So, how do you market your work?

Steph Mader · Post by **Steph Mader** » Sat Mar 15, 2003 12:22 am

Seeing a list of who is lurking here makes me want to chat. So how are you guys selling your work? Are you interested in getting into as many galleries as possible, or do you prefer selling retail through shows? What are you doing to build your exposure?

Steph

Pamela B. · Post by **Pamela B.** » Sat Mar 15, 2003 11:39 am

I live in Montana, not the hotspot for glass that some parts of the country are. So, I sell at street fairs around the state where I can command fair prices and am going to try my first out-of-state show in August (if I get juried in). I tried a wholesale show in Seattle in January. I learned a few very important lessons so I can't say the experience was totally unprofitable.

When I worked primarily in steel, I sold a lot of my whimsical sculptures through the local museum of art, but they take a hefty chunk of the retail price. When I build up an excess of inventory I may try that route again, raising my prices so that I can realize a profit.

Pam B, having a hard time staying indoors when the horses are calling, the snow has melted off, and it's Springtime in the Rockies.

Lisa Allen · Post by **Lisa Allen** » Sat Mar 15, 2003 6:45 pm

I have my work in 1 high end retail shop and 1 gallery. Sales are fine, but I would love to find more of the same and am not really sure the best way to go about it. The 2 that I do have were both word of mouth hook ups, but I have yet to go out on my own and approach anyone (shop or gallery) Not knowing how to proceed has kept me from proceeding.......not a good habit....

PaulS · Post by **PaulS** » Sat Mar 15, 2003 6:59 pm

I figure the best way to shift it is let someone who is set up do the shifting and marketing.

The task of a gallery is to sell the work of artists.

Some of them takes 50% commission but as long as I make what I want that's okay with me.

50% of my work comes from interest generated from my website. 25% from yellow pages. 25% by word of mouth -the best kind of recommendation and it always ends in a sale.

Where do they get the word of mouth? -from seeing the work at the galleries!

Paul

Kristalwick · Post by **Kristalwick** » Sat Mar 15, 2003 8:33 pm

My business is mainly wholesale now having sold on consignment and retail art shows for the past 8 years. A couple of years ago I figured out the galleries were taking 50% which is the same as wholesale! The advantage to wholesale is that customers place the order, pay me and then I make the pieces. No more hundreds of dollars of inventory sitting in a gallery waiting to sell.

I now have over 100 accounts that are worldwide: Hawaii, St. Thomas, Grand Cayman, New Orleans, Florida, etc. Wish I could hand deliver all the tropical orders...someday!!!

I am currently in the Denver Gift show, L.A. gift show, INATS, and Minneapolis Gift show.I advertise a bunch and still have 2 open studios a year for my loyal customers and friends (last holiday show I made $3500, so they are quite nice to keep around). I am currently being considered for Sundance catalog, Cold Water Creek and Femail Creations.

I have a website but I use it mainly as a calling card. I think folks still like to touch and feel my work, seems hard to sell just from pictures.

It's been a lot of trial & error and I work a lot of hours but I love my life and lifestyle!

Claudia Whitten · Post by **Claudia Whitten** » Sun Mar 16, 2003 12:56 pm

MT Pam wrote:I live in Montana, not the hotspot for glass that some parts of the country are. So, I sell at street fairs around the state where I can command fair prices and am going to try my first out-of-state show in August (if I get juried in). I tried a wholesale show in Seattle in January. I learned a few very important lessons so I can't say the experience was totally unprofitable.

When I worked primarily in steel, I sold a lot of my whimsical sculptures through the local museum of art, but they take a hefty chunk of the retail price. When I build up an excess of inventory I may try that route again, raising my prices so that I can realize a profit.

Pam B, having a hard time staying indoors when the horses are calling, the snow has melted off, and it's Springtime in the Rockies.

