Successful Art Business, Planning and Marketing Tools and Techniques You Can Use

How can artists and other creative professionals learn the world of business and marketing, and create successful and sustainable businesses?

Author, educator and consultant Neil McKenzie has an answer to this question in his new book, The Artist’s Business and Marketing ToolBox – How to Start, Run and Market a Successful Arts or Creative Business (356 pp, $29.95.; eBook versions for Kindle, Nook, iPad, $9.99), a business and marketing “how to” manual. Neil has developed and teaches the course “Artrepreneurship” at the Center for Innovation at Metropolitan State College of Denver.  His book was developed over a period of several years and tested with his students.

The Artist’s Business and Marketing ToolBox covers a wide range of territory from what it takes to start a creative business to building a brand that will get noticed in a competitive world.  Topics covered include: starting a new business, accounting and finance, public relations, advertising, websites, networking and social media.  The book gives creative people real life examples as well as the tools they need to develop their business and marketing plan.

“This isn’t another book on how to get into a gallery and how to deal with rejection”, said McKenzie,  “Artists and other creative individuals play a vital role in our Nation’s economic growth and vitality by helping to spur innovation and creativity, it is important that they understand business and marketing in order to succeed”

Neil McKenzie has over 30 years experience as a management consultant and corporate marketing executive. He is a visiting professor at the Center for Innovation and at University College at the University of Denver.  Neil is a frequent lecturer to artists and arts organizations, a guest columnist for Colorado Biz Magazine writing on topics of the creative sector of the economy as well as the author of several articles for Americans for the Arts.

For more information and how to get the book check out Buy The Book.  Print version delivered to your door directly from Amazon’s CreateSpace on demand printer. eBook versions available directly from Amazon for the Kindle, Barnes & Noble for the Nook and Apple iTunes for the iPad.  The printed version will soon be available at bookstores and textbook distributors.

You need a space to create your art and to conduct your business. This space could be anywhere from your home to multiple retail locations. The use of your space could vary for just a place to create art to an elaborate facility with studios, warehouse space and a retail area. Your needs will vary depending on your business model.

It is important to know what your studio and facility needs are and how they fit your business model and growth plans before making any commitment.

At a minimum you will need a space to create your art. Don’t overlook the importance of having a space that is conducive to creating your products and services. Here are some factors to consider when choosing your creative space:

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Hopefully since you are reading this blog I probably don’t have to convince you that business skills are an important part of any creative career whether you are in business for yourself or you work for someone. The business world has changed and many of the things that have worked in the past may be less effective or not effective at all. Having a good grasp on how business works will help ensure the success of your creative enterprise or make you more valuable to your employer.

How Do Artists Get Business Skills?

Well you probably are not going to get them in art school! A few art programs have business as a part of their curriculum and more seem to be adding them. If you are in art school and they offer business courses you are doing yourself a disservice if you don’t take advantage of them. For everyone else here are a few ideas:

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Your art business does not exist in a competitive vacuum! Your customers and prospects have a multitude of choices when it comes to parting with their money. As the world becomes a flatter place (a term coined by Thomas Friedman in his book, The World is Flat) not only will your competition come from your local area but increasingly you will see it from around the globe.

You can thank the internet and trade policies for turning the world into one big marketplace of ideas, products and services. This trend could be viewed as a threat to your business but it could also be viewed as an even larger opportunity.

Today there is no shortage of companies providing any and every product/service and that includes art! In order to stand out in this crowded marketplace it is imperative that you think about your brand experience. A good brand experience will set you apart from the competition and get people talking about you and your art business. A bad brand experience will likely will get you passed by and a really bad brand experience will get people talking about you – and not in a good way!

Some examples of a great brand experience

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Recently one of my students at the Center for Innovation (Metropolitan State College Denver soon to be Denver State University) conducted a brainstorming session with the Artrepreneurship class. The idea was to come up with some ideas on how to create a great gallery experience when showing art.

When you show your work one of your highest priorities should be to create a great experience for those who attend your opening and view your work. The thing that makes great brands or companies stand out from their competition is providing a great experience. A great experience encompasses many things such as:

• Having a great product or service
• Using the product or service is fun, educational, enlightening and functional
• Being able to understand the product and its benefits
• The product’s design, features and esthetics
• The product’s packaging
• Meeting the customer’s expectations
• Touching as many senses such as touch, smell, sight, and hearing
• Great customer service and a desire to come back and tell your friends

Brainstorming Ideas

Ok, here are some of the ideas that my Artrepreneurship students came up with in their brainstorming session. They are in no particular order and hopefully they will get your creative juices flowing on how to create a great gallery experience.

