Art Marketing Buzz

Here is a short workshop presented by myself, Randy and Brett Hampton. We have a blast with this. It is short, informative and inexpensive.

 Dear Digital Photographers,

NEW WORKSHOP SCHEDULED 

PORTRAIT LIGHTING AND REALLY AWESOME WORKFLOW (RAW) 

JANUARY 24, 2009 FROM 10 am TO 8 pm

 This 1-day workshop will give you the opportunity to work’ hands on’ with studio and location lighting equipment. You will learn posing and lighting techniques to improve your shooting skills. There will also be a workflow session that will cover shooting in RAW file format for ultimate quality control.  You will also learn tips and tricks of editing with Lightroom and PhotoShop.

Please go to www.digitalcameraworkshop.net click on the Portrait link for complete details and registration information. 

Session one 10AM to 4:30 PM
THE POWER OF CORRECT EXPOSURE
•    f/stop and shutter speed selection with manual  exposure mode
•    using a flash meter to set light intensity
•    exposure target use for color control in post processing
THE WORKING STUDIO, LIGHTING AND POSING 
•    lighting with main, fill, background and hair lights
•    umbrella vs. softbox
•    background selection 
•    exposure control for a white background 
•    reflectors and light modifiers
•    using window light

Session two 5:00 to 8:00 PM
REALLY AWESOME WORKFLOW – RAW
•    Shooting RAW – a recipe for success 
•    Lightroom and Photoshop production
•    Using actions and other editing tools
•    Photographic painting demo
Lunch served at 12:30 and dinner at 5:00 PM
Two photo studios on site for student use
Students supply their camera gear and laptop.

Questions: call Randy at 402-423-8992
 Nebraska 4H center.

http://www.digitalcameraworkshop.net/Portrait.html

Marketing art seems to be a different animal for many.  Art though is easier than some intangibles though.  As always the “experience” should be high on the list of how you market your unique pieces or art.  We are in a challenging economic time some say.  I still say I refuse to participate, however, the times are unique and it brings s opportunity.  In a recent article from marketer Jane Lee Johnson, it was brought up that continued marketing now can pay huge dividends later, “Those who continue to market through economic downturns are far more likely to benefit than those who cut their marketing budgets too much during troubled times. Think about it - the best time to gain visibility with your prospects is when your competition is cutting back. And because so many are cutting back, your messages have more opportunities to get through.”

Common sense and altruism still rule and maybe even more so.  People are embracing authenticity, transparency and simplicity.  Duh.  Why would one ever move away from that to start with?  I dunno but many have and it has caused most of us to turn a deaf ear to anything from a sales and marketing perspective.  Our BS detectors are on high alert.  Good.  It gives small regional artists the opportunity to capture more clients for the mailing list.  

We are tired of the pundits on high draggin’ the whole system down. As a result, “we are increasingly shutting out “marketing” and “news sources” and turning to our friends and families - our smaller, more intimate and immediate circles of influence - and appreciating them more, sharing information with them, and (likely as a result) bs’ing less” (Janet Lee Johnson, November 25, 2008) 

If you agree with this it means that social media marketing is even more important.  More and more people are exploring the opportunity to use social means as a marketing method.  People trust people they know and interact with. Generally people will ask family, friends, followers for input and advice when researching just about anything.  It again does create a huge opportunity to blast your brand like never before…and targeted.  So just as Janet Lee Johnson suggests it is time to:

Listen more than we speak
Offer expert service more than braggadocio
Engage rather than cajole
And show rather than tell…

Rethink everything.  Be real.  Until next time, Live, Love and Laugh.

Kevin Hulsey has written an awesome tutorial that is especially useful for those who are new to Wacom tablets. In this article he covers the topics of the tablet-to-screen ratio, tip pressure, pen angle, and macro pen button settings, with lots of screen shots to help you along the way.

http://www.khulsey.com/wacom_tablet_tutorial.html

http://guides.macrumors.com/Setting_Up_A_Wacom_Tablet_Tutorial
http://fox-orian.deviantart.com/art/Wacom-Photoshop-Painter-Guide-85536306 http://www.wacom.com/tips/photoshop.cfm

This is an event that will bring your Art to a new level. What is an Artist Rendezvous? Well the Buffalo Bills Artist Rendezvous is in North Platte, NE. This event is put together to bring Western Artists together with Western models. The artist and actors/models work together to organize scenarios for photographing, those images then are used as resource material for the artist. This event is in during the week of NebraskalandDays, which is a celebration of Nebraska’s western heritage. June 20-22, 2009. This is a unique opportunity to meet high-end professional artist working in the western genre. Care is taken to limit the number of artist to 50 to ensure a specific market is not flooded with the same model/location/scenarios. Artist and models are on an invitation only basis.

