When you have finally built that line of products up to a point where you are ready to license them to other stores then ARTSETTERS can help you simplify the process. ARTSETTERS brings the entire wholesale process online. Their solution allows you to be discovered on a global scale, without needing to attend trade shows. Create shareable showroom collections, connect with industry leaders and manage orders seamlessly.They suggest that costly trade shows dominate the industry and make it increasingly difficult for independent artists and designers to compete and gain exposure on an international level.Overall I like their approach, however there is something to be said about meeting people face to face at shows whether they are expensive or not. I know artists would prefer to simply make their art and let other people sell it, but there is power in people meeting the artist.I was just at the L.A. International Textile show where they have reps presenting different companies from around the world. A rep can have a professional approach and attitude, but when it comes down to individual artists, fans want to meet that person.All in all though ARTSETTERS has a pretty cool model which is worth checking out.
I like to say that your newsletter is a package of goodies that you send straight to your fans mailbox. The goal is to have the receiver open and even more importantly, want to open your email messsage and then actually read it. We are bombarded by so much info these days that newsletters that we sign up to receive can get passed over quickly.There are techniques to keeping our newsletters relevant and a must see piece of infotainment. Here is a great article from Elle & Company on ways to spice up your mailing list and raise subscribers’ excitement when they see an email from you sitting in their inbox. Go here.
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I have moderated the Artist As Brand panel at the San Diego Comic Con for five years now. This time the table was graced with the talented Daniel M. Davis and Dawna Davis of Steamcrow, Shiflett Brothers, Jeff Soto, Melissa Pagluica and Diana Levin.We had a large crowd and reviewed the art of the start, social media, conventions and facing our fears. Much inspiration was to be had by all. A big thank you to my amazing guests and the attendees.
What is Hylo?Hylo is a new kind of social network that helps real communities create, together. In our communities-of-purpose; places like co-working spaces, maker spaces, and affinity groups, we're surrounded by incredible people, skills, and resources. But it’s hard to know who to connect with, for what, and when. Often the things we need most are closer than we think, but we just can’t see them.What if someone nearby had exactly what you needed to further your project? What if you were that person for someone else?With Hylo, you can discover who in your community:Has the skills you needIs working on cool projectsIs available to support youNeeds your helpHylo helps you discover opportunities to connect, collaborate, and share resources in your community, so that you can make your dreams real.Who is it for?Hylo is designed for communities-of-purpose, like: coworking spaces, startup accelerators, companies, alumni networks, affinity groups, and conferences.Check it out social art entrepreneurs.
Digital Trends for 2015.
Check them out HERE.
The Artist As Brand two day workshop at Krab Jab Studio was a large group of twenty students, beginners and professionals. Having taught this class to over five hundred students it is fascinating how the chemistry changes from venue to venue. Some of the students in this bunch were mainly interested in hard core marketing tactics, others embraced the holistic side to the course, others struggled with old paradigms of the artist not appearing to be a business.All entrepreneurial teachers and coaches will tell you that your business must have a solid foundation of purpose in place before you do anything. Your purpose is your brand. Some of the artists in this group were taking an old school fine art approach to showcasing and selling their art and the Artist As Brand model was a challenge for them. I come across this mindset all the time. The elitism of the fine art world is still alive and well (especially in academic circles) and so it takes some courage to jump into the future of art commerce.Thank you to Tara Larsen Chang with TLC Workshops for facilitating the class and Julie Baroh at Krab Jab Studio for opening her gallery to us. It was incredibly inspiring with all the amazing art around us! Part of this AAB group is inspired to create a product and a show next year with Krab Jab in alignment with Mythic Worlds and also with Nantes a city in France. It is going to be amazing!
Business tips 101 from Elto.com. Check them out...
-20 tips for dramatically better emails.-9 growth hacks any small business can implement.
-A pattern exists in internet communities where 1% of people create the content, 9% will edit or contribute and 90% will watch from the sidelines.
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-We’re really enjoying
guide to startups. A++ would recommend.
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-Trivia for the week:
is celebrated internationally each year on the 14th of October. Except for in the US, who celebrate on the 23rd of October.
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-Related: I’ll be speaking at the
on Tuesday in SF. Let me know if you’re going, I’d love to buy you a coffee.
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-Three tips for
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-HubSpot generate a whopping 50% of their revenues (around $50m) from their channel sales program. Here is how to
build a channel sales program like HubSpot
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-A great guide to
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-Some people retire at 65. Others
are still going well into their 90’s
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Get your hashtag mojo on! #HashTagMojo These little symbols have power to move your visibility up the search engine chain in a big way. It's all about metadata folks. There are some great resources and articles about how to use hashtags effectively.Overall view on hashtags- Here.Trending hashtags- Hashtags.orgAnd why its ruining the English language- Here.Ha!
I have been talking about the importance of your niche markets for a long time but I like the terminology of a micro audience even better. The idea that your fans, patrons and collectors are considered a market in the first place is not very intimate. Your supporters are more like a family than a market place so I will be changing my vocabulary around this issue.
An audience is much more snuggly than a market place don't you think?
Here is a great article about how micro audiences are changing the way the studios and tv stations create their shows. As a singular artist you are doing the exact same thing but on an even more intimate level. It is all about people, your people.
