Posts Tagged ‘Business Of Art’

Marketing Presentation

Presented in a 3-part series

(From a break-out session at the “Business of Art” seminar 11/14/2009 in Kanab, Utah)

Note:  While many of the ideas expressed are those of myself, many have been gleaned  from other artists, internet sites and webnar presentations.)

How many people do you know who have high levels of artistic education and loads of talent, yet find themselves working at less than satisfying day jobs, but whose dream is to make their livings as artists?  Maybe YOU are that person.  Most of us have visions of fame and fortune.  We produce our work in hopes of selling it.  To be successful requires an artist to look beyond their talent and to manage their business.  Marketing is without doubt one of the greatest challenges in the life and living of an artist.  So for the next 3 blog sessions, we are going to explore how Marketing, Publicity and Press Releases can add income to your bank account.

Today, I’m happy to announce an “EXCITING” new business coming to your area.  It’s called….“YOU Inc., and YOU are the C.E.O.!  So, now you’ve got a business…Now what?

Our talent allows us to produce the art, but to sell it means marketing.  So there you have it!  If you aspire to make a living from your art, you’re going to have to get business like.  When art becomes a business, a business or marketing plan is necessary.

A business plan is a blue print for your business.  It helps you to

1. Set and achieve challenging, yet realistic sales goals
2. Plan your expenses
3. Identify where you’ll stand out from other artists
4. Look at where you are currently showing and selling your work and how and when to move on to venues that might be better for you.
5. Build a fan base.

Your business plan does not have to be complicated.  It’s simply a plan for how you want to run your business in 2010.  As just mentioned, a Mission Statement will help you to identify how you are different from the numerous other artists out there.  What are your goals?  How will you try to reach those goals?  What is your focus for the upcoming year?  How will you plan your expenses?  What income do you expect?  Where do you expect your business to come from?  It’ll be very important to decide how you are going to brand yourself.  And maybe most importantly, how do you plan to market yourself to reach your customers.

The main reason I like to have a business plan is that it keeps me on track.  It helps me to know where to focus my energies and my finances.  When I think about how much money I need to bring in, it helps me have more confidence in pricing my work.  Having a plan helps me to decide what commissions to accept or which shows to participate in, and which ones to turn down.  There’s always room in a plan for change, because after all, YOU wrote it.  It’s YOUR plan.

I can’t tell you how to write YOUR business plan.  That depends on you and your own personal dreams for the future.  I can’t tell you where to get the business from, or how much you’ll need to spend to get that business.  There are certainly more qualified people than I am to speak on that subject.  However, I would like to help you get the process going, so I’m going to discuss each of the questions listed above in more detail.  And remember, from this point forward, these are just ideas to get you thinking about the year ahead.

What all businesses have in common, is a Mission Statement.  Simply stated, it is what you intend to accomplish.  It tells people why you exist.  Here’s mine as an example.  “To produce high quality 1-of-a-kind western art in wood, for the descriminating collector.”    Simply stated and to the point.  Let’s examine what I’m saying.  

•  I am making a committment to my customers to demand of myself to always produce very high quality sculptures; never cutting corners.
• All of my sculptures will be 1 of a kind.  I will not cast or duplicate them.  Thus, helping to retain the value in the original that a collector purchases.
• I plan on staying with a Western theme, so people can look forward to each new edition to add to their collection.

Now just a few words about available capital and income expectations for your business.  It is important to realize that every business has start-up costs and continuing expenses.  If you are a beginning artist, plan both areas conservatively.  Start slow and build your business.  A couple words of advice

Seperate your business expenses from home expenses

•     Have a seperate bank account
•     Have a credit card specifically for business purchases.

   So, what is  Visual Branding?  Consciously or sub-consciously, we are constantly branding ourselves.  A visual brand allows you to get the maximum exposure possible for the money you spend on it.  Having it constantly before the public, builds memory and recognition.  Visual branding is a must in marketing.   Here’s a few examples to help you understand more about what I’m talking about.  There are no words on any of these, just a symbol or BRAND.   Stop and think….what do you visualize when you see…..

• McDonalds “Golden Arches ?”  ( Whether you are in California or Florida, you should know that it means fast food, consistent menu, quality and price.)
• Pepsi’s Red, White and Blue circle?  (Even if there was no name on the can, would you not know that it was Pepsi, a leader in the soft drink industry?  Whether in USA or Japan, you would propably feel comfortable in knowing of the quality was the same.
• The multi-colored apple with a bite out of it.  What company is it?  Would you not know it is a highly respected computer company?

I could go on with examples much longer, but hopefully you get the idea.  Now, as an artist and a business person, do you have a brand?  How do you plan on marketing that brand?

 Now, lets briefly talk about MARKETING.  Most major companies have large departments dedicated to how to market the goods they sell.  However as individual artists, we are usually faced with the task of doing most of the marketing ourselves.  As artists, we must develop our small business skills if we plan on earning a living at our artwork.  The whole idea of success in marketing is to present your work in a good, positive manner.  Artwork can usually speak for itself, but most people don’t have a clue about the Perception of Value about YOUR WORK or YOU, THE ARTIST.

If your potential customer senses the least bit of begin-er-ism in you, the trading will be a lot more problematic.  However, if they sense the POTENTIAL OF GREATNESS or Pro-fessional-ism in you, good things happen.  Simply stated, Those who get it succeed, those who don’t, dont!   Another thing to remember People must see you or hear about you a minimum of 6 times before they remember you.

In next weeks session, we’ll dig deeper into how to market YOU as an artist.