Your best art customers - and how to get more of them!

February 6, 11:28 PMAtlanta Artist ExaminerDarla Dixon

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With all the tumult in the US economy, people are cutting back on expenses. Artists are no different than other consumers – they are cutting back too. Artists want to get the most out of what they pay for, and advertising is no exception.   

I believe that a key to getting results in advertising is to make sure your message is getting out to the audience that would be the most interested in what you offer. The best way to know that is to know the demographics of your typical buyers.

Try this exercise with me:
Off the top of your head, write down the names of about ten to twenty of your most wonderful buyers. We love all our clients, of course, but list those that were outstanding. Now, take just a moment and think about those great people.

What do they have in common?
This is not to exclude or judge other people. There isn't any "right" or "wrong" demographic. Of course, you will have art customers who don’t fit your profile at all, and that’s okay.

• What type of job do they do?
• What sort of income do they have?
• Do they live in certain geographic areas?
• Are most of them men or women?
• What types of hobbies do they enjoy?
• Do they drive a certain type or brand of vehicle?
• Do they have children?
• Do they have pets?
• If they have pets, what types?

When commonalities emerge, that gives you an idea of where the best places would be to advertise to reach their demographic – more people like them. Many companies that sell mailing lists will perform this service for you. I’ve had it offered, but declined it because I would need to submit my client’s phone numbers (that’s how they trace their info), but I don’t think it’s a good practice to share your customer’s contact information anytime without their permission.

If you had trouble thinking about your clients, you still have achieved a valuable result from this exercise. You didn’t get demographics, but what you did get was (hopefully) the realization that you do not know enough about your customers. Knowing about your customers is going to be more valuable than any advertising money you will ever spend on your business.

When I return, I will highlight some ways that you can interact with prior clients and gain future clients by using social networking. 

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