Marketing

The November Ask about Art Licensing Call…

Phew! You guys are getting good and really making us work to pull together answers for you!

November was me – Tara Reed – weighing in on your most pressing questions. As usual, we received more questions than could be covered so I chose those that would apply to the broadest group of artists and when possible, questions that hadn’t been asked before.

Here is a run down of what we talked about:

Why did you choose to divide your efforts between teaching and licensing your own art?
I’m not sure what to charge for my design, what is the average price to charge?
What one thing could I do to make the biggest impact on getting started in art licensing?
What are your top 5 suggestions for connecting with end consumers to positively build an art licensing brand?
What are the top grossing art licensing themes?
When starting out, is it good or bad to list companies that you license with?
How do manufacturers license a collection? (whole collection, pieces, etc.)
How do you make mock up samples by hand or on computer?
What marketing materials do you use at a show? & where should I go to get them?
What do you consider the most effective but also economical marketing techniques/tips/must-dos for a self-represented artist?
Submitting art directly to a manufacturer vs. having it on a website – how does an online portfolio affect the perceived ‘newness’ of the art?
Which is better – specializing in one look and build that as a brand or have many styles and themes?
Is it possible to succeed in licensing if you have to work full time to pay the bills? Any success stories? (Guest success story artists – Karen Embry – weighed in – thanks Karen!)
What is your opinion about working with a licensing agent as opposed to working independently?

If you missed the call or want to listen in again, click the button to purchase.
The audio replay is a mere $15 through 11/29 and then goes up to $25.

The next call will be on December 16th – same times – 5:30 pm PST / 8:30 pm EST. I will be asking all your agent questions to Suzanne Cruise – art licensing agent and owner of “Cruise Creative”.

Submit your questions at www.AskSuzanneCruise.com anytime.

Find her online at www.CruiseCreative.com

Talk to you soon!

– Tara

P.S. Don’t forget to tune in on Monday 11/23 at 4 pm PST / 7 pm PST when I’m a guest on “Art & Soul Radio” – listen online at www.BlogTalkRadio.com/art-and-soul-radio. Be sure to sign up for their podcasts on iTunes! (disclosure: no material gain, just a guest on the show!)

P.P.S. The links I promised everyone who was listening live

Some printing sites I’ve used:
www.OvernightPrints.com
www.BargainPrinting.com
www.PSPrint.com
www.UPrinting.com (great deal for banners)
(no material gain – just some places to check that I’ve used personally)

Handbook of Pricing & Ethical Guidelines – great resource for ballpark of royalties, flat fees, etc. across many art fields & industries (this is an affiliate link)

Lessons from History that we can use Today…

Pre. S. (If there is a “P.S.” can I make up a “Pre. S”?) – There is a challenge at the end of this blog post and I hope you take it!

My son is taking Western Civilization this year. They’ve been learning about Plato, Socrates, Aristotle and many other thought leaders of Ancient Greece. Their views still have value today and much of who we are today is based on the foundation of what they were doing back in 420 BC – give or take.

Then today as I was doing my usual morning – check email, check the spam box in case I missed email, check in on Twitter and Facebook – something weird happened. All of the sudden people where telling me why we should pay attention to things from 50 years ago. Not 40, not 25, both of these people talked about things from 50 years ago.

Well one thing, that’s cool. But two within 2 minutes? That makes me take notice. And they were both about creative people. I felt compelled to share.

The first thing that drew my attention was a tweet from @Franciskus: Happy 50th birthday, Asterix! with a link to an article on “The History Blog”. Well that just put a HUGE SMILE on my face! Asterix is a French cartoon character from Gaul who lived in the one village that resists being divided into three parts by Julius Caesar. The antics that ensued!

When I was a junior in high school (a mere year older than my son – how can that be?) I lived in France as an exchange student. I remember reading Asterix and seeing an exhibit at some museum in Paris featuring scenes from some of the stories. Great character from across the pond if you care to check him out. I’ll be dusting off my copy (I know right where it is!) and taking a trip down memory lane.

Off Twitter and on to check in on Facebook. There I find my friend Marty Fahncke‘s news feed say this: Reading Why ‘Charlotte’s Web’ Suddenly Matters to Marketing (RT @lihsa) – which was actually posted on Twitter and then listed to Facebook so I don’t know who to give credit – except that I saw it on Facebook. Well that’s another title that brings you back so I clicked on the link to see what they had to say. I couldn’t figure out what one had to do with the other and needed to know!

It was an interesting read about not being too full of jargon in your writing, being authentic and being clear and concise… (hmm… perhaps this post is a bit chatty… oh well! I’m on a roll.) Then at the bottom… 50. I didn’t realize that EB White, author of Charlotte’s Web* and Stuart Little* was also the co-author of The Elements of Style – which has a 50th Anniversary edition*.

