great move, but simple contact information can help even more.
I've also emailed people regarding stuff other than art, and I hear back from the person that they checked out my site and loved the art and are interested. If the signature line information wasn't there, that wouldn't and couldn't have happened.
Most email accounts have a Signature area feature. Simply add at least your name and your website address. You may choose to go a little further and include your business or cell phone number.
This is free and takes less than 5 minutes to set up, so if you don't have a signature line yet, please go and do that now, and then come back and finish this page! I mean it. Seriously. Go.
Have It With You
ArtCalendar Magazine recommends in the February 2008 issue that artists upload their artwork to Snapfish.comBe sure to check out my other page which has advice on the use of promotional materials for your pencil portrait art business.
Also see this page I created about how to promote your art online.
Open Your Mouth
Although it may seem obvious, this is one that many artists overlook...or perhaps we don't overlook it consciously so much as we feel shy to talk to people about our artwork - but that is something we have to overcome in order to be successful. It is sometimes difficult to do. I can talk to people well one-on-one or in groups of two or three, but I have very real problems speaking in front of a group! I often feel afraid people will think I'm bragging. So maybe you can ask a good friend to talk up your art too!Make a list of everyone you know. Not just family, but everyone you can remember! Contact those people and let them know what you are doing. Chances are, they will know someone who might be interested in a portrait.
Don't wait to be "discovered."
Art Marketing Books
Issue a Press Release
Writing a press release to announce your new portrait business is a great free way to get some press coverage, ie: free advertising!If your business isn't new, you can write about something new you are offering. Local news departments are always looking for interesting people in their community and positive stories, so they are very glad to hear from you!
I have been featured in the newspaper a few times this way. It's really not as hard as you would think to write it up. Websites like PRWeb can give you some guidance in writing press releases.
Donate Your Art
Donating a beautiful oil portrait of philanthropists Richard and Judy Eckburg has been a successful venture for Savannah area portrait artist Sandra T. Colquitt.Savannah Christian Preparatory School in Savannah Georgia added a 56,000 square foot state of the art fine arts center.
Although Ms. Colquitt usually paints from life, the portrait was to be a surprise. So the oil portrait was based on photos of the couple. The painting hangs in the Eckburg Center. The donation has brought Colquitt a lot of local press coverage. The ribbon cutting ceremony of the new facility was attended by the County Commission Chair, the County Commissioner, architects, contractors, officers of the local banks, general managers of Savannah television stations. Nearly 2,000 people attended the grand opening. Imagine all the people who will view the portrait over the years. It would be hard to buy publicity like this!
Currently, United States tax law only allows artists to deduct only the cost of materials and supplies when they donate to charity. This makes artists want to write a check to a charity rather than donate artwork. Because of this, non-profit charities across the country suffer. The Artist Deduction Bill (S.548) would give artists the right to deduct the fair market value of their work when donating to charity.
If you would like to voice your support for the Artist Deduction Bill to your member of Congress, visit Americans for the Arts to fill out your name and address on the on screen template and your message will be sent to Congress.
Trading your Pencil Portrait Services for Advertising
Advertising can be a major expense. Whenever I have paid for advertising, it has been (to me) a considerable amount of money. Most paid ads have cost me $100 or more each monthly run, and generally the publication wants the commitment of 4 or 6 months' worth of ads. There is also usually a design fee of about $50. Then I sit and cross my fingers and hope I have done the right thing.
Even once you've been an established artist for awhile, it's still good to keep expenses low. But how do you do this?
One way is to barter. I have successfully bartered portraits for advertising space in publications. It never hurts to ask.Many small local publications are owned by individuals - individuals who have children and pets they might like a portrait of.
When you are approaching them regarding an ad, you can show them examples of your artwork. See if they are interested. In some cases, their order by barter may pay for your entire ad, or it might pay for half your ad run. It's a win-win situation.
The publisher has space to fill in their publication, and you need the promotion. The publisher will know your work first-hand, and
the publisher knows a lot of people in your local area and you will probably receive some business just from this word of mouth.
Even once you've been an established artist for awhile, it's still good to keep expenses low. But how do you do this?