Artist work directly with the actors/models to create the scenario they have in mind. The event is 250.00 for artist if they sign up by January 31, 2009. After that the entry fee goes to 300.00. That covers the three days of opportunity to work with the actors. The actors are paid by the artist who work with them. So each model will makea different amount of money. A person who has a unique look or regalia may be utilized more than someone else. For Artist bugeting purposes generally artist spend 2000.00-3000.00 in the weekend in tips. A good rule of thumb is $1 a minute forthe actors time. If the model or actor has equine or another animal then it may be 2$ a minute. It really works nicely. It may sound like a bunch of money to some but you are getting access to a model in period western gear, If you work with that model for 15 minutes it will only cost you 15-30 bucks. Oh and also this particular event is held at Buffalo Bill State Park in North Platte. We will ahve access to the barn, cabin and house for images. We also have 240 acres next door with 3/4 of a mile riverfront that we will utilize, and finally we will be able to access the Historical museum grounds where there are over 20 buildings to be used.   As an additional benefit there is also an established art show that artist can jury into to make good use of time and travel expenses.  The Nebraskaland Days Governors Art show is at the Qualty Inn and Suites Sandhills Convention Center.  The art show is a separate event not associated with the rendezvous.  We are working together though to make a better opportunity for artists.  The participation fee for the Governors Art show is only 100.00 and includes a 16′x4′ space to display your work, admission to an Artist’s reception and Buffalo Bill Rodeo on Thursday, June 18 and a buyers reception on Friday June 19.  Their will also be a 25% commission for any sale or commissioned work arranged during the show.  

The artists and models will be invited by a jury process. If you have interest in application please contact Tim ONeill at topimages@msn.com. or 308-520-6512.  You also can view the blog at http://www.buffalobillartistrendezvous.com/

Here is a greaat video from my friends at the Common Craft show.  It is an over view and answers the question ,”what is Twitter?”  After looking at tehe video you may say something like oh thats cool but…why?  Dan at Empty Easel answers much of the why question.  We will address why, and how you can use if for art marketing later.  I believe it can be  great tool for marketing your art.  There may be tricks to do that and mush of it is the network you become a part of.  As I am not an expert I will find some people who are and bring there information to you.

Hey Everyone!!! The weekend is here yahoo!!. Don’t you take comfort in knowing no more Monday’s is just around the corner?! I can feel it! Right, so lets talk about pricing today. What is the perfect price? It is a question I am asked frequently. Well Daniel Levis, copywriter and internet marketing guru talks about pricing below. Great stuff.

That’s when both you & your customer make maximum profit.
Huh, customers making a profit? That’s right, people buy
when they see more use value in the goods or services that
you’re selling, than the price you’re asking. The MORE, is
their profit.

When a prospective customer is exposed to your advertising
& sales message, one of the things they do is mentally
calculate their profit potential. The greater the delta
between what they perceive as their profit potential, &
the price, the more likely the sale. Of course they are
also ’shopping’ for the highest margin, & the lowest risk
of actually achieving that profit, post sale. You can see
why your sales message is so important.

So far, so good, but how do you know what constitutes the
perfect price? Price too low, and you could be leaving more
money on the table than you’d like with each transaction.
You could even be discouraging some sales with your price,
because people do subconsciously associate price with
quality. Is a Mercedes really worth three times as much
as a Ford?

But price too high, and sales suffer.

WHO ELSE WANTS TO MAKE THEIR PRICE PERFECT?

AMAZING NEW TOOL REVEALS THE PRICE THAT EXPLODES
YOUR SALES & PROFITS!
http://myps-masters.sitesell.com/Tims_marketing_buzz.html

The relationship between price, sales volume, & profit
is a critically important question for any business.

