Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss
Your advice on Art Promotion on the Web
1 view
Skip to first unread message
catl...@my-deja.com
May 25, 2000, 3:00:00 AM5/25/00
to
Hi there!
This is a message to fellow sculptors/painters/..artists!
from whom I would appreciate some comments.
Actually from potential buyers as well....
This is a message to fellow sculptors/painters/..artists!
from whom I would appreciate some comments.
Actually from potential buyers as well....
I have recently had some negative comments about the fact that
the prices of my sculptures are not mentioned on my website.
I have not mentioned them so far because I don't want to
be entirely commercially driven and would expect people who are
really interested in a sculpture to contact me to get the price.
I want people to react first to something they like... Is it
too "romantic/idealist" an idea??
What do you think? What is your experience? I don't mention prices
so far and have not sold anything? Does it work better the other way??
Would really appreciate any comments on this subject!!!
Thanks!
CatherinA
*************************************************
CatherinA Laugel - Contemporary Bronze Sculptor
http://www.catlaugel.co.uk
*************************************************
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Dan Spector
May 28, 2000, 3:00:00 AM5/28/00
to
I agree with you, Cat. We may be reaching three interested groups:
-fellow artists, who don't pay much attention to stated prices;
-art shoppers, who pay too much attention to them; and
-gallery owners, who intend to reprice everything anyway.
Should we agonize over prices? Give 'list prices' and haggle from there?
Any serious buyer will ask you what you want for a piece. Compulsive shoppers
can be safely ignored.
A woman asked my prices (I have a few on my site, as a guide) and I gave her a
range. She went away.
And now I will too.
-fellow artists, who don't pay much attention to stated prices;
-art shoppers, who pay too much attention to them; and
-gallery owners, who intend to reprice everything anyway.
Should we agonize over prices? Give 'list prices' and haggle from there?
Any serious buyer will ask you what you want for a piece. Compulsive shoppers
can be safely ignored.
A woman asked my prices (I have a few on my site, as a guide) and I gave her a
range. She went away.
And now I will too.
--
Dan <arch...@earthlink.net>
http://www.archicast.com
----------
Tony Marino
May 28, 2000, 3:00:00 AM5/28/00
to
Dear CatherinA,
I am the CEO of a marketing company in the US (Colorado Springs, Colorado).
We have been doing extensive work with Dot Com and Internet type
businesses.
So, THE BIG QUESTION, "Does the Internet Work to Sell Stuff?" Better
question, "If I Build a Web Site, With My Art, Will THEY Come (and buy my
stuff) ?" Even better Question, "Can Artists (Sculptors) Make Money
Selling Their Art on the Internet?" (I have a special interest in that
last question, as I am a sculptor, or you might say a "Stone Carver". My
sculpture/carvings: http://home.netcom.com/~tmhawk/hawksbloodcarve.htm )
"OK, mister smarty marketing pants, what's the answer?"
1. Yes, the internet works to sell stuff. The BEST Strategy is to combine
a "Bricks & Mortar" approach with the Net. (One of my clients paid us
$50,000 to come up with that answer, and the concomitant strategy and
tactics to make it work, and has given me LIMITED permission to share PARTS
of the answer. I'm within bounds of our agreement in what I share with
you.)
2. Build a web site and SOME people will come. The corollary to that
question is "HOW DID THEY GET TO YOUR WEB SITE? SEARCH ENGINE ONLY?" AND,
"Are they people who want to and have the financial ability to BUY ART?
(We were paid $75,000 by a client to come up with the answer to that one
and then a develop a marketing strategy that uses this information.)
Driving people to your web site using, "Search Engine Only" is a sure fire
way to get very limited results and limited in the sense of getting
minuscule numbers of people of your target buying market to see your art.
Fewer target buying market people, fewer sales.
3. Can artists make money selling their art on the internet? Answer these
and you've won the million dollar questions: "Who buys art? Why do they
buy Art? How many times must I contact them before they buy MY ART?" (The
answers are difficult to get, but obtainable.)
