Creative Biz Note #18

The Illusion of Promotion

I listen to the podcasts and read many forums...one thing that seems to pop-up is the disgust for paid promotional websites and source books. Are these forms of advertising nothing more than deceitful, magical illusions of grandeur swindling all the artists? Many will argue...that you have to spend money to make money. Yes, you have to do your research, work within a budget and be smart about your advertising. But an artist will never survive on postcards or word-of-mouth only. Remember, this is coming from a guy with a background in promotional advertising--so, maybe this is not of biased opinion.

As a beginner, have a budget and take it slow. Join free portfolio sites. Postcards and cold-calling will work just fine too. Build your own client list by doing bookstore or online research. And possibly even purchase an email listing of art directors and art buyers. Exposure and persistence are key!!


Paid online portfolio sites--some can be lacking in web technology. A good search engine is a must. After a couple of years into illustration I made a simple rule...if I hadn't heard of the website, then it probably wasn't worth it. Let's look at paid online portfolio sites with a clear mindset--these sites are basically selling a connection from client to artist. Are these companies nothing more than inexpensive sites selling artists a costly piece of online real estate in the "hopes" of luring clients? I would imagine that the overhead costs would be fairly low. What do they truly bring to the table? Can you get enough home page presence to stand from the crowd? We currently pay to be on iSpot, AltPick and ChildrensIllustrators. For us, these sites have paid-off. I'm beginning to believe that discovering a site that works with your particular style and targeted industry is part of the puzzle.

I've talked about source books before. Overall, the books are dying (in my opinion). Perhaps the source book websites are going strong but is it worth the hefty price-tag? The illusion here is that if you spend all this money--"they will come". Not necessarily true...it could go either way. My guess is that the books will slowly fade-out and all that will be left are the sites. This recession has already buried a few.

Usually, artists mail out postcards every 2-3 months. Slacking on this will get you in trouble because you need to continuously be pushing yourself out there. Postcards (in the U.S.) cost about $1 per card to print and mail-out. Then add another $1000 for a mailing list (if you don't have your own) and it starts to get expensive! Some of these ADs get piles of postcards in the mail--most get tossed. According to a marketing expert I know, receiving a 2% response to a direct mail campaign is considered good. 200 postcards equals four calls (possibly). But of these four maybe one or two only works out--this is called your conversion rate (typically 30-50%). On the upside, this new client may be a repeat client! Tracking your successive series of campaigns that have turned prospects into loyal customers is valuable information when it comes to developing your next campaign.

A Quick Story: I've READ that "cold-calling" is the way to go. It's relatively inexpensive and you CAN receive good results (according to a few articles out there). Not sure about this. I guess it's the matter of painfully doing it!! LOL Use bullet pointed notes when on the phone-call with the AD. The story...I recall slouching in a worn-out chair in a creative director's office, achingly pulling concepts from my head onto paper. I remember watching the CD squirm in his ultra-ergo seat while on the phone...dying to jump off a cold-call conversation! The odd observation...of all the numerous times I saw it happen, every AD or CD always took the time to listen. Did the CD use the artist? Nope.

The idea: Be persistent with promoting--ruthless--your career depends on it. Faithfully test each promotional tactic. And most importantly, realize that someone else's bad news may be your good news. Everyone's style, branding and approach varies and, thus, the results vary. And finally, don't get pulled into the illusion that spending big money means receiving big money.

Next Creative Biz Note #19---Show Me the Money

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