Art eXposed

The Art eXposed PR Toolkit is an easy set of communication templates that enable you to selectively broadcast recent news and information about your artwork and share it with your public. Let’s discuss what a PR toolkit is, what it does for you in terms of self-promotion and why it will help you to reach groups that want to learn more about your artwork.

What is a PR Toolkit?

It may sound complicated but it’s such a simple concept. A PR Toolkit is a set of PR templates that you are able to customize on your own for personal use. Art eXposed makes these templates available for download as a part of your membership with our community. These templates are assembled in individual Microsoft Word files. Whether it’s a news release template that announces a new piece of art work or an announcement about a recent award, you fill in the details and it’s ready to share with your friends, family, art patrons, prospects, galleries, associations and the media.

What does the PR Toolkit do for you?

A PR Toolkit is an easy way to assemble you best news to make it available to the parties who want to know about and share information on you and your artwork. As an artist, you need to spend time creating your artwork. Promotion is important, so we try to make it easy on you. The PR Toolkit templates are written so it’s easy for intended audiences to digest information use it in a useful way. For example, the news release templates are created for journalists who are looking to take your digital release and incorporate information into their stories or news briefs. These templates are media friendly and use an accepted AP style format that’s accepted by journalists world-wide. In terms of promotion, the more you fill in and use your templates, and send them out to an email database of interested parties, the more you’ll see those parties will take interest in you!

How does the PR Toolkit help you to reach different groups?

The PR Toolkit is designed to appeal to a number of different groups. You can cut and paste a PR Toolkit template into the body of your email message or send it as an attachment (but, only if the intended recipient knows you and is expecting the attachment). These templates are universal and can be used for many different groups. You can brand them with your logo or artwork and send them out as frequently as you feel the information warrants dissemination. With respect to the media, you should always be sending the media news release announcements regarding exhibits, awards and the unveiling of new pieces of art. You may not see a story every time, but the ability to send a customized release, at intervals throughout the year, will keep you and your artwork top of mind.

The PR Toolkit was designed by Art eXposed to make publicity and self-promotion easy. We want you to spend your time creating the ultimate masterpiece. Promotion, we know is very important, but when there’s only so many hours in day, the PR Toolkit is your best way to accomplish many things in a very short period of time.

Public relations is the softest selling tool in the marketing toolkit. It’s a combination of communication and public outreach to build trust and relationships with groups of people. Sometimes PR is best known as communication that changes an opinion, builds a reputation or helps to correct a damaged image. Today, artists can use a mixture of communications through credible third party endorsers or influencers (including the media, art critics, bloggers, etc.) or use direct to consumer PR strategies that reach current customers and potential art patrons. Regardless of the approach, PR leads to great relationships and endorsements from individuals that will help you to improve your personal reputation as an artist and/or to extend the reach of your network to get more exposure for your artwork.

There are so many tools in the PR toolkit. Let’s start with the traditional PR communication outreach strategies:

News Releases:
News releases can range from an announcement regarding the unveiling of your latest artistic creation to a release discussing an art demonstration you are giving for the members of a local association. News release writing begins with a carefully crafted message, formatted in a specific news style template (see the Art eXposed Artists PR Toolkit for examples) and is distributed to targeted media outlets, gallery’s organizations, customers and potential art patrons.

Endorsements:
Third party endorsements are written statements that provide credibility and can be used in a number of communication pieces including news releases, brochures, website content and information that can be sent to your art patrons and prospects.

Speaking Engagements/Demonstrations:
Speaking engagements and/or demonstrations are an excellent way for an artist to deliver expertise and knowledge on a subject to large groups of people, including prospective art patrons and/or current customers. Speaking in a public forum, coordinated by an independent art associations or gallery, can create enormous exposure for an artist and his/her work.

“How To” or Articles to Educate:
Working with the media to get articles placed in art trade publications, consumer magazines or those used as online content are a great way to educate and deliver information as an art expert. Articles that instruct or educate audiences position you as an authority and a likely source when an art enthusiast is interested in your particular artistic style or art genre.