4. And finally YOUR QUESTION, "Should I put my prices on my web site?"
Are you selling DIRECTLY from your site? If yes, post your prices. If no,
post a 'range' of prices. If you're trying to get people into a
gallery/studio/show to purchase, no need to post the prices. This is a
"Common Sense Answer" and begs many additional questions, "If they love my
art won't they want it and pay any reasonable price?" Yes. "Should they
love my art before they go worrying about whether or not they can afford
it?" Yes. "If they love it and it touches them inside shouldn't they just
buy it?" Yes. "Does marketing and selling art really work this way (the
three questions above)?" Sorry, no. Real world says, "I love it, I want
it, how much is it?" If we want to live in the real world and accept real
world money for our art we must play the real world game. (Not all artists
sell their work. Not all artists create with the intention of selling for
real world money. Some give it away, as gifts, some keep it and just don't
sell, that of course is their prerogative. That is very rarely is it the
objective of my clients. Value for value is the usual universe and rule I
work within. There are many things of value and many ways to exchange
value. Another discussion at a later time.)
ARE AT LEAST 15% of your total sales coming from the Internet? (THIS IS A
MAGIC NUMBER. We were paid $25,000 to research this and it is a very
important internet/business precept. Here's why: if you're at 10% total
internet sales/revenue (of your total business revenue) the best advice is
"Be very watchful and careful and try to grow it". IF you're at 15%, put
money, time, effort, strategy and tactics into it, because that amount of
revenue from the internet is greatly significant.)
And yet: Marketing Art is very, very difficult. I know of NO ONE who has
some magic key, secret formula, voodoo template, or guaranteed method
(including my company and myself) for marketing art ON or OFF the internet.
(The terms of art are "On-line Marketing and Off-line Marketing) BUT,
take heart, it can be done, it is being done, and you can do it. Here's
the web address of a sculptor who attends a lot of shows, has a gallery and
markets on the internet: http://www.jessdavila.com/indexframe.html . I
have no knowledge of his financial success.
Another excellent link: "Selling Your Art Online, by Chris Maher:
http://1x.com/advisor/ .
Hope this helps, by the way, it's all just my humble opinion and experience
(albeit drawn from my professional opinion and experience.) If others
have better data, experience, ideas, thoughts or visions, I hope you will
share with all of us artists and I humbly defer to other ideas. (I am
positive I DO NOT have all the answers and ideas nor is my opinion
necessarily the best opinion. I'm always searching for marketing ideas.)
If I can be of further assistance, contact me directly at:
tmh...@ix.netcom.com.
Tony Marino
PS. I like your work, very sensual, provocative with feeling. Your web
site is good too.
I am the CEO of a marketing company in the US (Colorado Springs, Colorado).
We have been doing extensive work with Dot Com and Internet type
businesses.
So, THE BIG QUESTION, "Does the Internet Work to Sell Stuff?" Better
question, "If I Build a Web Site, With My Art, Will THEY Come (and buy my
stuff) ?" Even better Question, "Can Artists (Sculptors) Make Money
Selling Their Art on the Internet?" (I have a special interest in that
last question, as I am a sculptor, or you might say a "Stone Carver". My
sculpture/carvings: http://home.netcom.com/~tmhawk/hawksbloodcarve.htm )
"OK, mister smarty marketing pants, what's the answer?"
1. Yes, the internet works to sell stuff. The BEST Strategy is to combine
a "Bricks & Mortar" approach with the Net. (One of my clients paid us
$50,000 to come up with that answer, and the concomitant strategy and
tactics to make it work, and has given me LIMITED permission to share PARTS
of the answer. I'm within bounds of our agreement in what I share with
you.)
2. Build a web site and SOME people will come. The corollary to that
question is "HOW DID THEY GET TO YOUR WEB SITE? SEARCH ENGINE ONLY?" AND,
"Are they people who want to and have the financial ability to BUY ART?
(We were paid $75,000 by a client to come up with the answer to that one
and then a develop a marketing strategy that uses this information.)
Driving people to your web site using, "Search Engine Only" is a sure fire
way to get very limited results and limited in the sense of getting
minuscule numbers of people of your target buying market to see your art.
Fewer target buying market people, fewer sales.
