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8 Years Ago
I wrote this some time back and I see it is no longer on my blogs page. Just thought some that really want to learn something about advertising may find it interesting.
The purpose of this article is to address the needs of the artist on FAA trying to balance their time between creating their art and selling it.
You simple cannot do it all. Not effectively.
When is enough, enough and maybe too much? One of the biggest mistakes that I see FAA members doing is advertising with no advertising plan what so ever. They think that all they have to do is post a few times to Facebook or Tweet here and there and that's it. Or they are out there thinking they have to be on everything. Total market saturation. Neither one is the right way to go.
There are a lot of ways of advertising your FAA artwork. But in order to do that you first have to understand something about basic advertising.
Advertising on the net is not totally different then advertising main stream media. But it is different. The vehicles you use are obviously different but the basic concepts are the same. You have to reach the market place and prospective buyers with your product in a way that is most likely to give you results.
Let’s look at the different vehicles we see most often used by successful sellers on FAA.
Facebook is probably the number one, with Twitter number two. Then you have all the rest of the social media including G+, LinkedIn, About. Me and on and on. Equate those to off the net adverting vehicles like TV, radio, newspaper, billboards, etc, etc. Put these aside for a minute because, for the purpose of this discussion we are not going to use them to promote your AW on FAA but we are going lean form them.
Now let’s talk about the different approaches. To keep this as simple as possible, let's look at two different approaches to adverting.
First there is Direct Advertising or Target Marketing or Market Specific. Someone reinvents a new name for it every year or so, but it is still the same thing that it has been for 200 years.
Then you have Institutional Advertising, Generic, Top of the Mind Awareness and again all the new names people have come with.
I am assuming you have at least a basic understanding of the two different approaches above. Here is a very simple example of each.
If I have a photograph of a cowboy on a horse, I would target the western, cowboy, horse market using Twitter, FB Groups or any other vehicle where I could identify this people. I pretty simple stuff, I know, bear with me. I would do this my using the right hash tags and joining the right FB groups.
Institutional advertising would differ in that I would not necessarily even mention a photograph but would instead just be posting to Facbook or Tweeting "Visit FASGallery.net, see the best artwork on the net". I would be promoting the "institution" FASGallery to everyone, not to a specific photograph and not to a specific market. This goes to Top of the Mind Awareness. Still really boring I know, but stay with me.
What you are trying to do is the same thing All State Insurance has done with "The Good Hands People" or McDonald's with the Golden Arches. It is a form of branding. We do marketing surveys for specific industries. We ask people what is the first think you think of when I say "golden arches" or "the good hands people".
All of these things have to be taken into consideration of any advertising plan. But now we have to talk about the meat of that plan. How do you reach the market in a meaningful way that will get you the best results?
When you get ready to actually launch your plan, you simple cannot do it all. Everyone has limits. We are talking non-paid advertising but it still cost something. The currency is time. And you simply cannot be on Facebook, Twitter, G+, About.Me, LinkedIn, and on and on and on. Not effectively. It is just simply not the best use of you time because the frequency is going to be too thin to really make the impact you need to make. You will not reach the market penetration that you will need to be effective.
This is where we start talking about Vertical Reach and Horizontal Reach, the meat of any plan.
Most people are not in a position to where they can go for total market saturation. They need to focus, limit the number of vehicles you chose to use and then use them wisely.
Here is an example. If you were advertising on radio, and there was 10 radio stations in your market, more the likely you would not have enough money to be on all of them. You would have to choose. If your budget is $1000, you would be much better off running $500 dollars on two stations instead of $100 each on all 10. $100 is simply not enough to achieve decent market penetration. It would be a waste of money.
Vertical vs Horizontal: Vertical: $500 on each of two stations. Horizontal: $100 on each of 10 stations.
In this case your $100 simple will not give you the market penetration you need to get any decent results.
If you are still with me, we now need to talk about one of the biggest reasons, besides the cost why you cannot effectively do all of the Social Media outlets. With Social Media, unlike radio, TV, newspaper and other traditional adverting vehicles you have to build your own audience. You actually have to advertise you advertising vehicle. You have to build up your own followers and friends and circles; your audience.
For advertising to be work, you have to reach some level of market penetration. You have to be in that market, advertising your gallery, often enough to make an impact, to penetrate the market.
