Build Your List. If I got nothing else out of Art Biz Makeover last November, it was Build Your List. In 2015 I got aggressive with this. At every art festival, I have 2 locations were people can sign up. When someone asks me for a card, I respond by signing them up first, then they get a card. that list is so valuable that in one show, I sent a post show order that was so large, it had to go by crate via Common Carrier. It was all photography for a business office.
My goal was for 2015 was to send out a quarterly newsletter. I realized very quickly, that it needed to be monthly and went one step further and began segregation that list by zip code, so that I can market each zip code when I am doing a show in that area. I realized that you have to have a constant presence in order for people to remember you, follow you, find you, and then purchase from you.
I may not have the perfect newsletter yet, but my goal is to try to give a photo tip on how anyone can take better pictures, a current schedule link to all my shows, a free monthly drawing, and some sort of discount or special offering that ONLY my subscribers can get.
I keep a note pad with me all the time, so if I have down time, or during travels, I can pre-write upcoming newsletters. My personal coach told me that any excuse to avoid doing something, no matter how you present it or defend it, is still just that; an excuse. So, I have a no excuse approach to building my list and staying in contact with my list.