> Not sure how much the cost would be, but my thoughts are to do a
> test with a local show, use a marketing company to work on a solid
> branding as well as get an article in the paper as well as give me a
> couple of ads to run, that I could then in other towns/cities in
> advance of shows there. Has anyone had any experiences with this to
> say that the increase in sales outweighs the cost for the kind of
> business we do.
Based on my experience in a previous life, you may find it difficult
to find a full-service marketing company affordable enough to make it
cost-effective. It sounds like what you may need is a freelance public
relations person, who can get you placements with the local media.
Buying ads is probably not going to help you as much as personalized
appearances and mentions in the news. Think about your audience. Do
they read the newspaper? Is there a local magazine? Will they see your
ad and remember it when the show comes around? Radio and television
advertising is too scattershot to do you much good, except as news.
If you can get interviewed a day before the show, or during the show
on the local news, that's always good. Free publicity will work better
than paid advertising IMHO. Even advertising in the local show program
is not generally as effective as you might think. Sure, you've got
targeted eyeballs in the show program, but most people spend a few
seconds at most with each page, often scanning the information, and
saving it for when they get home.
You might be better off hiring an artist consultant rather than an
agency. If you're creative (and what artist isn't?), you can do a lot
of the marketing part yourself. Especially the branding and design of
your materials. (See http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/2010/06/07/artists-creatives-internet-marketing/)
Most importantly, you want your brand to reflect your work and your
personality as an artist.You may want to hire a designer to help you
work on your branding, if you feel that you can't handle it on your
own. Designers, while good at working with the look and content of
your materials, may not be the best fit for ad placement and media
advice however.
If you do decide that you want to run some advertising, make sure that
it matches the rest of your branding. Developing ads takes a while --
there is a systematic process that you go through to determine what
you need, how to get there and how to execute. Many marketing
companies do this in a similar fashion, but call it different things.
Essentially: Discover, Define, Design, Develop, Deploy. (An example: http://regroup.us/you/process.html)
Rather than go into detail on this process, let me say that if you
shortcut the process, especially the first two, you may not get what
you need. The main thing to remember in advertising that multiple
impressions is what usually drives traffic (and sales). And for
artshow artists, that's difficult to do on a limited budget.
My suggestion is to work on your brand, and focus your attention on
public relations & networking activities in those cities that you want
to target, rather than spending your hard-earned money on fleeting
media placements. Work on getting in front of your target audience
through local appearances, interviews, speaking engagements and social
networking.
For general advice on marketing, check out Alyson Stanfield's web
sites, or sign up for Ariane Goodwin's Smartist Summit 2001:
http://www.artbizcoach.com/
http://www.artbizblog.com
Alyson's book "I'd Rather be in the Studio" is also a good read and
well worth the money.
Ariane Goodwin's blog can be found at:
http://smartistcareerblog.com/
http://www.smartist.com
I elaborate on this post a bit on my blog at: http://www.parkerparker.info/studio/blog/?p=1325
Jim Parker
parkerparker :: design | photography
http://www.parkerparker.info
@dakkid / twitter
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