‘The Math is Striking’

To illustrate this point, let’s say you’re selling a
Whoville Map & Attraction Guide (Dr. Seuss turns 100
this year you know) for $10 bucks a crack. Reducing
the price by 10% decreases your profit margin by a
whopping 50%! Therefore, sales must more than double
for the price reduction to pay.

On the other hand, if raising the price by 10% had no
impact on sales, you’re profit margin just went from 20%
to over 27%! Of course pricing theory is more complex
than that, but you get the idea. Download a crash course
that gives a very simple, easy to follow outline of
accepted pricing theory, & some fresh ideas too.

http://myps.sitesell.com/Tims_marketing_buzz.html
Keep your wallet in your pocket though. It’s a gift!

Needless to say, the highness, or the lowness, of your
pricing has a dramatic impact on your sales conversion,
and your profit margin. Split test a wide variety of
different prices for your product, & you’ll see major
swings in conversion. But split testing also reveals
some other very interesting quirks of human nature when
it comes to the perception of price.

Here are a few examples.

‘Pricing Psychology’

Humans buy first on emotion, then on logic. What if I
believed that the Whoville Map & Attraction guide that
you’re selling would make me look smart on a date? Would
I be open to the suggestion that it costs something
meaningfully less than $10, if you offered it to me for
$9.99?

Humor aside, the answer is oddly enough yes. That 1-cent
can have a significant impact according to tests conducted
by The Professional Pricing Society. What about $9.95?
Four times the impact? Nope, just 4 cents (a full 2%)
less margin for you.

Some other findings.

Above $10, .99 is perceived as ‘greedy’. Better to go
with .95 or .75. Above $100? Better to stick with whole
numbers.

‘The Value of Bundling’

Everyone loves to feel like they are getting something
for nothing. Again, the rational mind knows that there is
no such thing. But once we become passionate about
wanting something, we are more than happy to justify
our indulgence by letting ourselves believe it.

The self-talk goes something like this. ‘Hey I know this
is a major purchase, & I really hadn’t budgeted for it,
but I’d have to be nuts not to grab these no cost extras’.

Studies prove that a bundle of goods will often make more
money than where the items are sold separately, even with
lower margins, largely due to this perception.

‘Ancient Pricing Secret’

In 1922, Henry Ford said, ‘Any customer can have a car
painted any color they like, as long as it’s black’. At
the time, he had a strangle hold on the car market.

How did Alfred Sloan (GM) overtake him in less than a
decade, & never look back? By asking customers how they
felt.

‘Price your product, based on the value your market
PERCEIVES, IMMEDIATELY after being exposed to your
sales message’. Read that again.

Just follow the simple steps outlined in this nifty
little software package
http://myps-masters.sitesell.com/Tims_marketing_buzz.html
Learn how to quickly, easily, & scientifically let your
market determine your perfect price.

The tool lays it all out for you in easy to interpret
charts, graphs, & tables.

Before long the relationships between perceived value,
sales volume, & margin, become an open book.

Eureka! Your perfect price.

Funnel the money your competitors are flushing down the
drain with ‘cost plus margin’, and ‘whatever the market
will bear’ pricing into YOUR bank account!

Here’s the link again.
http://myps-masters.sitesell.com/Tims_marketing_buzz.html

“Click here to start reading your FREE (Make Your Price Sell) Masters Course today. If you want to print a copy and review the e-book offline, right-click to download it.”

When it comes to fun things art you have to check out Emptyeasel.com. Dan has one of the coolest blogs ever. You will find something that interests you…you could lose yourself for days. Lots of depth. He has been at this bloggin thing for a while, his site and knowledge specific to the ways of the web certainly show it. This week there is an AWESOME post related to marketing on twitter. Woohoo! Marketing, Art and social media applications? In one post? Bulls-eye for what I love and teach. Admittedly I really am a newbie at the whole social media gig. I began twittering at the beginning of this year…and bailed. OMG. What a train wreck. Not that I didn’t see merit because I do. Figuring out how to use it without getting over-run with tweet overload, was the challenge. I am still a newbie but in the last nine months I have learned a ton. I recently began twittering again with my real name as some of the testing and “you are a ding-dong” experiences should be in the past. So anyway the timing of Dan’s article is perfect. You should go see his article and then come back here next week. I will have a few free basic video tutorials on getting hooked up with twitter. Twe-ya later. tim