Think of it the same way all great speech writers do when they write a speech. To make a point stick in the audience's mind they know they have to repeat that point three times. "Tell'em, tell'em what you told'em and then tell'em again".
Applying what we have known about advertising for 200 years and from leaning what we have from radio and television, 50 tweets a day or posts to Facebook, will be more effective then 5 posts a day on ten different Social Media vehicles. It will also give you more time to create your art because you do not have to manage all of those different outlets. You can actually make fewer posts to a smaller market and have better results and at same time because you are getting better market penetration which will give you better results.
In closing (thank goodness) pick one or two, maybe 3 vehicles, build up a targeted market as best you can and do the best you can to penetrate that market. I personally think two is plenty and the two that I find easiest to build a following on are Facebook and Twitter. It is obvious that if you have the time, and can give the time, the more vehicles you can do a good jog on, the better off you will be.
As this applies to FAA, if you have 1000 images, you can afford to spend the time to be a more outlets. If you under 200, you cannot. You need to be creating art AND doing marketing. The fewer products you have the more effective your limited advertising has to be. The more important it is that you focus and get the biggest bang for your buck that you can.
But the bottom line is you have to have an advertising plan and you have to be committed to it and stick to it. Plan your work and work your plan as the old saying goes.
Reply Order
8 Years Ago
Thank you so much for taking the time to post this! As a newcomer, I've been trying to read as much as I can to get my ducks in a row and have been overwhelmed with all the various social media accounts and whether or not to use them. Once I finish building my site, I'll focus first on FB and Twitter, which I'm more familiar with anyway, so there will be less of a learning curve with them.
8 Years Ago
Thanks for posting this Floyd. In my own admittedly limited experience promoting my AW site, I have found FB and Twitter to be the least effective in terms of getting human views when I check the Google Analytics data. They seem to be very effective in making the bots go wild and my views on FAA go up (bots mostly) but only seem to get "likes" and RT's on FB and TW but few page views. I still use FB and TW but cut down on them because of this. My feeling about Facebook and Twitter is that people see so many images, videos, stories and tweets that they've become numb to most of them.
In terms of getting real human views, I've found that stumbleupon and linkedin have worked the best for me.
And although I do get a few sales from time to time, I've not been able to trace any of those sales to any marketing I've done. Seems pretty random so far. And I'm torn between trying to expand my portfolio (its around 700 right now) vs doing more and better marketing.
8 Years Ago
As a person who was in commercial television for 35 years, I totally agree.
I saw Cal Worthington, for example, start back in the 50s with a couple of used cars and build his empire worth many millions.
Advertising pays off if done correctly.
8 Years Ago
Thanks Floyd - you have simplified the advertising strategy so it is easier to understand, I really suck at advertising
With your cowboy on a horse scenario, how do you target the western, cowboy horse market?
8 Years Ago
"Thanks Floyd - you have simplified the advertising strategy so it is easier to understand, I really suck at advertising
With your cowboy on a horse scenario, how do you target the western, cowboy horse market?'
A few ways would include Facebook groups. Email campaigns. Reciprocal banner ads.
I have over 20,000 past buyers in my contacts list. I have specialized in western art to some degree.
I even have that list sorted to what are the larges states and the largest cites in them states where I have sold western art.
8 Years Ago
Go see Cal... Go see Cal... Go see Cal!!
Hey Cal who's your friend there?
Hi folks, meet my good friend Gerry Giraffe! Or Allie Gator!
Ya, that kind of sticks with you!!
8 Years Ago
Very nicely done, Floyd.
I have always used a slight variation of your tell 'em (times three).
Mine is...
1) Tell them what you are going to tell them.
2) Tell them.
3) Tell them what you told them.
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~ Bill
~ US Pictures .com
8 Years Ago
Great stuff, Floyd! My three marketing channels are Twitter, Flickr, and LinkedIn. My email campaign tool is my gold.
You're right though ... a marketing system duplicates consistency and prospects can count on you with integrity. Example, I email every Thursday. You can count on it!
Some things I've learned from my mistakes about marketing in a 2.0 world ... and that I've learned from the late great Zig Ziglar and his son Tom Ziglar ( wish I could take the credit ).
-- Everything online is public and permanent. Post with the intent that your best prospect or customer may read it.
-- Write your own blog ( I now as of this post blog on LinkedIn ) example your expertise, illustrate your integrity and trust, develop relationships and your reputation.
