Why Every Artist Needs to Work on Their Email Marketing
/Why Every Artist Needs to Work on Their Email Marketing
As an artist, it’s essential to have a reliable and consistent way to communicate with your audience, and email marketing is a powerful tool that can help you achieve just that.
In fact, a recent case study from an Arts Marketing Association conferenced showed that artists get 173% more conversions through email campaigns than they do through social media, so it is crucial that as an artist you work on building your contact list to take advantage of all the benefits your art business can gain through these email campaigns.
Why is email marketing essential for artists?
To build and maintain relationships:
Email marketing allows you to communicate with your subscribers regularly and consistently.
By sending personalized emails, you can create a deeper connection with your subscribers and build a sense of loyalty. You can share your creative process, personal stories, and other exclusive content with your audience, and thank your subscribers for their support and keep them up-to-date with your latest work.
To drive sales:
Email marketing is an effective way for you to promote your artwork and drive sales.
By including links to your online store, you can make it easier for subscribers to purchase your work. You can also use email marketing to announce upcoming exhibitions, art fairs, and other events where your work will be featured.
To showcase your work:
Email marketing allows you to showcase your artwork and share your creative process with your subscribers.
By including high-quality images of your work in your email campaigns, as an artist you can give your subscribers a glimpse into your world and create a stronger connection with them. You can also use email marketing to share behind-the-scenes content, such as sketches, process videos, and other exclusive content.
To stay top-of-mind:
Email marketing help you stay top-of-mind with your subscribers.
By sending regular email campaigns, you can ensure that your subscribers don’t forget about you and your work. Use email marketing to remind your subscribers about upcoming events, new artworks and other important updates.
What Content Should I Include in my Email Campaigns?
Here’s a few ideas of what you can share with your subscribers:
Your creative process;
Personal stories that influenced your artwork or you as an artist;
Exclusive content for email subscribers only;
Announcing new work on your online store;
Announcing upcoming exhibitions and art fairs you’re exhibiting at;
Behind-the-scenes content, such as sketches;
Videos of you producing your artwork.
How do I get people to subscribe to my newsletter?
Getting people to subscribe to your newsletter can be a challenge, but there are several tricks and tips that can help artists grow their email list. Here are some effective ways to encourage people to subscribe to your newsletter:
Offer an incentive:
By offering something of value, you’ll give people a reason to sign up.
This could be an exclusive discount on your artwork, a free digital download of your work, early access to your store before new sales go out to public, or access to exclusive content that is only available to subscribers.
Use a lead magnet:
A lead magnet is a valuable resource that you offer to your potential subscribers in exchange for their email address.
This could be a free e-book, a printable or a guide that’s relevant to your niche or art style.
Be clear about what subscribers can expect:
Tell your subscribers what type of content they will receive, how often you’ll send it, and what benefits they will get from subscribing.
This will help to set expectations and ensure that subscribers know what they’re signing up for.
Leverage social media:
Leverage your social media profiles to promote your newsletter and encourage people to subscribe.
You can use social media to offer sneak peeks of the content that’s available to subscribers, or share a link to your lead magnet.
How often should I be sending my email campaigns?
One of the most common questions that artists have about email marketing is how often they should be sending their email campaigns to their subscribers.
Here are some considerations to keep in mind when deciding how frequently to send email campaigns:
Quality over quantity:
It’s important to remember that the quality of your email campaigns is more important than the frequency.
Your subscribers will appreciate well-crafted, personalized content, and will likely become annoyed if they receive too many low-quality, generic emails.
Match your content to your frequency:
The frequency of your emails should match the type of content you’re sending.
If you’re sending high-quality, personalized content, you might be able to send more frequent emails. If you’re sending promotional content, such as sales or discounts, you might want to send emails less frequently to avoid annoying your subscribers.
Test and adjust:
The best way to determine the ideal frequency for your email campaigns is to test different frequencies and adjust accordingly.
Send emails at different frequencies and track your open and click-through rates to see what works best for your audience.
Art experts argue that newsletters should be sent no more than twice a week and no fewer than once a month. If you’re sending too often, your emails will start to feel like spam to your subscribers, but sending them too infrequently will make your contacts forget who you are.
Which platform should I use to send my email campaigns?
There are many email marketing platforms available, each with its own features, pricing, and ease of use.
Here are some of the most popular email marketing platforms that artists can use to send their email campaigns:
Mailchimp:
Mailchimp is one of the most popular email marketing platforms available. It offers a user-friendly interface, easy-to-use templates, and a wide range of features, including automation, segmentation, and A/B testing. Mailchimp offers a free plan for up to 1,000 subscribers, and paid plans start at £10.85/month.
Constant Contact:
Constant Contact is another popular email marketing platform that offers a user-friendly interface, customizable templates, and a wide range of features, including automation and list management. The platform’s paid plans start at £8/month.
ConvertKit:
ConvertKit is an email marketing platform designed for bloggers and creatives. It offers a range of features, including automation, segmentation, and integrations with other tools such as Shopify and WordPress. ConvertKit offers a free plan up to 300 subscribers, and paid plans start at $9/month.
SendinBlue:
SendinBlue is an email marketing platform that offers a range of features, including automation, segmentation, and A/B testing. It also offers SMS marketing and landing page builder. SendinBlue offers a free plan for up to 300 emails per day and paid plans start at £16/month.