Entries Tagged 'Internet' ↓

A few days ago I received an email from a friend and client of mine who asked, “why is art sold for so little on eBay?”

The answer to that question involves supply and demand. Hundreds, if not thousands of artists are trying to sell their work on eBay. I just did a quick check of the ‘paintings’ category on eBay and there are almost 50,000 different paintings! Many of these, especially by newer and unknown artists, are going for ridiculously low prices, often below $5. How can you ever make a living like this?

You can’t.

If you produce a less common form of art, say hand-formed clay tiles or wooden totems, you should have better luck. But with the current abundance of paintings, it is only natural that the prices have been driven so low. Now, certain paintings are going for a very decent price, but these are for the works of well-known artists.

I have a few suggestions on how to utilize eBay successfully. One method is to become well-known. In a future post I will give you some ways that you can accomplish this. Another method is to only try to sell art that falls within a category that does not have a high level of supply. If you are only a watercolorist, though, this will not do you much good.

The third method is to use eBay to help increase awareness of you and drive people towards another website. eBay rules do not allow you to include web addresses in your item description. One way to get around this is to use the About Me page to include that information, but I have an even more effective method. Sell an ebook. Create an ebook about a subject that will attract the sort of person you know would be interested in your art. If you are a pen and ink artist, write an ebook about the lives of well-known pen and ink artists and how to choose art that will increase in value as an investment. Include yourself in that list of artists and include your biography. Give your website in the book and let the reader know that there will be more information available there. Sell it for a price that is low enough to encourage purchasing, yet high enough to imply that there is value. I would suggest $7 and make sure that after they purchase it, they are sent a link to download it immediately. You can either just send them the direct link or go through a company like E-Junkie which charges only $5/month to provide protected download services (among many other really cool services).

There are many other ideas for ebook topics and I’m sure you can come up with several. Be creative and put on your marketing cap!

Speaking of value, provide it. Do not just throw together a few pages that talk about how wonderful you are. Provide useful and interesting information and do a good job. Get help writing and designing it if you need to and make sure that you provide real value for your customer. Here is a great article by Steve Pavlina that talks about this (sort of) and is well worth reading. And stay tuned for that post about how to become well-known!

Chris O’Byrne
OnlineArtsMarketing.com

The biggest mistake that most people and businesses commit is to make a sale and then move on to the next customer, never attempting to maintain a relationship. The person most likely to buy from you is a former customer. Think about it. You spent a lot of time and energy wooing that customer and establishing a relationship of trust. They went on to buy from you and have even more trust because of how you handled the sale and because of the quality of the product. Do you really want to just throw that all away?

You still have the customer’s contact information and you would be surprised by how many want to be kept in the loop. Continue to send them information about you and what you have to offer. Offer them incentives or even a percentage of the sale if they refer another customer to you. Help them help you to spread the word about you. Offer them additional solutions to the same problem or other problems that might have. Never assume that you are done with that customer and that you can leave them behind.

Make sure you keep track of each and every customer and all of their contact information. Stay in touch!

Read the book!

Chris O’Byrne
http://OnlineArtsMarketing.com/blog

Please do not confuse the kind of website that I have just talked about with a gallery website. Having simple websites that address specific customer problems with a clear call to action are important, but do not replace a well-designed gallery-style website. It is important that you have a tasteful website to send certain customers, galleries, and journalists to.

If you need an outstanding website go to www.chrisobyrne.com

I take on very few new clients and my prices are a reflection of the quality of work and service that you will receive. My special for readers of this book is $75/month which includes a complete customized design, unlimited service, and my full marketing program. (My normal fee is $100/month.)

Another great option is by programmer and former national art gallery owner, Clint Watson. Clint Watson and his company have a website service called FineArtStudioOnline that does everything you can think of for an online gallery. He makes it extremely easy to put up the typical pages and features (Bio, Contact, Links, Articles, Galleries, Portfolio, Books, Exhibits, Workshops), plus allows easy uploading and resizing of pictures. You can then arrange these into galleries and the number of pictures you can upload is determined by which monthly plan you are on. Even better (in my opinion) are all the marketing tools available. You can integrate a blog, have a signup for your own newsletter, view your site’s analytics, and, well, tons more that you have to see to believe.

Normally, you get a free 30-day trial period when you sign up. If you are reading this post, I have a special deal for you that I arranged directly with Clint. If you click on this link to go directly to FineArtStudioOnline, you will receive a 120-day free trial period AND he will throw in a copy of a teleseminar he did with Alyson Stanfield called “How to Be an Online Art Magnet” which also includes a 19-page ebook that goes into even more detail than what was covered on the teleseminar. I listened to this seminar live and it was worth every penny I paid for it. Now, just by signing up for a free 120-day trial of FineArtStudioOnline, you can get it for free.