These are all simple strategies to generate awareness so that influencers or third party endorsers will find your material interesting and write or talk about you. As you continually send your influencers credible and newsworthy information, they will look to you as a resource, as an artist that will be able to offer them expert information on a particular topic.

It’s important to follow-up in PR so that you are not just sending communication from your toolkit and then not know what’s being said about you. Always take the time to talk to your influencers or correspond with them regularly. Make sure you also taking the time to do Google or Yahoo! searches on your name or your artwork to see if you’re personal brand is the topic of conversation in print or online.

Most of all, the key to PR is to realize that relationships and building trust take time. If you want to have solid relationships with your influencers or third party endorsers make sure you do your homework. Know who these folks are, what they write about and exactly what they are looking for, so that you can aid them by offering your particular area of expertise. And, remember, when you are looking to build customers relationships or relationships with galleries, associations or members of the media, all of this requires a considerable amount of time and effort.

For every minute you spend building the relationship, the result will be strong connections that lead to favorable endorsements. Overall, PR is an excellent way to create positive communication about you, as an artist and your body of work.

Twitter is a Micro-blog .  It allows you to post short 140 char blogs, called tweets. It is also considered a moblog (mobil blog), because you can send your blog via your cell phone (text Message (40404) , or via their wap site m.twitter.com). You can also post from the web (http://www.twitter.com/) or by IM using their screen name  “twitterim”.  Internet developers are also creating other methods for you to enter information into your twitter blog.

So why should artists use Twitter?  Well unless you live in a cave, every art magazine, art marketing guru, and Internet site is telling you to blog.  But if you’re like me, it’s HARD to stop and take the time to write an article.  That’s why there’s twitter… for people like you and me.  Just a couple of sentences will keep your patrons happy and with an easy to use interface you have no excuse not to blog.

With Twitter you just let your patrons know what your doing. So when you’re  excited about something just send a tweet.

Let me give you a few examples of tweets you can post:

• Just started a new painting: The long Island sound on a cool fall day. (Sept 18)
• Spent the morning on the sound, 74 degrees … life doesn’t get any better than this. (Sept 19)
• Happy with the progress so far, can’t wait for you all to see. (Sept 21)
• Just finished the painting … check it out on Art eXposed !!!! (Sept 24)

You can post your tweets to your current blog, on your myspace.com page, or on your website using widgets.  Below I have place an RSS feed of the Art eXposed twitter.

The Art eXposed Twitter

Please wait while my tweets load
If you can’t wait – check out what I’ve been twittering

Setting a price

It’s always hard for new artists to part with their work. But, if you want to make a living creating art, you must learn to let go and sell your work. You will always have the photographs to admire when the sale is complete and then the satisfaction that someone else appreciates and enjoys what you have done.

Some steps you can take and things to consider when determining a good selling price to your artwork.

What have they sold for in the past?
What are other artworks similar in size and style selling for?
- Scour the internet for similar art, see what artists are getting.
- Note, well known artists will command higher prices.

Once you set a price you can always go up, but you never want to go down (i.e., discount your work). You always want to show your patrons that you are improving on their investment in you and the artwork they purchased from you.

As you start selling more and more art, you can begin increasing your prices. You want to be at a price where you have a low inventory and people are waiting for your next piece.

If you really love a piece that you have done, do not price it higher than other works of similar size and style. Some artists will double and triple the price of these pieces, which is a mistake. If you love the work that much, then keep the work, but keep your prices consistent.

Regards prices (Price points)

A great way to keep a large group of varied buyers is to have wide-ranging prices. If you can have works in all price points described below, then you will have a diverse group of patrons and a steady flow of income.

Under $75 – Impulse sales, customers will buy with no thought at this price. Once you make a sale at this price you may have just found a future collector. Get details of these buyers and put them on your mailing list.

What to sell at this price: 5×7 originals, signed prints, posters, small sculptures, smaller giclees, and nick knacks that represent your brand, including postcards and other promotional items.