So what’s the point, you ask? The point is, I believe that with all the changes and advances in technology these days – where last week can become irrelevant online, we sometimes forget that that isn’t true across the board. There are things that remain valid for thousands of years (back to Plato and Co…) as well as 50.

So today I challenge you to find something else celebrating a 50th Anniversary and find it’s relevance or lesson for today. And I would love for you to share it in the comments since I’m completely intrigued as to why 50th Anniversaries have come to my attention today…

Here’s to your search & your creative success!

– Tara

* FTC DISCLOSURE: the Amazon links are affiliate links and by clicking them I would earn a commission if you make a purchase.

Keeping your finger on current topics makes for good marketing

Today I received a copy of the “Northwest Examiner” in my mailbox. A local newspaper that comes out once a month, and is mailed to everyone with a NW Portland (Oregon) address. People try and tell me I’m not “hip” like the “real” Northwest — the trendy downtown neighborhood with cool old homes, art galleries and lots of places to eat.

Whatever! I get the paper, my street is “NW” so there. So I live on the “Suburb” side of the hill for the schools. So there is an alpaca farm 300 feet from my home… it is boxed in by urban sprawl so I’m not in the country either. But I digress… back to the paper.

As I sat, eating a piece of reheated pizza because once again I worked until I was about to pass out and needed food IMMEDIATELY if not sooner, I flipped through the paper.

obamadogad In the corner of page 18, something caught my eye… (we are getting to my point, hang in) “Pub owner may promise puppies”. Huh? This seemed a little unusual so I decided to read further. This ad goes on to say that you can become president if you promise your kids a puppy so he thought he would borrow Obama’s concept and use it to sell burgers.

That is some timely, out of the box thinking! Guess what… I was intrigued so I kept reading.

The owner went on to ponder a plan: $200 cheeseburgers that come with a golden retriever puppy. $500 Monday-night tacos come with an adorable chihauhua… The final plan will be annouced after the first of the year. (Genius! Do you see what he is doing? I’ll now LOOK for the plan in the next issue — I like this guy!)

And he leaves us with this: “In the meantime, the pub will continue to offer its free refill with a soft drink. Barack Obama would have never won with that deal.”

Now why am I sharing this? Unless you live in Portland, you probably won’t eat at the Nob Hill Bar & Grill, locationed at 937 NW 23rd Ave.

There are a few marketing points to ponder in this ad.

The use of color isn’t the best. The green words on red, although seasonal, is very hard to read. So the lesson isn’t in brilliant use of graphic design and color. (Sorry- no offense — loved the ad, it works!)

The image is cute – who can resist a puppy? What image do you have that you can put front and center to catch someone’s eye? On your website, in an ad, on a blog, etc.
The humor is timely. How many people take the President-elect’s promising his kids a puppy and use it to design a $200 cheeseburger? The idea is so out there it gets your attention. At the same time, you know it isn’t real so it doesn’t confuse. What can you do to stand out through an unusual comparison?
The title is catchy. I wouldn’t have red the fine print without the “huh?” factor of a pub owner promising puppies. How can you put a little “huh?” into your message?
By promising a plan after the new year, the puppie-pedaling pub owner has me intrigued and wanting more. I may even drive over the hill and try a burger. What can you do to create suspense and a desire for more with your audience?

That is the end of my story and I leave you with this… what do you see in the world today that you can use to make yourself and your art stand out?

~ Tara

P.S. They have sold 639,690 burgers so far, which also leaves me wondering how long they have been in business and how long it took to sling so many burgers.

A different kind of Business book…

My boyfriend is regularly getting on my case to read books “that don’t look like work” and are “just for fun, not expanding your mind”. I love to read but go through phases.

One of my problems is that many times I get so engrossed in “for fun” books that I just can’t put them down! Life stops dead in its tracks so that I can get to the end of the book. I have learned not to start a book like this when I have work that needs to be done by a deadline.

As well, I like reading books about business, artists, personal development… things that will expand my mind, open my eyes to new ways to look at things and help me build my business. While they are helpful, they are usually geared towards larger companies– with say, more than one person. Traditional books about starting a building businesses generally have theories, supported by case studies. Helpful, but not page turners.

An interesting opportunity was offered to me through Twitter about 2 weeks ago. (You know how I love Twitter… and this just keeps me all the more thrilled with it!) Gregg Fraley, an author I am following offered bloggers a free copy of his book in exchange for a post. I looked at the book, thought it looked interesting (I wasn’t going to read it just because it was free!) and emailed him. About a week later a signed copy arrived in the mail.