-- CRITICAL !! -- When posting online always include your knowledge, inform about value ( see below* ) to the reader even if they NEVER contact you. They may just refer you.
-- Selling is transfer of feeling ... aplification is key!
Your brand is simply nothing more than what people say when your not around. Marketing is everything you do to attract prospects ... develop relationships ... before the sale.
* When we provide soltions we do not sell products, they buy products of the products ... known as benefits. How to use the product or service.
Too many of us ask for the sale before we provide solutions. Hope these tips add to what Floyd has said. They work for me, may not work for you, so you may need to tweak them to find your sweet spot so to speak.
8 Years Ago
"When we provide soltions we do not sell products, they buy products of the products ... known as benefits. How to use the product or service. '
Great! Excellent!
We are not just salespeople, we are problem solvers and to solve problems you have to sell the benefits, not the features. The features are of no benefit if they do not address the problem!
Great post Frank!! Thank you!
8 Years Ago
"Mine is...
1) Tell them what you are going to tell them.
2) Tell them.
3) Tell them what you told them. "
Also great stuff!
That is also the bases of great speech writing.
8 Years Ago
I heard a radio ad yesterday that I think is an example of what not to do.
It was a jewelry store.....
They presented a problem: "Many of our customers ask me, I LOVE the diamond but will she?"
The problem here seems to be what she will like and I was expecting to hear a solution but instead......
"That is we carry more designs and top designers than any other jewelry store on the Emerald Coast."
OK, BUT, how in the world does that do anything for the problem you presented. Great, you have ten thousand rings and I like ten of them, but again, WILL SHE?
8 Years Ago
OR
There is the writing on the side of the box of the Sara Lee coffee cake I have on my desk.
It would seem to be brand awareness/reinforcement type of ad on the box you have already bought. It says;
"Nobody doesn't like Sara Lee."
Which is a double negative meaning basically every one likes it or at least there is nobody that doesn't like it or maybe, um.......
Seriously, anyone know why they might use the double negative? Is it maybe just to make people think about it?
8 Years Ago
"...Is it maybe just to make people think about it?"
That's what I'm thinking. Their "slogan" seems to work. :)
On a side note, how many Sara Lee cakes are left in that box?
8 Years Ago
Trying to appeal to the masses? That is a very common grammatical error.
Trying to sound "homey", down to earth?
My wife the ex-English teacher will never buy a Sara Lee product if she ever sees that!
But she don't buy them now either. lol
8 Years Ago
JC, wordplay often plays outside the boundaries of proper grammar. It's an accepted and proven practice. Listen for it in ads, song lyrics, movie and TV taglines, etc. -- wordplay is easy to find in today's culture.
I'd like to say that with Sara Lee's marketing slogan, the proof is in the pudding -- but I don't know if they actually make pudding . . . ;-)
8 Years Ago
Frank: "When posting online always include your knowledge, inform about value ( see below* ) to the reader even if they NEVER contact you. They may just refer you. Too many of us ask for the sale before we provide solutions. Hope these tips add to what Floyd has said. They work for me, may not work for you, so you may need to tweak them to find your sweet spot so to speak. "
Floyd:
"Great! Excellent!
We are not just salespeople, we are problem solvers and to solve problems you have to sell the benefits, not the features. The features are of no benefit if they do not address the problem! "
Thank you both for your tips! This part confuses me though, would there be a simple way for either of you to expound on it or give an example? Do you mean in your emails that you 'address a problem and provide the solution'?
And because I'm confused and tired, I'm not sure if I'm asking my question clearly, sorry if it's not! :D
8 Years Ago
Not sure if this is what you are asking or not.
But nigh on to a hundred years ago when I was taught this...
The example was selling a car to a person living in Alaska.
Air conditioning was a feature but of little if any benefit.
4-Wheel drive was a benefit.
All benefits are features, but not all features are benefits.
The other example was selling a women a car with power steering was a benefit.
Selling the same car to muscled up, 6' 3" lumberjack was maybe a nice to have, but not necessarily a must have. Having enough head room to get in and out was a much bigger benefit.
(Notice how those examples are soooo out dated. Nearly all cars come with both power steering and air conditioning these days. But I think they still work.)
8 Years Ago
Sort of Floyd.
Do either of yall have an example of a problem where art might be a solution.?