One way is to barter. I have successfully bartered portraits for advertising space in publications. It never hurts to ask.Many small local publications are owned by individuals - individuals who have children and pets they might like a portrait of.
When you are approaching them regarding an ad, you can show them examples of your artwork. See if they are interested. In some cases, their order by barter may pay for your entire ad, or it might pay for half your ad run. It's a win-win situation.
The publisher has space to fill in their publication, and you need the promotion. The publisher will know your work first-hand, and
the publisher knows a lot of people in your local area and you will probably receive some business just from this word of mouth.
Barter Networks
Besides bartering with an individual, you can also join barter networks. I used to be in a barter network, and it works well because you can do portraits for people in the network and let your barter income grow until it's enough to pay for a printer in the barter network to print your business cards, postcards, etc for you, or for advertising. I even paid for car repair through my barter network income. It is a good way to get your name known by local businesses.
Quality barter networks issue a 1099-B tax form for you at the end of the year, so you can report your barter income on your taxes.
If you barter, you should not issue discounts, but barter at the full value of your art. You may get more business through bartering, and it will definitely help you build your portfolio if you need more images. The downside of bartering is that you will not receive any cash for your efforts, and let's face it, we need cash.
You should know: Some barter networks require a large investment to get started with them. I would be very careful, and make sure you have recommendations from people you trust regarding barter networks. Many barter networks issue a generous finder's fee to members who recruit other members, so consider that the person recommending a barter business may have ulterior motives involved.
Quality barter networks issue a 1099-B tax form for you at the end of the year, so you can report your barter income on your taxes.
If you barter, you should not issue discounts, but barter at the full value of your art. You may get more business through bartering, and it will definitely help you build your portfolio if you need more images. The downside of bartering is that you will not receive any cash for your efforts, and let's face it, we need cash.
You should know: Some barter networks require a large investment to get started with them. I would be very careful, and make sure you have recommendations from people you trust regarding barter networks. Many barter networks issue a generous finder's fee to members who recruit other members, so consider that the person recommending a barter business may have ulterior motives involved.
Offer Pencil Portrait Fundraising
Offering a fundraising opportunity is another way to drive some business to you without spending money (other than some printing expense.)
Here's how it's done. Create postcards that show an example of your portrait art (hopefully you have already done this). Tell the organization that needs to raise money that they will get "x" amount of money for each portrait sold - the client just needs to tell you that they are purchasing to help their organization when they order a portrait. You will send a check each month or quarterly - decide which works best for you and the organization. I feel that a monthly payment works best, because then the fund raising organization sees results more often and it motivates them to do more to promote their fund raiser (and YOU!)
I am currently offering $25 for each portrait sold through the efforts of a local church sponsored preschool. The preschool director is thrilled, and is putting my postcards in each child's weekly folder. I made sure the preschool director saw an actual original artwork I've done, so she can see (and tell the parents) about the quality of the portraits.
Who needs fund raisers? Churches, preschools, clubs, etc. Think about your art and how it relates to clubs. What clubs would be the most interested in what you offer? If you do a lot of pet portraits then you'd want to think about dog rescue groups for example.
What makes this even better is that the amount of money you send to the group or charity is often an eligible charitable contribution write-off on your taxes.
BONUS:
If you take the portion from each portrait that is to be sent to the charity as each portrait is done, and invest in an online bank like INGdirect.com, you will ensure that you will have the money when it comes time to send to the fund raiser, and you can earn interest on the money until it's time to send it to the organization.
Here's how it's done. Create postcards that show an example of your portrait art (hopefully you have already done this). Tell the organization that needs to raise money that they will get "x" amount of money for each portrait sold - the client just needs to tell you that they are purchasing to help their organization when they order a portrait. You will send a check each month or quarterly - decide which works best for you and the organization. I feel that a monthly payment works best, because then the fund raising organization sees results more often and it motivates them to do more to promote their fund raiser (and YOU!)
I am currently offering $25 for each portrait sold through the efforts of a local church sponsored preschool. The preschool director is thrilled, and is putting my postcards in each child's weekly folder. I made sure the preschool director saw an actual original artwork I've done, so she can see (and tell the parents) about the quality of the portraits.