The book is Jack’s Notebook and is “A Business Novel about Creative Problem Solving”.

“Jack’s Notebook” was a very welcome deviation from the norm. With problem solving concepts intertwined within a fictional story– I felt like I was reading for pleasure while learning some new things I can implement in my business.

I also enjoyed the fact that Jack isn’t even in business in the beginning… he is at the ‘what do I want to do’ stage and struggling to pay his bills while working on his dream– something many of us can relate to. Of course I liked that he wanted to be a photographer – as an artist it’s easy to route for a creative underdog!

I ear-marked at least a dozen concepts that I want to go back and review — which to me is the sign of a helpful book. The basic CPS concept of “Quantity gets quality” and not judging your ideas but just letting them all flow is fabulous– I’ve used it in the past and am now reminded to keep using it in the future.

Jack’s Notebook offers a structured system you can implement to any problem or issue — personal or professional. The next time you are feeling lost and not sure what direction to take, give CPS (Creative Problem Solving) a try.

So, my final analysis would be that this is worth the read. I enjoyed the story, how the concepts were demonstrated by the characters and how they explained the concepts of CPS as well.

~ Tara

P.S. Jack gains confidence and takes action as the result of adopting this method of thinking and problem solving — who doesn’t want that?

P.P.S. I know we’ve talked about “thinking outside the box” before as far as marketing and branding — seems Gregg Fraley is doing that by looking to Twitter to expand awareness of his book and reviewer base. What might you do with Twitter?

The Artist's Conundrum: using the right brain for art and left brain for business

Ever wonder why many artists struggle with sales? Do you?

It isn’t your fault. It’s complicated brain stuff. But some understanding will help you navigate both the creative and business sides of your business.

The Left Side of your brain is the more structured, analytical, methodical side. (Consider it your 7th grade math teacher – it’s all about rules and order) Things that are processed here include: words, sequence, numbers, math, logic. People that are heavy ‘left-brainers’ are probably working as journalists, accountants, insurance adjustors and of course, 7th grade math teachers.

The Right Side of your brain is the creative, free-flowing side of things. (The hippie stringing flowers in their hair and telling the left brain to ‘chill, man, chill’) Things processed on the right side include: pictures, music, imagination, rhythm, rhyme. So if you are an artist, the right side of your brain is in charge most of the time.

Do you see where I’m going yet?

Artist: Right Side of the brain is in charge

Sales / Marketing: Left Side is in charge

It stands to reason that artists who are just starting to do their own marketing and build their business, could end up with some serious headaches!

I’m one of those odd-ball artists who has a business background. My accounting professor in college was after me to go into accounting until my junior year – he finally gave up when he realized I’d have to add a year or more to graduate at that point. I am good with numbers but I’m not passionate about them. I prefer creative thinking, interacting with people, playing on the right side of my brain. I went into sales and enjoyed it. But in the end, what I really wanted to do was create first, sell second.

And I have to tell you, the longer I work my business, the harder it is to “switch sides”. Weird. But I find that I need to stay in my left or right brain for periods of time, if I try and do it all jumbled together (5 minutes right, 10 minutes left) I don’t do as well. There is truly a difference in focus and energy.

You need to decide if you want to stretch and learn to do the marketing, accounting, and interacting with manufacturers or if you want to find someone else to do it. Either answer is fine, what feels the best to you will give you your best creative results.

The information above is included in my eBook, “How to Find, Interact and Work with Manufacturers who License Art”. It gives practical, do-able steps to marketing art for licensing. If you think you want to stretch your left brain, get more details and see if it is for you. CLICK HERE

No matter what you decide, I wish you much success in your art, your business and your life!

~ Tara

What do M&M™'s have to do with the Seattle Space Needle?

It would take stacking 14,520 of them to be as tall as the Space Needle.

I thought this was an interesting tid-bit of information the elevator operator handed out on our 42 sec ride to the top. (Just took a 2 day trip with my son–lots of fun!) I found it so interesting in fact, that on the way down I asked him for the number again and wrote it down. Apparently I’m a trivia fan.

Of course it got me to thinking, WHY did I find it interesting? I bet he told me how tall it was in feet as well but I can’t remember that. I think it was because he made a comparison of 2 very unrelated and unexpected things.

Comparing unexpected things is a great attention grabber — verbally, in writing or in visuals. Think about the old show “The Odd Couple” — those 2 were such an unlikely pair of friends, let alone roommates, that people watched to see what craziness would ensue.

I think we could use this in our marketing. What are you working on that you could make an unexpected comparison to when presenting the idea to a potential licensee? Or maybe you incorporate something like it in your art. I’m going to give it more thought… let me know if you come up with anything, OK?

Have a creative day!

Tara