8 Years Ago
I sell a lot of "beach resort" theme art. I am fortunate in that I live where people love to vacation. My art provides them a way to relive a bit of their vacation every time they see it in their home or office.
Here's an example using my "Angry Surf at Indian River Inlet." The fisherman and the surfer may only get to visit here for one week a year. But if they have this photograph at home they may relive that blustery day when the fish were running and the surfing rocked. I also try to tell them that in the description I write and when I promote on Facebook/Twitter.
Here is the closing paragraph of my description: "The lighting and a slight texture give this image somewhat of a 'painterly' effect but, otherwise, this is how the scene actually looked at this particular time. You can have this unique scene decorating a wall in your home (or office) so you can view this angry surf all year long."
---------------
~ Bill
~ US Pictures .com
8 Years Ago
That's right, Bill, personalize the benefits for the prospect / buyer. Paint the person in the 'picture' provided by the investment being made. Paint the 'picture' so your prospect sees personal benefits.
8 Years Ago
It's what I said above: When we provide soltions we do not sell products, they buy products of the products ... known as benefits. How to use the product or service.
Let me challenge you to right now stop and answer what should be two simple questions. There may be as many as three answers to each question, but please answer these as completely as possible. And they may be different for each of you.
The first question: What do you sell?
The second question: What do your prospects buy?
And now a third if you will allow me, is this: Do those lists match?
IF the answer is yes, you are miles ahead of many or your competitors. IF you did not stop to think about your answers, let me encourage you to take the time to give these seemingly simple questions your sincere effort. The answers will reveal a great deal about you. Those who refuse to take the time to answer these questions and minimize their importance are most often those who don't have a clue about the answers.
So, sorry to answer your question with a few more questions but, hopefully you will see my point.
8 Years Ago
Allow me to answer the two questions I just asked you, as I want to make sure there is not any confusion:
What do I sell : Images and art that are examples of goodness and hope, that transforms, command, inspire, educate, inform, celebrate life.
What does my customer buy ; ( from what they tell me ) Art that tells a story about life, examples and inspires some to make it one more day, to transform good intentions into right-action, that reach deep into the soul and command goodness, offer hope, and touch their world with a taste of God's love.
Do both lists match : You bet they do !!
When I write my email campaigns or blog these are the words and solutions I lean on. Now, when it comes to a tweet I convert these words to hashtags, I also post my group features on my FAA blog so when I tweet an image it comes along with Features by peer artists who have an eye for art. I hardly ever tweet an image alone, that is selling not marketing. People don't like to be sold, but they love to buy. Then, as the saying goes, people buy what they want when they want it more than they want the money it costs.
8 Years Ago
1. pretty pictures
2. pretty pictures
3. yep
I really don't think it's any more complicated than that in my case, at least that's all I can go by from the feedback I've received on the few originals I've sold.
8 Years Ago
VERY helpful, thank you Frank & Bill! :)
I tend towards the short & sweet like David, but I need to start THINKING more marketing-wise as I'm trying to build/release my new site.
8 Years Ago
Debra -- go to you library and check out a little red book by Zig Ziglar - Selling 101.
Also, David, another way to look at what I said above is " My business exists as a vehicle to achieve my life goals ".
So, as Zig is well coined " The best way to get what you want in life, is to just help enough other people get what they want ".
HOpe this makes more sense to what I said above. Enjoy your day!
8 Years Ago
I still think it's no more complicated than finding people that like my art enough to be willing to actually pay to own it, if that's not enough then I'm already sunk.
8 Years Ago
Aside from reading a Zig Ziggler book, no it really. I still don't understand how my art achieves their goals nor how my art is like a car with AC and a great benefit to someone in S Alabama.
8 Years Ago
JC -- If I recall you might be doing it without knowing you are. Last I checked your bio talks about what you go through to make a shot ... so in a way you're painting a picture for the buyer that unless they want to go through what you do, it's easier to just buy the print. Most American's I know take the easy path of least resistance when we can. Now it you put them in the driver seat and talk feelings and emotions experienced on location ..... hope you get what I'm saying now.
David -- go back to the original post. I don't know about you, but sometimes I have to read something link that sixteen times before the light bulb goes on in my brain.
8 Years Ago
There seems to be a large number of new people looking for guidance so I am bumping this hoping some may find it use full.
Welcome aboard to all you newbies!
