Some friends will see it on Facebook, most won’t.
Some followers will catch your tweet or your +1 post, most won’t.
Some people will read your email or blog post, some won’t.

©2010 Cheryl Laube, Why. From the "Being Woman” Series III. Archival digital print, 17 x 22 inches.

Six artists scheduled a one-night-only art show in the boutique hotel just down the hill from me. I know two of them fairly well.

I received an email announcement (bulk blast) from one of the artists about 3 weeks before the event. I added the date to my calendar.

Then . . . silence. I heard not a peep from anyone else.

I looked forward to the event, even though I wondered why I didn’t hear more about it since it was so close to me.

Being the Art Biz Coach, I entered the artists’ makeshift gallery on the night of the shindig and couldn’t wait to tease one of them. “I’m here even though you didn’t invite me,” I said.

Her response was one of surprise. She said she had been talking about it on Facebook for a long time. Of course, she was very apologetic and perplexed as to why I didn’t hear about it from her.

Facebook as Curator

Chatting something up on Facebook is fantastic, but it can’t be your only promotion avenue.

Have you noticed how Facebook decides what they think you want to see? If someone has hundreds of friends, it’s darned near impossible to get to the top of someone’s Home page feed every day.

When is the last time you spent the day going through the feeds of all of your friends and page likes? (Please say Never!)

And when is the last time you really paid attention to invitations for Facebook events? C’mon, be honest.

Diversify Your Marketing Message Delivery

You must use all of the weapons in your marketing arsenal to get attention. This means a combination of social media, email, and snail mail (postcards, in particular).

Very few people will see it in all of these formats, and you’ll be blessed if those on your list act on a single notice from you.

Don’t trust social media alone to deliver an important message. Don’t trust email or snail mail alone, either. You need a combination – a 1, 2, 3 PUNCH!

Have you had a similar experience?

On the heels of last week’s post about the importance of systems link to last week, here’s a system framework inspired by a question from Kerry Thompson.

What do you do after you’ve finished a work?

©2011 Kerry Thompson, Café Friends Nursery. Acrylic on cotton canvas, 61 x 77 centimeters

Finish the Details

The work shouldn’t be considered complete until you do the following with the physical piece.

• Sign it!
 Sign your art wherever you can, and however you do it best.
  
• Add the date on the front, back, or underneath – where and when it’s appropriate for your medium. 
Many artists don’t like to date their work on the front because it doesn’t look as fresh. That’s fine, but date it somewhere. Dating is a way that helps you claim credit for copyright and will be used by the curator that mounts a retrospective of your work in 30 years.
  
• If appropriate for your medium, make an identification card for the back that includes the complete credit line: Name, title, media, dimensions, and price. 
This is enormously helpful for venues.

Document It

• Record details in your inventory database. 
Don’t let that artwork out of your site until you have done this.
• Have artwork photographed, or do it yourself if you have the proper equipment.
• Name image files according to your standard.
Images are easier to find if they are all named in the same manner. I suggest starting the file name with your name:
  

lastname-abbreviatedtitle-imagesize.jpg

• Add the image to your inventory record for that piece.
• Resize images to three or four standard sizes that you use most often.
Create a digital file folder for each artwork and differentiate your digital images using your naming convention. This takes some time to do now, but it will save you time and frustrations in the future. 

Using the example above, your image files might look like this:

hart-redsky-600.jpg
hart-redsky-300.jpg
hart-redsky-72-300px.jpg
hart-redsky-72-200px.jpg

• If you’re in the U.S. file a copyright claim if this is part of your practice.

Tell People About It

• Blog about the work. 
Be sure the complete credit line is visible with the image, and that viewers will know it’s for sale.
• Edit the text from your blog into a descriptive sentence that you can use on your website or social media profiles.
• Add the descriptive sentence to your inventory database.
 When you do this, the sentence will always be with the work, and you can copy and paste it with abandon.
• Upload the image to your website. 
Double check to make sure that your name and credit line is visible whenever the image is enlarged.
• Upload the image to any online sales venues you use. 
(Etsy, RedBubble, etc.)
• Share your newly completed work on social media sites.

What did I forget? Please leave a comment below or send a tweet to @abstanfield.

Systems can save your butt, but only if you work them as they were intended.

What needs to get done that isn’t? For example:

• You’re not updating your contacts database often enough. Every time you go to send a mailing, you have to spend a couple of days adding names.
  →You need an efficient system for collecting names in a timely manner.

• You’re missing important deadlines.
  →You need a system for recording, reviewing, and meeting deadlines.

• You’ve neglected your blog.
  →You need a system for capturing ideas, writing drafts, and editing posts.

System Components

Most systems need:

1. Defined results: What do you want to happen?
2. Software or paper & pen to record data.
3. Identification of other people involved and their tasks.
4. Clear articulation of the steps and how they build on one another.
5. Commitment to a regular check-in (e.g. Thursdays at 10 a.m.).

It’s that last item on the list that is often the kink in the process.