Who needs fund raisers? Churches, preschools, clubs, etc. Think about your art and how it relates to clubs. What clubs would be the most interested in what you offer? If you do a lot of pet portraits then you'd want to think about dog rescue groups for example.
What makes this even better is that the amount of money you send to the group or charity is often an eligible charitable contribution write-off on your taxes.
BONUS:
If you take the portion from each portrait that is to be sent to the charity as each portrait is done, and invest in an online bank like INGdirect.com, you will ensure that you will have the money when it comes time to send to the fund raiser, and you can earn interest on the money until it's time to send it to the organization.
Contests and Raffles
One idea that a lot of artists have that won't cost them any money is having a raffle or giveaway of a free pencil portrait.
I want to advise you against doing this. People who might otherwise go ahead and order will wait to see if they win - and their sense of urgency to order is lost.
I feel it's better to offer an artwork of something you have already completed, that is general and will be attractive to many people.
Contests can also attract the freebie seeker element of the Internet - these people are not going to be part of your target market. Most people with income to hire a portrait artist will not search online for freebies. (No disrespect meant to freebie searchers, I love a free sample or freebie myself!) It's a good marketing idea for many business, but just not the right marketing strategy for a fine artist.
TIP:
There are usually local and state laws regarding any games of chance. Make sure you are aware of your local laws before proceeding with any kind of raffle, contest, or giveaway.
I want to advise you against doing this. People who might otherwise go ahead and order will wait to see if they win - and their sense of urgency to order is lost.
I feel it's better to offer an artwork of something you have already completed, that is general and will be attractive to many people.
Contests can also attract the freebie seeker element of the Internet - these people are not going to be part of your target market. Most people with income to hire a portrait artist will not search online for freebies. (No disrespect meant to freebie searchers, I love a free sample or freebie myself!) It's a good marketing idea for many business, but just not the right marketing strategy for a fine artist.
TIP:
There are usually local and state laws regarding any games of chance. Make sure you are aware of your local laws before proceeding with any kind of raffle, contest, or giveaway.
If you decide to do a raffle or any kind of contest, check with your state to make sure you are following the laws and regulations for your area!
Offer Your Art as a Prize
...or as a gift for a high-profile event
Here is a neat way of marketing your art. Fort Worth TX artist Randy Bacon creates house portraits that are given to homeowners who participate in a home show/tour in Dallas. His portraits are an additional motivator for people to open their homes to the tour and serves as a special commemoration of their participation in the show. You can read more about this from the Dallas Morning News.
Using Direct Mail and Mailing Lists
This one does cost money, but even when something has a cost, if it gets a good return on your investment, it's worth it.
You can purchase mailing lists from a site like InfoUSA.com. The cost of the mailing list depends on how many options you select.
You can be very specific, for example, you can request a mailing list by families with children and income levels.
A mailing list is a good option if you want to only mail to certain zip codes also.
You can select your mailing list to be sent to you on CD-ROM, if you want to use the list more than once, or you can opt for the mailing list to be sent to you on pre-printed mailing labels, which saves time.
MAILING LIST TIPS:
1) Have the materials you want to mail out ready before you buy the mailing list. If you buy the mailing list first, and then take the time to create your materials, some time can go by...so the addresses will not be as fresh. Get your stuff ready first.
2) Keep the postage costs in mind as you budget your mailing.
3) If you use one of these services, be sure to also include some 'blinds' (names and addresses of family and friends, so you can be sure the mailings are happening, and are taking place by the schedule you selected.
In other words, if you add a friend to the list and the friend says they never got the mailing, yet you paid for it - you will know you have an issue to discuss with the mailing company!
Be selective about what you mail and how many. Figure up your budget. Unless you are very sure you will have a strong return on your investment, do not go into debt to do a mailing! You can only do so many artworks at one time, so why mail out 20,000 postcards when 20-200 would do for now? Because you create your product and it's handmade, it is often wise to stagger your mailings.
There are many services that also offer a mailing list and they will handle all the mailing and affixing postage for you.
You can purchase mailing lists from a site like InfoUSA.com. The cost of the mailing list depends on how many options you select.
You can be very specific, for example, you can request a mailing list by families with children and income levels.
