I saw this in Tony Moffitt’s Art Blog and thought it was a terrific idea: a handout kit for your buyers, like the press kit that companies send to the media.

As in everything else, advertising is the name of the game. You have just sold your work and this kit gives you the opportunity of reaching people not there at that moment.

It could be just an envelope with some pictures of your art work still for sale, a short bio, a list of galleries or places where you are exhibiting. Make sure to include your business card with information about how to reach you, the address of your website if you have one, an email or telephone number.

Just imagine, somebody just bought one of your pieces, took it home and showed it to his or her friends and family. Now with the kit, they can show their enthusiasm about their buy, sharing with them more information about you and your work.

What else could we include in our handout kit? Let’s hear your ideas.

When interviewing for an important position with a technology company, I wore my best suit and tie and made sure my shoes were shiny and my shirt fresh and crisp. Of course I was clean shaven and I even used some of the men’s hair color to hide most of my gray hair. Why would I go to all that trouble? To make sure I made a strong first impression with a person who could positively (or negatively) impact my financial future.

Artists face the same challenge of getting a potential buyer’s favorable attention. The primary difference is that we are not expected to wear business suits and wing-tips. No, the first impression we usually make is with our art. When we do shows, the potential buyer gets to see our work in person but what about the people who have not had that opportunity yet? Or what happens when the people who did see our art can’t remember it from the scores of other work they saw at a show?

In the old days (a few years ago), the business card was what we entrusted to convey something memorable about ourselves into the home and offices of those potential buyers. We still need business cards today and those cards are more important than ever in helping people to remember you, your work, how to reach you, and how to see more of your work on the internet. The internet? Yes, the internet! Like it or not, the internet is today what the business card tried to be but never could mainly due to its size constraints.

Still, the business card and the internet have some things in common. The FIRST thing they should have in common is a very high-quality image that is representative of your work. The advantage to the internet is that you can show several images or your entire portfolio. The key though is that the image just has to look great-period. Why should you expect someone to show interest in fuzzy, off-color, dingy, crooked images showing glare, or your kitchen chair in the background?  They won’t and neither would a show jury so why not show them a great image instead?

More to follow…

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