Pay a Company to Marker Your Art?

Q: I'm in contact with a company that markets art and artists. For several thousand dollars, they create a mailer that includes a color brochure, an 8 by 10 inch photograph of my work, a cover letter and a resume. They give me several hundred mailers for my own use and they also mail them out over 500 to dealers, galleries, publishers, consultants and others who they claim will have an interest in my work. For a lot less money, I can put together my own mailer. Which do yo think I should do?

A: I have a hard time believing that over 500 dealers, galleries, publishers, and consultants will be interested in any artist's art unless that artist is really really famous. And if an artist is really really famous, they don't need anyone to market their art. What they usually need is more art because they can't meet the demand. So I'm immediately suspicious of any such offer. But if you still want to pursue this, here's what you do...

Before paying any money, check this company's references the same way you would anyone else who you are thinking about doing business with. Find out how many artists they've promoted in this manner. Request names of at least ten, contact at least five personally, and find out whether they're satisfied with the results. A legitimate marketing firm with a successful track record won't hesitate to provide references. If they're at all reluctant or only give out a name or two, think seriously about taking your business elsewhere.

Ask the artists they refer you to how much new business they got as a direct result of this company's mailings. Find out whether or how quickly they recouped their initial investments. Ask how the firm is to do business with in terms of promptness, cooperation, quality of work, customer satisfaction, and so on.

In addition to providing references, have the company send you at least five mailers they've created for other artists. Observe their similarities and differences. If they're pretty much the same in terms of layout, wording, and other respects, having the company do your marketing is probably not a good idea. This means that they're not individually customizing, but rather running an assembly line type of operation. It also indicates that the names on the their mailing lists are probably receiving identical mailer after identical mailer and are most likely not taking the company or its artists very seriously. Variety between mailers is what you're looking for.

Lastly, interview at least five dealers or galleries that the company regularly mails to and find out how likely they are to respond to mailers. Ask whether mailers are received individually or packaged together (the more artists are grouped together in a single mailing, the less attention each artist receives). Find out how many artists they've received information on, how many they've contacted, how much business has resulted, and how successful those relationships have been. Look for signs that the company is respected and regarded as a good resource for meeting and forming business relationships with new artists.

Regarding producing and distributing your own mailer, this is only a good idea if you enjoy designing promotional materials and accepting the numerous responsibilities involved in distributing them. You may save money, but you'll be investing plenty of time writing and laying out your brochure, finding a company to produce it, having it printed, locating names of potential customers, doing mailings, making follow-up calls, and so on.

If neither mailer situation sounds all that exciting, save your time and money and continue making contacts the old fashioned way. Network within your community, speak with as many potential buyers as possible, and don't let rejections get you down. In most cases, galleries, agents, consultants, publishers, and collectors are not that much more responsive to slick mailings than they are to standard resumes, bios, cover letters, photographs or slides, and other relevant information. They know what types of art they're looking for regardless of its packaging (assuming basic neatness and clarity requirements are met) and don't expect expensive or sophisticated marketing presentations. Getting your art out there is never easy, but keep at it and sooner or later good things happen.