Read the book!

Chris O’Byrne
http://OnlineArtsMarketing.com/blog

Unless you are dealing with high-ticket items that require several points of interaction between you and your potential customer, you should have your product online and easy to purchase. What constitutes a high-ticket item? That varies depending on the individual, but a good rule of thumb is any price starting at $200 and up.

If your product is of a relatively low cost ($19.99 or less) and that is all you are offering, then you can probably have a direct link to purchase your product. I would bypass the pink spoon (free sample) altogether and go straight for the sale. You do not, however, want to have only a brief description of your product and then expect them to buy. Include your whole sales letter and make it as long as possible (at least one full page). It has been tested time after time and long sales copy always sells more than short sales copy. Beef up your presentation with an audio clip. Better yet, include a video clip where you can talk directly to your customer. Remember that you are educating your potential customer, not trying to sell them. Yes, you want to sell them your product or service, but you want to do this through educating them and solving their most pressing problems and needs.

If your product or service costs more than $19.99, include the pink spoon. This adds one more step in the trust-building process and greatly improves your odds of making the sale.

This is also a good time to talk about the funnel process of selling. The basic idea is that you provide a series of steps, each of increasing committment, that helps the client build trust in you and your products. The first step is to entice your customer with a free taste, something that has perceived value to them. Next, offer them a product of lower cost, anything up to around $29. And so on and so on. There is a lot of leeway with the number of steps and the price points of the products, depending on what you are eventually hoping to sell.

There is not much more to add to this because this is supposed to be a simple process. Have a direct link to purchase your product or service and do not send them to another web page or make them call you first. On the other hand, many customers prefer to talk directly to you, so have a phone number that they can call if they want to. Even in this age where more and more people are buying directly online, there are still a huge number of people that prefer to talk to you directly. Remember, you want to make it as easy to buy from you as possible and that means being available by phone.

Read the book!

Chris O’Byrne
http://OnlineArtsMarketing.com/blog

The following advice applies to eBay auctions, your eBay store, your Etsy store or any other online art venue. Your title is your headline, make it a compelling “grab ‘em” offer. If you have a subtitle, load it up with your niche’s keywords. Make your content more than just a bland description of your product. Use the keywords and phrases that your niche is looking for and make it clear how their problem will be solved by buying your product. Use the same considerations as you would for your website.

For example, if I wanted to sell photographs on eBay, I would not just list some of my better prints. Even using the extras, such as the gallery picture and a border, they are probably not going to sell. When I do a little research, I see that most of the photographs selling are either vintage photos or photos from photographers with an established name. The others are a mix of erotica (which always seems to sell) and informational photos. I found a listing for a photobook of pictures of the Mississippi coast, before and after Hurricane Katrina.

Photography is every bit as much an art form as painting, but for some reason you see far more paintings in personal art collections than you do photographs. Since we are focusing on selling our art, let’s talk about what will sell. People are hungry for information. I would research and define a niche that had a specific problem or need and then create a product to fill that niche (sound familiar?). The photobook of the before and after photos of Hurricane Katrina’s destruction definitely targeted a niche. Most of the people buying these photobooks are people that were displaced from their homes and felt the destruction on a personal level. Sure, they lived every day with memories of before and after, but they had a psychological need to have that documentation in their hands.

Erotica fills another psychological need. One example I found was a man selling photographs of his wife’s feet in black fishnet stockings and stiletto heels. I’m sure this would offend the sensibilities of some people, but that’s not who his niche is. The people in his niche are buying these up!

The possiblities for niches and needs are endless. Look at your current work and think about what you might create and think about possible problems and needs that you can satisfy. Spend a day brainstorming and writing ideas down and then sift through those ideas for what you connect with. Research what is selling on eBay and all the other venues. Stay creative and several possibilities will come to you.

Read the book!

Chris O’Byrne
http://OnlineArtsMarketing.com/blog

One question that I have been asked is how to stand out from the crowd when you are dealing with an extremely crowded venue like eBay or Etsy. Accomplishing this is not much different from standing out in the crowd of artist websites that exist out there. There are thousands and thousands and you need to do something or you will sink in mediocrity. What will save you is your ability to target niches and market directly to them. Even if the customer is browsing from picture to picture, you can still stand out from the crowd.

eBay gives you several options for auctions that you should take advantage of. (This will make more sense if you are familiar with selling on eBay.) When setting up the description for your item, always use a gallery picture. This is the small picture that appears to the left of your item description when people are browsing categories or searching for items with your keywords. Also, always use Bold, and always use a Border! These two, along with using a gallery picture, really help your item to stand out from the crowd. The other options depend on the price of your item. A good rule of thumb is to stay at 50% of your profit or below for the total of your extras. (By extras, I mean things like the gallery picture and using a border and a bold font. There are others that you can purchase, but the price goes higher.) If paying $39 ensures that you sell an item for a $200 profit, it seems like a good deal to me.