$75 – $800 – Pieces in this price range will sell at art shows, via the web, and through interior designers. New collectors can be found at this level. New young collectors are the best to have; their income grows as your reputation grows. A match made in heaven.

What to sell at this price:

New Artists: Before you have a following, your work should fit into this price point. Larger giclees, limited addition giclees, and limited additions print if your originals are on the high end or out of this range.

Established Artists: limited issue giclees and prints, miniature sculptures, as well pre-framed prints and giclees.

Over $800 – At this range you are willing to accept gallery commissions. Before this price range, gallery commissions could cut into your profits or heavily impact your profits on an item. In this range you should have a following and a large e-mail list. You should now be attracting patrons that do not care about the price of the item; they are looking at status, enjoyment of their success, and hope for a return on their investment.

For artwork over $5000 collectors are buying you and your brand, and hoping to follow your rise to fame. At this level, you could be seeing sales in the secondary market, which can even take you higher.

In the beginning your goal is to build a list of patrons that will stay with you as you grow as an artist. To do this you must set your price point correctly, when it’s hard to keep an inventory you know it’s time to move up the price, and bring on more collectors as you become more established as an artist. Also, don’t forget as you go to keep items in the lower price point to retain your original patrons who cannot YET afford your new higher priced offerings in the mix.

If you keep these price points in mind, then you will always have artwork priced for all your patrons to enjoy!

Other References on Art Pricing:

Sylia White: Pricing Your Art

Art Business: Price your art realistically

EBSQ Art: The Lighter Side at Pricing Your Art

I spent the day walking around Soho. Spent most of the afternoon walking up and down W. Broadway, talking to artists and admiring their artwork.  Below are pictures from my day in Soho, NYC.

Azen Tsang
	R. Nicholas Kuszyk  http://www.rrobots.com/	The Lamentation. 2006, after Simon Marmion. R. Nicholas Kuszyk
Adrian Lloyd Brown	Elias Saifan	Boom, Spring/W.Broadway

In my last installment “Setting Goals for 2007,”  I talked about creating your weekly to-do list at the beginning of each week. In this installment, I’m going to add in all the other to-dos we have in our lives, because life’s demands never wait for us. We all lead busy lifestyles with lots of other demands that also require our attention. Some of us have families, pets, homes, and second jobs, which all need consideration and action.

Using a 3×5 Index Card to Organize and Prioritize

At the start of the week, you get a new index card and using a pen you put three vertical lines; breaking up the card into three sections. In the left hand section, you put in the items that you need to get done that day. These will be called your “Urgent” items. Your goal for the day is to complete those items, no matter what! The center column is called “Required”.  These are action items that you are required to get done, but can wait until tomorrow, if you haven’t finished your Urgent items. The right column holds items you need or want to get done, but non-completion will not cause you any setback. An example would be: I just read an article about a new artist, and I want to check out his website. So, I place the URL of his site in this column.

Sample To-Do List:

Urgent

• Call UPS Store
• Call Dean Adams
• Fix forum entry
• Get Yellow Ochre
• e-mail artists on site updates

Required

• Complete Painting
• Find venue for Kickoff
• Call exhibitors
• Call Deirdre regarding Saturday Art reception.

So I don’t forget

• Read http://www.wired.com/ article
• Check out Art & Fear on Amazon
• Develop a news letter

Now you have your daily to-do list. Keep it in a place where you always have access to it. I like to keep mine in my shirt or pants pocket. Index cards are very durable. They don’t make it through a wash and dry cycle, but they can easily last a week in your pocket. I say this because I don’t create a new card every day; sometimes I keep the same card for few days. When you complete an item on your card you cross it out. If a to-do comes up you add it on. I review my card every morning. On some days I transfer the information to a new card and on other days I just fill in new items and move others around.  Another good thing about having the index card on your person is that you can use the back to jot down notes. If I see artwork I like, I write down the artist’s name. When I meet people, I use it to put their names and telephone numbers. It has come in handy. I hope this information helps you to prioritize your life and keeps you organized, giving you more time to do what you love. Creating art!!!!!