Systems Check

Systems don’t work by themselves. You have to work the systems.

You must be committed to the system you put in place, which is why my system might not work for you. It has to be a good fit. You must turn any system into your system.

If you discover that your system is flawed, change it! Find out which component isn’t working for you and give it a tweak.

If you catch yourself saying, “I’m not good at X or Y” or “I’ll never be able to Z,” do a little digging. Is it because you don’t have a trusted system?

Do you have a good system you’d like to share? Has it been difficult to create a working system for some aspect of your art business? Please leave a comment below.

It’s time to tie a bow around 2011 and prepare for 2012 by organizing your systems.

The ideas here should take you less than 1 hour, and they will bring peace of mind to your New Year.

©2004 Janice McDonald, Time Flies. Found paper collage on cradled wood panel, 12 x 12 x 1 inches.

1. Update the copyright notices on your website, blog, and newsletter.

2. Make 2012 folders for the paper files and e-files you organize by date.

3. Practice writing 2012. Pull out your checkbooks (if you still use them!) and write 2012 on a bunch of new checks.

Bonus #4: Join the Blast Off class. I’ll help you start the New Year with a bang in this online class that begins January 11.

How are you wrapping up 2011?

I write a lot about promoting your art online because it’s cost effective and easy. But you shouldn’t be satisfied with showing your work only on the Internet.

Nothing can replace a live audience interacting with your art.

Tatiana Garmendia, “Epic Ink Drawings” installation at Monarch Contemporary in Seattle, WA. Dimensions vary. ©The Artist

Every time you show your art to someone, you add new layers of meaning to the work because viewers bring their experiences to an appreciation of it.

That’s why every exhibit enriches your art career.

My challenge to you is to book a new LIVE venue for exhibiting your art by January 15. Are you up for that? Share your commitment in a comment.

A quick Happy Birthday to this blog. The Art Biz Blog is 7 today!

Marketing. Maaaarrrrrrketing. MARKETING!

There’s something about that word that shakes us up.

Marketing is something that direct-mailers and telemarketers do. They didn’t teach marketing in art school and you certainly won’t read about it in art history books or artist biographies.

It’s the dirty deed that we all had to do, but no one admitted to in the past.

But marketing doesn’t have to make us bristle. Here are some ways for you to feel better about the M word.

©2006 Carolin Peters, Mind, Body, Spirit (triptych). Oil on canvas, 48 x 92 inches.

Do’s

Do share.

Do focus on others.

Do inform.

Don’ts

Don’t beg for attention.

Don’t request action from people who don’t know you.

Don’t be greedy.

Feeling better about the M word?

I'm grateful for artists like Colleen Attara and Heather Davulcu who bring such enthusiasm to my workshops.

Thank you to my readers!

I do what I do because I believe that art should have an elevated role in our crazy world, and art wouldn’t exist without artists.

Thank you for reading the Art Biz Blog. I am grateful that you trust me.

I appreciate your ideas and all of the inspiration you provide me.

What’s on your mind these days? I hope you’ll leave your ideas for content in the comments below. I can’t promise anything except that I’ll listen to your needs and consider your input.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Whether you’re writing for a blog or a newsletter, spend extra time on subject lines and titles, images, links, and your call to action.

These four components distinguish great from good content.

Audrey Phillips, Ray of Hope, 82 x 50 inches.

Subject Line or Title

The title you select for your blog post or subject line is critical. It will either entice people to open and read further or it will encourage a quick delete.

Images

Being an artist, you understand that art is a form of visual communication. Images are engaging and should be used frequently to illustrate your content.

Links in Blog Posts

When you discuss a good resource or talk about an experience, link, link, link!

Call to Action

What do you want readers to do as a result of reading your article? Sign up? Attend? Participate? Ask them to take a specific action.

How do you distinguish your content?

You not only need ideas for your art, but also for content in newsletters, blog posts, and social media updates.

Artists trying to connect with others online are also content-generators.

Dawn Brose-Jerome, One Step at a Time. Watercolor on paper, 22.5 x 30 inches. ©The Artist

How do you come up with something to say that is worthy of being heard above the noise?

Step 1
The first step to generating ideas is to identify your audience.

Step 2
Identify your purpose for connecting through these platforms.

Step 3
Listen to your ideal audience.

Step 4
Finally, mind map your content on paper.

Mind maps and content ideas are part of the Blog Triage Self-Study. If your blog is one of the many out there that needs a little TLC, check it out.

How do you generate content ideas in order to be heard above the noise?

Stop saying you don’t have enough time.

It’s exhausting to hear that excuse over and over again, and you’re wasting time just thinking or saying those words. They’re unproductive.

Harriete Estel Berman, Winning the Race with Time. Recycled tin, sterling silver, 2.5 x 3.5 x .25 inches. ©The Artist

You have just as much time as everyone else. It’s up to you what you do with that time.

It’s also up to you how you frame the time you have.

You can embrace the important stuff and be happy to participate in life, or you can complain about wanting more.

The choice is yours.

How are you spending your time?