Artist As Brand-Rise of the Artist Entrepreneur was the title of my San Diego Comic Con panel on art career sustainability with Donato Giancalo, Daniel Davis of SteamCrow, Drew and Maria Brophy, and Dawn Schiller.We had a nice crowd and a super conversation on the art of the start (begins in the heart), and outward toward what projects to make, how to connect with our fans, what social media is working or not, and ways to integrate your lifestyle into all of it.Donato spoke about listening to your inner path, Daniel talked about the power of experimentation in art and marketing, Drew reflected upon the importance of fusing lifestyle and art, Maria touched upon licensing agreements, and Dawn about being respectful of your fans and fellow artists and many more topics.I thank my incredibly talented panel for sharing their expertise and love with the comic con audience which was filled with newbie art professionals.I was also signing my new book published by Titan Books in London. See more about my book and Comic Con here.
Looking for feedback on your website?Peekis a user tester platform that allows random internet users to give you feedback on your site. It is a great way to learn how your site is communicating from someone who comes across your site for the first time.Peek is in BETA format at the moment so it is free! I highly recommend that you take advantage of this offer.You can see the results of a critique of Roxana Illuminated Perfume,here. It is fascinating to watch and learn from.
In case you missed these pics on Facebook here is the amazing group that participated in the Denver Artist As Brand Workshop. Jon Schindehette, Tom Samo, Keith Goble, Cayce Goldberg, Crystal Sully, Tawny Fritz, Elliot Lang, Michelle Barnes, Kayla Edgar, Charlotte Ricker rocked their art empires at the Helikon Gallery.Cayce is the brainchild behind this amazing forward thinking gallery. Go and see Helikon now and see what the future of a gallery can be. Check out each of these professional artists and the amazing Jon Schindehette, who is also a mentor to artists everywhere.Lastly, I spoke at the Denver Comic Con about my career and moderated an art career sustainability panel with Jon Schindehette, Daniel Davis, Dave Rapoza, and Michael C. Hayes. I will be back in Denver next year!
In the past I recommended Facebook as being one of the fantastic four social media venues to use when it came to promoting your work. Your Website, Blog and Twitter are the other three. Of course that list keeps changing, but in general these four working together create a powerful synergy.I am beginning to rethink Facebook. Recently it appears there is a reduced return on investment for using this service. There are many articles out there on the decreasing reach Facebook posts actually have.HERE is a great piece on why this is happening, and why it may be a good time to start checking out other venues like Google+.
What are the important shopping dates throughout the year and why should you care? Keeping these dates in mind will help you strategically plan out sales and marketing campaigns and make sure that you're able to optimize for seasonal traffic spikes and create content that is timely and effective.Great article and calendar HERE
Your Blog is part of your Social Media kit. If it is not by now, then get started. Facebook and Twitter and any of the other social media platforms are there to support your platform which includes your blog and website.If you are still feeling a little unsure about how to start your blog with a bang go HEREto learn more.
I plan to start showcasing more artists who really have their social media together. Your High Tech promotion is vital for a thriving art business. Social media platforms are always changing, hence everyone who relies on Facebook for instance may have a rude awakening when they have put all there energies into promoting themselves there and it goes belly up.
Prioritize your online presence with a website that authentically represents your vision.
Your website is your home. Entice people to stop in, and help them get so comfortable they do not want to leave.Mammoth & Companyhas designed their website intelligently. It looks stellar and has all the e-commerce and social media principles working together seamlessly. Check it out. They are using Shopify as the design platform.
Graphic Design Company as Artist As Brand Master
Known throughout the world as a type foundry, House Industries has made a considerable impact on the world of design. House Industries fonts scream from billboards, tens of thousands of greeting cards, consumer product logos and add elements of style to a wide range of mainstream media.They also create products from clocks to clothing.What ultimately shines in the House Industries oeuvre is what always conquers mediocrity: a genuine love for their subject matter. Go House!
Art by Edel Rodriguez
Knowing your rights as an artist is important to your survival. Tattoo artists are increasingly claiming that they own the copyright to the images they create. And when those images, attached to living people, appear on the silver screen — or a computer monitor — the artists want to get paid.This Los Angeles Times article gets into it here.Check out more Edel Rodriguez art here.
I have not jumped on the Pinterest band wagon yet, but will soon. You cannot ignore the power of this social media giant. Roxana Illuminated Perfume does it right. She shares her esthetic through Pinterest garnering many like minded followers which drives traffic to her websites. Look at her boards here.Here is a great post on Designing an MBA, called "HOW I GREW MY PINTEREST FOLLOWING FROM 1000 TO 4000+ IN 3 MONTHS"- Here.Also check out the Pinterest web analytics and see what people are pinning from your websitehere
Launching any project can take a lot of time and effort, and that is not including the promotion. There are many factors that go into advertising the premier of a product that may have taken a year or more to birth. Business strategist Tara Gentile has some great advice about preparing for a launch and the psychology of your patrons.She says, "Many of my clients come calling because they’ve had the scare of a launch that didn’t preform to their expectations. It’s not because their plans were bad. Nor was it that the product design was subpar. It might not even be that the messaging or positioning was off.Often, it’s because the wham-bam-thank-ya-ma’am style launch that everyone from that super successful life coach to the latest iPhone wonder app developers make look highly effective is actually the wrong choice for most new products or programs.That blitzkrieg-style launch is actually the final iteration of careful planning, testing, and incremental sales cycles.Why is this important?Sure, planning and testing is always a good idea. But really, the reason the initial stages of introducing a new product, program, or service to the public is that there are 3 kinds of good customers and you need to sell to each differently.Moreover, you must sell to each in their own way in the right order. More...