I sell in 2 gift shops and 4 galleries. Some are local to me and know of my work and asked to carry it. Others I have gone in and checked out their galleries to see if my work would fit in, sometimes I have decided that it would not. When I have decided that it would I have approached the curator and shared what I was looking for. This has been successful. I think the main point is I know my work and where it will sell. This keeps the galleries happy and me. As my work progresses I may approach larger, more higher end galleries.
I am also doing a couple of craft fairs this year for the fun and feed back. I love visiting with people about my work.
.....Claudia

PaulS · Post by **PaulS** » Sun Mar 16, 2003 3:31 pm

Lisa Allen wrote:...snip>>>>> but I have yet to go out on my own and approach anyone (shop or gallery) Not knowing how to proceed has kept me from proceeding.......not a good habit.... <<<<<snap

I meet a lot of similar craft-orientated people that say something similar, Lisa. Their skill is in their hands, not selling and marketing. Running it as a business is common sense mostly but still the cold-calling or similar inhibits many.

I also see that people with an art degree or similar such qualification are better motivated to march in and get on with it. Perhaps it was something they learned at uni -how to deal / negotiate with a gallery owner.

Paul

winship · Post by **winship** » Sun Mar 16, 2003 4:03 pm

You might want to consider mass mailings. Find an image that you are happy with, have it transfered to a post card with some basic contact and price info, and send them to galeries you might be intrested in. It's the postal equivelent to cold calling with one major difference, it allows for a visual refrence to your work. As a lampworker I have used this method to my advantage on several occasions. I just switched to a new photographer that offers this service as well as many other marketing ideas. For approx. $300.00 you can have a piece photographed and printed on a thousand post cards. The name of the company is Nouveau Marketing concepts, and I believe they are based out of Newberg Oregon. The contact number is 503-550-2734. E-mail adress: nmcllc@netzero.net
Good luck.......Brent

PaulS · Post by **PaulS** » Sun Mar 16, 2003 4:27 pm

winship wrote:You might want to consider mass mailings. Find an image that you are happy with, have it transfered to a post card with some basic contact and price info, and send them to galeries you might be intrested in. It's the postal equivelent to cold calling with one major difference, it allows for a visual refrence to your work. As a lampworker I have used this method to my advantage on several occasions. I just switched to a new photographer that offers this service as well as many other marketing ideas. For approx. $300.00 you can have a piece photographed and printed on a thousand post cards. The name of the company is Nouveau Marketing concepts, and I believe they are based out of Newberg Oregon. The contact number is 503-550-2734. E-mail adress: nmcllc@netzero.net
Good luck.......Brent

Yes, yes, good point. That helped me a lot starting up and getting people to know what I do and where I am, plus website address and phones. That's half the battle.

You can also get 250 free biz cards at vistaprint.com -design it online and pay for shipping only with your plastic. They also do reasonably priced postcards but not sure if it's competitive with the company Brent mentioned so you have to check.

Join a local arts group and you'd be surprised the contacts you can network with there.

Paul

Kitty · Post by **Kitty** » Sun Mar 16, 2003 4:40 pm

the $300 for 1000 postcards and the photography sounds pretty good. a lot of people also use Modern Postcard http://www.modernpostcard.com which is a similar service, cheaper, but i think you have to provide them with the image. Modern Postcard's postcards are gang-printed, so they adjust the color for the entire run they are printing, which includes other people's images. It is possible that the postcard you get back will be a little different in color, so select an image that you can be happy with if it shifts slightly. I know lots of people who use Modern Postcard, and i've never heard a complaint. It's a great marketing tool, and you can build up a group of them to use for future presentations. Spend a little time on what the copy on the back says so it's suitable for however long it takes you to work your way through 500 cards. Kitty.

Sara · Post by **Sara** » Sun Mar 16, 2003 6:11 pm

this year my husband and I decided to take a sabbatical from BMAC and concentrate on new products and working on promoting our websites.

We're going to do 6 bead and embellishment related shows with our new kilnformed beads. We had some fabulous postcards printed, one with our sushi plates and one with a selection of our new kilnformed beads. We've handed the postcards out at 2 shows so far with information on the back suggesting the receipitant go to one of our two websites and sign up for online unadvertised specials. We spent extra dollars and had the photos taken with a 4"x5" format camera and will never go back to 35mm again! WOW the detail and quality is remarkable.

This been a great way to enhance website activity and after each show we see a huge spike in sign ups and online orders. We've also put much time and effort into having a wholesale section on the sites and have gotten many excellent orders through it. I think of the web as a mini craft show, where I get to stay home and watch the clouds roll by. Interestingly we sell quite a bit site unseen online plus many of my customers have either come out to our ranch to visit or have come to shows to meet with us.

Advertise, send postcards, be a presence, have fun,

Sara