Read the book!

Chris O’Byrne
http://OnlineArtsMarketing.com/blog

Before you start the sixth step, wait one week. Give them time to read or listen to your message and absorb it. After a week, continue your role as a problem solver. Help them decide if your product or service is best for them. Sure, you could just tell them that your product is best, but all that accomplishes is to put up warning flags in their mind. You want them to view you as a problem solver, not a sales person.

Think of how you would feel if you were presented with an offer to solve a pressing problem, perhaps where to take your car to get the windshield fixed. You go to a website where they start out by relating to your problem and sharing a similar situation that they went through. Then they present a solution that you may never have thought about before. For example, they might ask “Have you ever thought about repairing your own windshield yourself?” Oh, now that’s intriguing. You send an email to [email protected] and receive a short report that talks about a product that you can use yourself to fix that ding in your windshield. It includes a list of testimonials from other people like you that have had success with this product and then offers a coupon for a 25% discount for first-time buyers.

Now let’s say a week goes by and the company still has not heard from you. Chances are, you either have not made up your mind yet or you have decided that this solution is probably not for you. Wouldn’t it be great if you could get a little more information to help you decide? You then receive a personal email from someone at the company who writes:

“Hi, Chris. I noticed that you received my report on how to fix your own windshield. I know this solution isn’t for everybody, but sometimes it’s hard to know. I might have missed something when I talked to you about it, so maybe you could help ME out. What is it about the product that you are not sure about? Better yet, what would be the ideal solution for YOU? Would it be better for you to have somebody else fix the windshield? Would it be best to have somebody come to you and fix the windshield right there in front of you? Please help me out and send me an email at [email protected] and let me know what your ideal solution would be. Thanks, Bob”

If you are interested enough, you will send that email. Bob has also set it up so that when you send that email, you are automatically sent a list of frequently asked questions and their solutions. Bob (or his assistant) will then go over those emails and get back to you personally. If he is not able to provide the solution you want or need, he then goes on to offer advice on who could, even going to far as to send you to another company’s website or give you their address and phone number. Now THAT is problem solving!

Read the book!

Chris O’Byrne
http://OnlineArtsMarketing.com/blog

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Fifth, offer them more information, but in such a way as to make them ask for it. This is the pink spoon (think Baskin Robbins’ free sample) and it is at this stage that you want to capture their contact information. Have a free report or audio or video clip or recorded message for them to listen to or even a CD or DVD that you mail to them.

There are two schools of thought at this fifth stage. One is where you present the solution in generic terms and then follow up with a more direct sales pitch. The other is to provide the information and direct sales pitch at the same time. Personally, I feel the second approach makes more sense. By the time they have gone to your website and sent for more information, they are well aware that there is going to be a sales pitch of some sort. At this point, they want it. They want to know what you have to offer so they can decide if it makes sense for them. Don’t be coy and make them wait to hear about it, give it to them when they want it.

Read the book!

Chris O’Byrne
http://OnlineArtsMarketing.com/blog

Start with the headline that you used to get the customer there in the first place. That lets them know that they are at the right place and is less confusing.

Second, relate to them and their problems. Tell a story about how you experienced a similar problem. Show them that you understand what their problem is and can empathize. Use words such as ‘grapple’ and ‘struggle’.

Third, ask them if they are open to a different way of looking at the problem. Most people like to think of themselves as open minded, even to themselves.

Fourth, mention your solution in generic terms. Don’t mention your solution directly, but instead use language such as “Have you ever thought about… “ or “What if you tried… “. You want to get them intrigued with the idea, not give them a lot of information.
Read the book!

Chris O’Byrne
http://OnlineArtsMarketing.com/blog

First, let’s do a recap. By now, you have picked a niche, identified their problem or need, and identified a product or service to solve that problem or fill that need. You have also written your USP (one for each niche-problem-solution combination) and know which online marketing methods you are going to start with and test (SEO, PPC, and OSN). Now it is time to deliver your message.

I really want to stress that you should only have one website per message. You want one clear message per solution and that means having one website per solution. You could try using subdomains (such as problem1.chrisobyrne.com and problem2.chrisobyrne.com), but I think you will have less confusion with separate domain names (such as www.problem1.com and www.problem2.com).

When in doubt, the confused mind says ‘no’. Have a simple website and one path to follow. Do not have more than one page on your site and have only one link, the link to either get more information or to buy the product. All you want is a headline, the sales copy, and one action to take. Nothing more!

Read the book!

Chris O’Byrne
http://OnlineArtsMarketing.com/blog