How the simple postcard offers a marketing edge
Sometimes the simplest of marketing tactics can be the most effective. At a time when art buyers are being inundated with promotional emails, a simple printed postcard featuring a strong image has the power to cut through the clutter.
Before email made it easy and very affordable to reach prospective clients, photographers and illustrators largely used postcards, sourcebooks and other printed materials to market their services.
These days, many artists are using email direct marketing as their sole outreach strategy, which means that while art buyers' email inboxes are overflowing they are receiving fewer printed direct mail pieces. It's a rare treat when a relevant and visually striking postcard lands on an art buyer's desk.
Don't underestimate the impact that postcards can have on buyers. Because many really do enjoy receiving this type of communication, there is an opportunity for artists to introduce themselves, and to keep contacts updated on what's new with their work. And postcards needn't be expensive if you keep it simple and take a strategic approach.
Why postcards?
The beauty of a postcard lies in its utter simplicity. There are no envelopes to interfere with the postcard's primary goal of grabbing the recipient's attention with your images.
And we know that buyers want them. Time and again, the buyers that Juliette Wolf-Robin interviews for our Insight Art Buyers' Lounge podcast series, sing the praises of postcards as a compelling marketing tool:
"The one or two images on the card... are a quick way to get a read on a photographer, especially if it's [one] we've never worked with or heard of." - Aric Rist, Nike
"If it's a postcard and I can see the image without having to open anything, I will check it out. And if I like it, I keep it. If I really like it, I'll check out the website." - Marni Beardsley, Wieden + Kennedy
"The mailers I like the best are just postcards... with one picture on the front. If it's something that is really difficult to open, I will throw it away." - Wini Barron, McCann Worldwide
Let your work speak for you
Don't let a cluttered design and too many images get in the way of conveying your vision. Busy art buyers just don't have time to wrestle with envelopes, foldouts and other details. And the last thing you want is for a complicated and expensive piece to end up in the recycling bin.
It's more economical to send simple postcards to the bulk of your list, and save the fancier pieces for the buyers who know you and those who have specifically shown interest in you.
And while art buyers agree that a beautifully designed promotion will help get their attention, your work must stand up. One or two stunning images will put the spotlight squarely where it belongs: on your work.
"I don't think it matters how expensive the promo piece is. I've seen some really beautiful pieces that have laser cuts in them, and they're gorgeous. But if it doesn't have good work, it's going to end up in the trash. If you're going to spend that kind of money... the work has to support it. - Lisa Oropallo, Digitas
Once you've got an art buyer's attention, make it easy for them to get in touch. Don't forget to include your name and contact info; a link to your website or online portfolio; and your location (especially important if you work locally or regionally).
Part of a Diverse Plan
The most effective marketing plans are diverse and involve frequent marketing to targeted groups of potential clients. Postcards - mailed out on a regular basis - can be an important part of that plan and a good way to keep buyers up to date on your latest work. Try alternating postcard mailings with complementary email promotions leading to your online presence. Then follow up with phone calls to your contacts, and you are covering the bases.
The key is to be strategic and appropriate with your direct marketing. A blanket approach will likely end up being a waste of time and money. Take a really close look at what you are sending to which buyers. Start with lists of clients you have worked with in the past, those who have considered you for a job, and those who have shown interest in your work by clicking-through your email marketing.
You can also use database services, like ADBASE, to add new contacts to your marketing lists. These services can help you to figure out who could be interested in working with you. Our new Promotional Preferences feature also helps you determine how to reach out to different contacts by letting you know which buyers are open to receiving email promotions and who prefers to receive printed communications from artists.
Regardless of the way you market yourself, ultimately, it's all about your work. Darren Cox, Director of Creative Services at entertainment agency SpotCo, may have said it best when describing promotional material that stops him in his tracks:
"What's going to make me stop is seeing something amazing... It could be on any website. It could be mailed to me in a postcard. It could be literally printed on toilet paper. I don't care [as long as] it's a good idea."