A mailing list is a good option if you want to only mail to certain zip codes also.
You can select your mailing list to be sent to you on CD-ROM, if you want to use the list more than once, or you can opt for the mailing list to be sent to you on pre-printed mailing labels, which saves time.
MAILING LIST TIPS:
1) Have the materials you want to mail out ready before you buy the mailing list. If you buy the mailing list first, and then take the time to create your materials, some time can go by...so the addresses will not be as fresh. Get your stuff ready first.
2) Keep the postage costs in mind as you budget your mailing.
3) If you use one of these services, be sure to also include some 'blinds' (names and addresses of family and friends, so you can be sure the mailings are happening, and are taking place by the schedule you selected.
In other words, if you add a friend to the list and the friend says they never got the mailing, yet you paid for it - you will know you have an issue to discuss with the mailing company!
Be selective about what you mail and how many. Figure up your budget. Unless you are very sure you will have a strong return on your investment, do not go into debt to do a mailing! You can only do so many artworks at one time, so why mail out 20,000 postcards when 20-200 would do for now? Because you create your product and it's handmade, it is often wise to stagger your mailings.
There are many services that also offer a mailing list and they will handle all the mailing and affixing postage for you.
People won't know they want your art unless they know about your art!
Print Advertising
If it doesn't show what you do well, why bother?
If you choose to pay for print advertising, make sure you get a proof of what the ad will look like. If your art doesn't look amazing in the ad, then don't run the ad.Some publications, especially those on newsprint, will give you very poor image results, as you can see by the example pictured here. I would assume the image is a pencil portrait, but other than that, I have no idea what that picture is...the artist's contact information was nearly impossible to read.
Besides the lack of clarity in newsprint, there is also the issue of the ads on the other side of the paper showing through.
If you decide to let the ad run when the image doesn't look nice, stick with descriptive text and avoid showing the portrait in the ad. Display your website URL so people can look at your artwork at its best, online. Leave the 'http://' off the website address in print ads - it's unnecessary and will just clutter up your ad copy.
While we're on the topic of the text, it's not just what the words say, but the font style and size is very important. It's tempting to run an advertisement with a very decorative font style ... but, don't over do it! The entire ad should not be in a fancy style - it's important that your ad can be read at a glance, because in general, that's all your ad will get. Your contact information should be very clear and readable. Don't make people squint or have to work too hard to figure out your ad.
Also clarify where your ad will be shown. In general it has seemed to me that ads that are on the right side of the paper and not near the inner fold of a magazine, newspaper, or digest sized advertising booklet do the best. If you have signed an agreement for a 6 month ad run and you don't like the location of your ad, it is possible that your ad could be moved for the next issue - just ask nicely. If you have valid reasons why you think your ad isn't doing very well where it is, the advertiser wants to hear from you - they need your ad to be successful for you so you will buy another series of ads from them.
Art Advertising Tip:
Be selective about where and how you advertise. For example, you will want to make sure your ad will not be next to an ad for septic tank cleaners. This will lower the perceived value of your portraits. Even if it was a low cost or free ad, it's not worth devaluing your artwork.
Free Places to Post an Ad Online
Here are some free places I've found to post a business ad:
Plug Your Site
A website called ArtistsEmerge.org offers a free rotating ad on their website. A square graphic, 125 x 125 pixels in size is required. You will also need to email them your website URL. For more details, see ArtistsEmerge.org.
Drop me a line...
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About This Information:
Copyright 2007-2008 Darla Dixon
All rights reserved. No part of this page's text may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photographic, or otherwise, without express written permission from the publisher, except for inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
Disclaimer:
Every effort has been made to make this page as complete and as accurate as possible, but no warrant of fitness is implied. The information is provided on an 'as-is' basis. The author and publisher will have neither liability or responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage arising from information contained on this page.
All rights reserved. No part of this page's text may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photographic, or otherwise, without express written permission from the publisher, except for inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
Disclaimer:
Every effort has been made to make this page as complete and as accurate as possible, but no warrant of fitness is implied. The information is provided on an 'as-is' basis. The author and publisher will have neither liability or responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage arising from information contained on this page.
