Showcase Your Work with Professional Looking Email Newsletters

If you have the names of more than 20 guests, buyers or potential buyers, and you want your artwork to be highlighted in the email with descriptive text, you’re talking about sending an email newsletter.

Instead of sending an email from your personal account, e.g. yahoo, why not consider one of the business email providers such as Constant Contact or Vertical Response? (There are many other providers, just google “email newsletter.”)

Pros:
• Easy to Use Templates: All you do is add text and images.
• Professional Look: Your artwork is highlighted and you can describe the piece or your process. No more file attachments for your readers to download and open.
• Tracking: You can see who opened your email and who clicked through to your web site to see more.

Cons:
• Learning Curve: You will have to spend some time and effort getting to know the online software, setting up your template, and working with your text and images.
• Fees: Each provider varies, but fees start around $15 per month, and increase depending on the number of your subscribers and frequency of email blasts.
• Templates are not Custom: Templates have design limitations.

Need Help? How to balance all the email addresses, writing the email, taking photos, prepping your photos for email, attaching files and sending the email while you are finishing your artwork, framing, and hanging for public exhibition? Contact Wine Country Art Marketing – we can help!

Stay tuned for more info on email lists, tips on photo uploading, and more.

Born to Drive image provided by Nicolas Cann.

How to Use Email to Market your Artwork

Now that you’ve collected some names and emails from visitors to your exhibits, you want to start a dialog with them. Engage them in a conversation about your art, invite them to see your work at exhibits, and entice them to buy.

Step 1: Send a thank you note. Thank them for stopping by your studio, or your exhibit and signing your guest book. Refresh their memory about your work with a short description and include at least one photo of your artwork.

Step 2: Send an update on your works in progress. When you come up with a new idea or are working on a new creation, be sure to let your fans know. Take photos and write a few words about what you’re working on, what inspired your new direction, or maybe what the challenges were in producing this new piece.

Step 3: Send regular email updates, but have some news to share. Examples of news are shows and exhibits, new directions in your work, new collaborations and new alliances. Share your excitement and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the support you’ll get for your work.

For Open Studio Artists:
Now is the time to contact last year’s guests about stopping by your studio this year. For help with sending your email this month, contact Wine Country Art Marketing.

Stay tuned for more info on professional looking email newsletters.

Creating Your Contact List

Here's an easy way to gather names for future marketing efforts. You can do this at any exhibit, including the Napa Valley Open Studios which is coming up September 19, 20, 26 & 27.

o Your exhibit guestbook is a potential gold mine. Be ready this year with a centrally located, easy-to-write-in guest book that has enough room to collect this essential info: email address, first name and zip code. That’s all you’ll need to get your email marketing program started this fall.

o Remember, a lot of art sales are not made on first contact, but if you develop a relationship with your visitors, you increase your chances of making a sale in the future. So if they do more than just stride in, browse, and glide out, start the relationship with a chat about your work.

o Man (or woman) your guestbook. Don’t just set it by the door and forget about it. Ask visitors, or have a friend, spouse, or trusted assistant ask them to leave their info in the book if they want to receive updates and exhibit info via email. This way you are getting their permission to send them emails about your artwork & exhibits. In technical lingo, this is called an “opt-in” list. Your visitors have opted to give you their info so you can send them emails.

o They came to your studio for a reason. They like art, they picked your studio by the photo in the catalog or online, you’re a short distance from their home, whatever the reason, they picked you. They showed an interest in your work so reward them by keeping them in the loop about your upcoming shows and the progress on pieces you’re creating. Art lovers enjoy seeing work in progress, so use this to create a buzz about your latest pieces.

o Stay tuned for more on what to say, and how and when to say it.