Build your List - Don't Buy Your List.

The magical “list of art buyers” for sale, why you should avoid them, and how to build a list of your own.

Believe it or not there are companies out there who sell "Lists" of people for whatever you are trying to sell. Lists of 10,000, 50,000 or more names and email addresses of 'art buyers'.

Don't be sucked in - they don't work.

There are no Golden Tickets to building your database, just plain hard work.

Building a huge list of random art buyers is not going to work because art is sold on emotional connections - the buyer's connection to the content of the artwork in front of them.

How Art is Sold Online

You paint a scene of a suburb of Brisbane, they grew up in that suburb, their old house is in the artwork. 

You sell reproductions of horses - they breed and race horses and want to decorate their home.

Very specific, highly emotional connections based on the subject matter - this is how you sell art online, or anywhere for that matter.

Spam 20,000 email addresses from this magical list of 'art buyers' and at best you will get a lot of "unknown address", "remove me from your list" or at worst, blocked by your email provider for spamming.

Build Your Own List

You don't need a huge list - just need to be able to reach a few people that are specifically interested in YOUR subject matter, that care about your work and are excited to open your emails.

Collect your own email addresses - from anyone you meet who shows interest in your art.

Think how much easier and effective your email marketing would be if you are only communicating with people that have entered the email into your website, given you their names at an exhibition or meeting or emailed you already confirming "Yes, sell me your art"

This type of list IS the Golden Ticket - so powerful it will quickly become the most valuable part of your entire business. 

Something this valuable cannot be bought! It is built over time, given care and marketed using best practices.

And like anything really worth doing - like producing a great original artwork - there are no shortcuts, just keep working at it.

Automated collection of email addresses

 You need to make it easy to collect names and send out emails. 

Fortunately, there are some great tools to help you. Most websites will allow Pop-Ups - little windows that pop up after a certain time and have a built in form that collects name and email address.

That's all you want at this stage, a name so you know who you are talking to and an email address to reply to them. 

Using someone like MailChimp to store those addresses and create email templates you can automatically and instantly reply as soon as you receive their form. An you don't need to sit in front of your computer 24 hours a day waiting for them.

I have dozens of email responses already written and and when certain things happen, an email response is sent to the customer, and I get a copy so I know what's happened. 

 Automation will make your life so much easier.

Conclusion

Nobody is more motivated to sell your art than you are, well maybe I am, but when you make the most money from doing all the work yourself, why wouldn't you? 

One last thought... if you are only working with companies or galleries that don't share your customer information with you, then you are building THEIR business, not yours! We will always pass on the buyer details to add to your list - we want your list to grow!