This Post is by Clint Watson, founder of FineArtViews.
Follow Clint on Twitter.
The last few years have seen the development of fantastic new technologies that artists can utilize to have
conversations with their customers. And you certainly should consider using the tools that work for you.
But as we look at the "lay of the land" today, we have to conclude that email is still the king.
Consider the following:
How many of
your customers use
Twitter?
Maybe a few. Probably more this year than last year (as Twitter has become somewhat of a media darling).
How many of
your customers are on
Facebook?
Probably a few more. (Since Facebook has nearly 30 times more users than Twitter).
How many of
your customers are on
MySpace?
Maybe some, (if they even still check their Myspace profile.)
How may of
your customers subscribe to your
RSS feed?
Probably a few, maybe several.
How many of your customers visit your website and/or blog?
Probably quite a few of them.
How many of your customers and even your prospective customers have and check email?
Nearly all of them.
Which method are you going to choose as your
primary way of reaching your customers?
I would suggest you go with the one that reaches more of your customers (hint: it's email). If the landscape changes down the road, fine, you can change how you communicate too.
Here's what Yaro Starak wrote about email vs. Twitter, "
Twitter will never match email marketing for effectiveness unless of course people stop using email . . . Twitter is fast becoming the little sister of the email list and a great
additional marketing channel."
In other words, get your email marketing ramped up and working first, then, if you have time or desire, add Twitter, Facebook and other social network sites to compliment your email efforts.
This is sometimes called the "hub and spoke" approach. Think of your website, blog and email newsletter as your hub. If you use social networking then your Twitter stream, your Facebook profile, your Myspace page, your comments on other people's blogs, your participation in online forums, your work in online galleries, and your other social networking accounts become "spokes" that send people and traffic back to your "hub."
Just be sure your hub has something of value to offer people when they do decide to visit it.
Alyson Stanfield of ArtBizCoach.com also has strong feelings about your email list, often calling it an artists #1 asset . . . .
if they use it (By the way, I
highly recommend Alyson's book,
I'd Rather Be in the Studio). So, if you haven't started an email newsletter, I recommend you get cracking.
Remember, email is still the king . . . . and it's good to be in the company the king.
Now,
go change the world.
Sincerely,
Clint Watson
Software Craftsman and Art Fanatic
PS - You want an email newsletter system that lets you easily drop in images of your artwork. You also need a system run by email professionals so that you don't run afoul of overactive spam filters. If you want a world-class email newsletter system that automatically integrates with your website and blog, all at a great price, give our sister site,
FineArtStudioOnline a try.
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And if @gapingvoid's right, ahead of time, like usual, his new email newsletter will persist beyond his use of Twitter.
Of course, the trick is, as with RSS, getting people to subscribe, to commit to the automated pull of communication. I hesitate because it quickly begins to feel like push advertising to me. My blog posts are fairly consistent though, so if you like one, you'll probably like more. We'll see.
Peace.
@vinylart