3. Can artists make money selling their art on the internet? Answer these
and you've won the million dollar questions: "Who buys art? Why do they
buy Art? How many times must I contact them before they buy MY ART?" (The
answers are difficult to get, but obtainable.)
4. And finally YOUR QUESTION, "Should I put my prices on my web site?"
Are you selling DIRECTLY from your site? If yes, post your prices. If no,
post a 'range' of prices. If you're trying to get people into a
gallery/studio/show to purchase, no need to post the prices. This is a
"Common Sense Answer" and begs many additional questions, "If they love my
art won't they want it and pay any reasonable price?" Yes. "Should they
love my art before they go worrying about whether or not they can afford
it?" Yes. "If they love it and it touches them inside shouldn't they just
buy it?" Yes. "Does marketing and selling art really work this way (the
three questions above)?" Sorry, no. Real world says, "I love it, I want
it, how much is it?" If we want to live in the real world and accept real
world money for our art we must play the real world game. (Not all artists
sell their work. Not all artists create with the intention of selling for
real world money. Some give it away, as gifts, some keep it and just don't
sell, that of course is their prerogative. That is very rarely is it the
objective of my clients. Value for value is the usual universe and rule I
work within. There are many things of value and many ways to exchange
value. Another discussion at a later time.)
ARE AT LEAST 15% of your total sales coming from the Internet? (THIS IS A
MAGIC NUMBER. We were paid $25,000 to research this and it is a very
important internet/business precept. Here's why: if you're at 10% total
internet sales/revenue (of your total business revenue) the best advice is
"Be very watchful and careful and try to grow it". IF you're at 15%, put
money, time, effort, strategy and tactics into it, because that amount of
revenue from the internet is greatly significant.)
And yet: Marketing Art is very, very difficult. I know of NO ONE who has
some magic key, secret formula, voodoo template, or guaranteed method
(including my company and myself) for marketing art ON or OFF the internet.
(The terms of art are "On-line Marketing and Off-line Marketing) BUT,
take heart, it can be done, it is being done, and you can do it. Here's
the web address of a sculptor who attends a lot of shows, has a gallery and
markets on the internet: http://www.jessdavila.com/indexframe.html . I
have no knowledge of his financial success.
Another excellent link: "Selling Your Art Online, by Chris Maher:
http://1x.com/advisor/ .
Hope this helps, by the way, it's all just my humble opinion and experience
(albeit drawn from my professional opinion and experience.) If others
have better data, experience, ideas, thoughts or visions, I hope you will
share with all of us artists and I humbly defer to other ideas. (I am
positive I DO NOT have all the answers and ideas nor is my opinion
necessarily the best opinion. I'm always searching for marketing ideas.)
If I can be of further assistance, contact me directly at:
tmh...@ix.netcom.com.
Tony Marino
PS. I like your work, very sensual, provocative with feeling. Your web
site is good too.
(To contact me directly don't use the address at the top of this message,
it's been anti-spamminated. Thx.)
margaret sparks
May 29, 2000, 3:00:00 AM5/29/00
to
I have found a suggested price range most helpful because buyers want to
know if hundreds or thousands of dollars are involved. Hope this helps.
catl...@my-deja.com wrote in message <8gjaao$7er$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>...
know if hundreds or thousands of dollars are involved. Hope this helps.
catl...@my-deja.com wrote in message <8gjaao$7er$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>...
Cathy Morgan
May 29, 2000, 3:00:00 AM5/29/00
to
JMO - I'd go for a price range on the first page of the
site, certainly no more than one layer deep, and also
specific prices on each piece.
site, certainly no more than one layer deep, and also
specific prices on each piece.
margaret sparks
May 30, 2000, 3:00:00 AM5/30/00
to
I have found it best to offer a price range for several items and then
negotiate on a one to one basis for individual pieces. Has any one tried
sculpting medium, winterstone? If so could I please have some hints re use
of sculpting winterstone. Thanks Margaret
negotiate on a one to one basis for individual pieces. Has any one tried
sculpting medium, winterstone? If so could I please have some hints re use
of sculpting winterstone. Thanks Margaret
0 new messages