Well, another year has gone by and I hope everyone had a joyous and productive 2006.  So, what can we do to make 2007 even better?  Let’s all make a simple resolution for 2007.  On Jan. 1^st, let’s create a list of goals for the year.  You’ll need one or two hours to complete this task.
The first thing you want to do is create a list of all the things you wish to accomplish, as it relates to the artistic part or your life.  You can do this for other parts of your life too, but in this writing I’m going to focus on your artistic goals.

Yearly Goals:
Let’s begin.  First, write down as many goals as you can think of as they relate to your artistic career.  There is no limit to how many items you place on this initial list. This should take a good 20 minutes.

Sample Goals for the Year:

• Create a minimum of 24 paintings
• Experiment in sculpting
• Become proficient in portrait painting
  • Take classes, talk to other artists, read books on the subject
• Find my voice!
• Sell my artwork on-line
• Sell 12 paintings
• Enter at least five art shows
• Get gallery representation
• Get accepted to two exhibitions
• Go to an art gallery, show or museum every weekend
  • Get to know people in the business, one person per weekend
• Meet 12 artists, in my area of expertise
• Increase my mailing list by 40 patrons
• Create or update my website

Once you’re happy with your list, TRY to weed it down to the top 10 goals you would like to accomplish in 2007.  If you can’t weed it down, try to get as close to 10 as you can, because once you get over 10 its going to hard to manage and meet those goals.

CONGRATULATIONS, you have goals for 2007!!!!!
Now, you’re probably saying,  “OK, every year I create New Year’s resolutions on the 1^st and forget about them by the 15th.”  Not so fast, we still have some work to do.  You are going to break down these goals into monthly goals.  Then, on a monthly basis, you will break them down into weekly goals. Therefore, every month you can see where you stand and adjust as needed.

Monthly Goals:
The next step is to take your yearly goals and break them down to more manageable monthly goals.  So, if your goal is to get 40 patrons signed on to your mailing list then, you would want 3-4 patrons signed up a month.  This is what I call your Monthly Goal Template (MGT).

Sample MGT:

• Add 3-4 patrons to the mailing list
• Complete a painting.
• Meet two artists in my field.

On the first of each month, you should take your MGT and create monthly goals for that specific month.  If your monthly goal on the MGT is to visit an art gallery, art show, or museum every weekend, then you should have an entry for each weekend for what museum, show, or gallery you will visit.  If your goal is to compete a painting every month, define the painting that you will be completing.
Sample January Goals:

• Go to the Metropolitan Museum to see ‘Americans in Paris’
• Go to the Red Bank Art Alliance opening reception
• E-mail friends about a new piece of art completed.  Ask them to forward the e-mail to their fiends.  (Adding patrons).

Weekly Goals:
Now that you have are monthly goals you can create your weekly goals.  Your weekly goals may not include every monthly goal and it most cases it won’t.  Every Sunday or Monday, you should create your goals for the week.  You should base your weekly goals off of last week’s goal and your current month’s goals.  Sometimes you may move the same weekly goal forward.  For example, I have one weekly goal that never disappears. “Talk to one new artist.”  In your weekly goals, just as with you monthly goals, you need to get more detailed.  If your monthly goal is to complete a painting then your weekly goal could be “purchase required material, prime canvas, create color studies.”

Sample – Jan. 1-7 Goals:

• At the opening reception speak to three artists
• Send e-mail to friends about a new painting
• Update website with new paintings

You may be thinking that this is just too much work, but it really isn’t. Once you’ve spent the time on Jan. 1st creating your Yearly Goals and your MGT, it takes just minutes to create your Monthly and weekly goals.

So, how do you not fall into the New Year Resolution trap?  What I did was create a recurring meeting in Yahoo! Calendar.  You can use any calendar software to do this.  Every Sunday, I get an e-mail with my goals.  Then I update the entry with my new week’s goals; I also keep my current month’s goals in this entry as well.  So, now I know what needs to get done and I have a copy of my plan.

Setting goals is a proven way to get things accomplished in your life.  Start today!!!

Good luck with your 2007 goals.