Art Marketing Action Podcasts from Alyson B. Stanfield and ArtBizCoach.com

> Final episode of the Art Marketing Action podcast. You're grateful for your health, your family, and your freedom, but when is the last time you acknowledged a debt of gratitude for the common things in life? Things like running water, laughter, and your computer. Let me remind you of these and give you a few resources to look up.

If you're not embracing email, blogs, and social media to sell your art, follow the examples of Shelly Lewis Stanfield and Karen Bubb. You can do amazing things by using your mailing list, putting yourself out there, and going the traditional route.

The goal is never to work harder. It's to work smarter. We can only work so hard before maxing out. That's when it's time to move on to something new. The last Art Marketing Action Podcast will be broadcast on November 24, 2010. Is there something in your life that you need to release? Where do you need to move on?

Both your blog and Facebook allow you to update your followers. They give people a place to comment and for you to respond in turn. Both your blog and Facebook allow you to share images of your art. So far, they sound the same. But... and this is critical... Facebook can never replace your brand. Facebook is its own brand and cares only about promoting itself.

Making art is all about you and what you have to say to the world. Marketing your art isn't about you. Marketing is about your audience and potential audience. You're aiming to connect with others. It's hard to connect if your marketing is I-centric.

Other people can help you promote your art events more effectively if you offer a stash of publicity resources for their use. Online media rooms on your site are a must-have, but you should also provide guidance for promoting specific exhibit openings, workshops, demonstrations, fundraisers, and performances. You must make it easy for others to promote you. When you want help spreading the word about your events, use this publicity checklist before asking for help.

The number one complaint I hear from artists is that they don't have enough time. Sometimes it's not so much a complaint, but a fear -- a fear that they'll be overwhelmed if they have to add one more business or marketing task to their list of things to do. We all have the same amount of time, but some of us have learned strategies to be more efficient. See if implementing one or more of these ideas can buy you some sanity.

Bulk email messages can hit a lot of people at once, but your personal notes will elicit action. Whether you're telling people about a workshop, inviting them to an opening, or announcing a sale, a personal email (or letter or phone call) will garner far more attention than a mass announcement. Write to one person, address them by name, be clear on the call to action, and personalize the subject line.

Your number 1 asset in your art business is the people you know and, more importantly, the people who know you. We group these people together, call them a "mailing list" and store their information in a database. If we're on top of things, we use that information from time to time. But if you use social media, you have contact with many more people than you have had in the past. The broad connections are important, but you can't neglect that core group of VIPs.

Photographs of your art in situ add a whole new dimension to the presentation of your work. In art, in situ means the place where the artwork is installed or exhibited. Rather than showing the work by itself, photograph it in a likely environment. This podcast gives you some examples.