The Value in Mini Marketing

We all have different ways of working.

Depending on your media of choice, there will be aspects unique to your process, as well as influences that affect your thinking, perhaps without you even realizing it.  You walk into a successful gallery and see artwork that emphasizes decorative surface design and wonder if the public taste is moving in that direction.  You read reviews of the latest museum show at the Whitney addressing social questions of inequity and feel a vague sense of what...discontent?  Uncertainty?  A lack of weight in your own work?  I know I feel this struggle -- between what I do and what I imagine I should do.

In our culture we often evaluate our own performance against that of others.  It's intuitive: one can imagine ancient man learning to hunt by observing the successful tactics of others.  And artists have always learned their craft this way. 

But if we're habitually looking at the success of others, we may be overlooking the success we ourselves experience: the first really good artist statement, the painting that opened your eyes to the power of values, the invitation to hang your work at the local bookstore -- or the best gallery in town.  And without acknowledging our successes, it becomes harder and harder to move forward, to keep up the emotional stamina to live this artistic life.

What can we do?  I believe a part -- a big part -- of honoring your work as an artist is to pay as much attention to the business side of your life as the artistic side.  This means not letting the economy assume such a huge importance that you stop doing what you need to be doing: marketing, replenishing your supplies, learning and improving your skills.  There will be artists who will wring their hands and use the current situation as an excuse to walk away from their work -- but you're not going to be one of them.  I'm not going to be one of them.

Mini Marketing  

Of course the first thing I started to worry about when the economy tanked was paying for necessities  without it disintegrating into a choice between food and art.  Because, food would probably win that argument.  But there are ways to still accomplish goals even with limited funds.

I discovered Moo.com recently, thanks to a mention by Clint Watson on his Fine Art Views blog, and this is what I like about this company:

• I can order postcards in units of 20, with multiple images.  I used five images, giving me four cards with each image. This allows me to target my mailings - abstract people get abstract images, realism people get the landscapes and still lifes.  A real plus right now when my marketing budget is competing with my art supply budget and I know I need both.

• The price is reasonable ( about $1.00 per card ) considering that I have the flexibility to get multiple images as opposed to one large order of the same image. I also like ordering in units of 20: I ordered a total of 40 cards, enough to touch bases with a critical group of clients and galleries without worrying too much about the costs. I would probably use Modern Postcard or a similar company for larger mailings of a single image, because the price per card is considerably less. But right now, I don't feel comfortable purchasing 250 cards with labels and postage. I realize that  affordable marketing is better than none at all.

• The print quality is as good as Modern Postcard, although the delivery time was constrained by the fact that this company is based in England.

• The ability to upload my images, enter my text, and see the finished product from the comfort of my home office is very appealing to me - I'm an instant gratification artist, and I also want that sense of total control.  

• The website was generally easy to navigate, but a word of warning - double check for typos and if you aren't happy, start your project over.  There is no human on the other end, although there was a cute little mini-moo who communicates with you, so at least you think there's a human on the other end.

• I have also ordered business cards with multiple images, and although I haven't received that order yet, if they're as nice as the postcards, I'll never print business cards using my computer and store-bought materials again.

So I encourage you to look at your own mini-marketing plans.  Explore the internet or look for local resources available  - perhaps a print shop willing to work with you, or a group of like-minded artists who will go in together on a larger promotional event. Look at your budget, find something you're comfortable doing, and move forward.  That's what I'm doing.

Comments

[mdb123]

$1.00 per postcard is really a lot...i'd recommend http://www.printsmadeeasy.com as a cheaper alternative, you can get 3000 postcards for roughly $100 including shipping

[Anne Bevan]

Hello Sue,
Thanks so much - I'm just getting started with my marketing plan, and Moo.com looks great.
And, as a fellow "ancient artist" I must say I love your spirit!
Best wishes, Annie

[Indiaartist]

It was a great post Sue. Thanks for your wise words.

[Daniel Sroka]

I was considering using Moo for the same reasons as you. The last print os business cards I did was 500, and I am still trying to get rid of them. I wanted smaller quantity that I could customize on the fly (or change without having to throw so much away).

However, my marketing kit has very precise slits cut for the cards, and Moo's business cards are not the same size as US cards. So, I turned to PSPrint.com. They are able to do both large and very small runs. For $25 I got 50 cards and the quality was quite nice.

[Bonnie Luria]

As always Sue- you provide so many great suggestions for nudging our profiles into the forefront.
This was a great post.

And it's so good to know that there are companies that will provide services like these to smaller businesses aka artists .