Do This!
Artist Marketing Newsletter Focusing on Action Steps

What's Going On: Announcements /Classes
>>>Do This: Cuddle Up to the Mavens
Tip / Find of the Week:  Postcards
Artists Respond: What They Have To Say

WHAT'S GOING ON

: : Class: THE ARTIST'S STATEMENT AND BEYOND : :
begins June 6
Can you believe it's almost summer?! Some of us are celebrating already. But don't let things go. Get your statement ready for the fall art season. The right language can make you sound more intelligent and help boost your sales. http://www.artbizcoach.com/classes/statement.shtml

: : ART BUSINESS WORKSHOPS : :
Visit beautiful Colorado next fall for a workshop geared toward artists seeking to boost their sales at arts festivals. Find more details and sign up to stay informed at: http://www.artbizworkshops.com (Look for a special announcement later this week in your inbox.)

Last week I started writing about Malcolm Gladwell's seminal business book entitled The Tipping Point. If you missed that issue, let me recap my opening:

In the book, Gladwell describes groups of people that are indispensable to getting the word out about a new product. In other words, they are the ones who generate the buzz. They "tip" the product or idea--turning it from forgettable to highly desirable.

The three groups Gladwell identifies are the most powerful forces in marketing today: Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen. He uses them to describe everything from the success of Paul Revere's ride to health epidemics to the Hush Puppies shoe fad to youth suicides in Micronesia. Fascinating stuff, but I don't want to get off track here.

Last week's newsletter was about Connectors and you can find it at http://www.artbizcoach.com/dothis/connectors.shtml 

Today I want to discuss Mavens.

Mavens are fascinating creatures. Whereas Connectors are "Masters of the Weak Tie" (they know lots and lots of people--if only superficially), Mavens are "Collectors of Information." They're the ones who write into Consumer Reports to correct the articles.

As Gladwell writes, "What sets Mavens apart, thought, is not so much what they know but how they pass it along. The fact that Mavens want to help, for no other reason than because they like to help, turns out to be an awfully effective way of getting someone's attention."

Isn't this true? Don't we listen to our friends and acquaintances far more than we listen to a sales pitch on television or in a magazine? They share with us because they care about us, our needs, and our desires. They're telling us out of affection, not because they're going to make any money from their actions.

To pinpoint a Maven, look for people with the following characteristics: inquisitive, always learning, "pathologically helpful," unselfish. They're full of information, but in a helpful, not a know-it-all, kind of way. You want to be around them. You want to soak up what they know.

If you use Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox, you can forward this page to a friend by going up to your menu and, under "File," select "Send"  or "Send Page."  Or just copy and paste this URL into a message: http://www.artbizcoach.com/dothis

TIP / FIND OF THE WEEK: Postcards  

Tim Fleming, Boulders, Salt Point.  Crystal archive photograph, 2003. ©The Artist http://www.timfleming.com

Design your postcards for the bar coding that goes on the front of every one sent in US domestic mail. (I'm not sure about international mail.)

I get a lot of artists' postcards. To the best of my understanding, if you float an image with a white or light background on the front, the US Postal Service can just print their code (on the length of the card) right on your card. However, if you use a dark image that covers the front, the USPS places a sticker on the front of each card with their bar coding on it--obscuring your image.

Next time you send a mailing, send one to yourself and a couple of trusted friends. Find out what it looked like when it was received.

ARTISTS RESPOND 

Diane Ronayne of Boise, ID, wrote to comment on last week's newsletter entitled Find the Connectors:

"Interesting advice this week, Alyson, and right on point. I function as a Connector in several interest areas in Boise, including arts, and I DO enjoy this (unpaid) aspect of my business very much. In fact, the satisfaction I feel from connecting people often equals the satisfaction I receive from getting a paycheck. I totally agree with your advice to seek out Connectors. Your artists will be doing THEM a favor!"

"As part of my 'guerilla marketing,' I have sought to position myself as a nexus of information for the progressive community. My email database contains 2000 names, some sorted into groups for faster access. When information comes to me that I know would be of interest to people on that list, I can easily deliver it to them--with my name and business card attached."

Copyright © 2005 Alyson B. Stanfield. All rights reserved. 

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