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I am putting the finishing touches on a new workbook “The Artist’s Business & Marketing ToolBox” to help artists and other creative professionals learn the basics of starting and running a successful art business. The book covers the “nuts and bolts” of starting and running a business with a huge emphasis on marketing your art. Some of the topics covered in the 360 page workbook include:

Identify market opportunities and threats

Develop a competitive edge in the marketplace

Create a brand image to propel your art business

Build a marketing plan that is tailored to your business

• Sell more to existing customers and find new ones
• How to develop an effective web presence
• Using social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn) to expand your market reach
• Public Relations to get the word out about you and your art
• How to advertise effectively
• Using promotions to build your business
• Distribution alternatives for your art
• Networking
• Pricing your art
• Using Direct Marketing
• Creating a great gallery experience

Understand the World of Finance and Accounting

• Finance and accounting basics
• Understanding financial statements
• Choosing an accounting system
• Financing your art business
• Developing a cash flow budget for your business

Managing and Organizing Your Business

• Choosing the best type organization (sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, LLC)
• Choosing a business name
• Protecting your intellectual property
• Managing people

Producing Your Art

• How to be more productive
• Developing a Creative Plan of Action
• Manage your inventory

Develop a Visual Business & Marketing Plan

• Easy to use forms guide you through the business and marketing plan process
• An easy to read and understand business and marketing plan
• Share your plan with your employees, investors and other interested parties
• Plan is presented as a PowerPoint template which you complete with the information gathered from the included worksheets and forms.
• A cash flow budget spreadsheet is included to make the budgeting process easier.

The book will be available for purchase Fall 2011 as an electronic download (PDF) from http://creativesandbusiness.com and will be compatible with PC’s, laptops, tablets, and most readers. The download will also include the Visual Business and Marketing Plan and Cash Flow Budget templates.

About the Author

Neil McKenzie has over thirty years experience as a marketing consultant and corporate marketing executive. He has developed and currently teaches the course Artrepreneurship at the Center for Innovation at Metropolitan State College Denver. Neil was also a founding faculty member of the Regis University MBA program in the late 1970’s.

Neil is a columnist for ColoradoBiz Magazine where he writes a column on Colorado’s Creative Economy and business tools and techniques for creative professionals. He is a frequent speaker and presenter on business and the arts to arts, business and educational audiences. When Neil isn’t working to grow the creative sector is he a commercial photographer specializing in business and personal brand photography by combining his marketing moxie with his skill behind a camera.

Creatives and Business is about helping artists and other creative professionals become more successful in the world of business.  I will provide you with tools and techniques to help make your creative enterprise more successful and sustainable.  I will also let you know about new ideas and resources in the creative business sector so you can learn about what other successful creatives are doing.

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If You Have an Art Business You Need To Know About Management

The general idea behind management it to get people to work together to accomplish the organization’s goals and objectives in an efficient and sustainable manner. For management to be effective there are principles which need to be followed.

If you are a one man show you probably don’t have to worry about management. Once you add just one employee you are now in the realm of management. As you add more people in your business, the role of management becomes more important in order for the organization to stay focused on and accomplish its goals.

If you have employees the management function is a full time job and not something you need to practice for a minute a day or whenever needed. If you have employees then management is YOUR job, don’t take it lightly!

A Big Part of Your Success Depends On Your Management Skill

How well or poorly you manage your art business has a big effect on your brand. Your employees, customers, suppliers and others will notice your management skills and this will affect your future success and viability. You goal with management should be to have the best managed company and turn your employees, customers, and others into brand champions for your business.

Management and its techniques and theories have been around for thousands of years – after all it took some management skill to build the pyramids! The study of management has been written about for years in books such as The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli, The Art of War by Sun Tzu, The Principles of Scientific Management by Frederick Taylor and numerous books by Peter Drucker including his classic, Concept of the Corporation.  I encourage you to read up on the discipline of management.

Today there are hundreds of books, seminars and courses on management. Numerous models or theories on management have been developed. At the core of most of these are the basic principles or ideas that make up effective management. If you manage people in your art business and want to build an effective and profitable organization you will need to learn and practice these concepts.

The Five Functions of Management

The study and practice of management has evolved and is now generally divided into five functions. It is important to note that these functions are not the same as the general functions of a business which are: production & operations, accounting & finance, sales & marketing, and research & development.

The five management functions can and should be applied to all of these business functions. You should become familiar with these management functions in your art business even if you don’t have any employees. These functions will apply if you operate as a “one man show” because you will probably need to work with others in a “loose organization” or collaborative environment.

1. Planning:  This function involves developing an overall plan for the business and plans for each department or business function. These plans include long term strategic plans as well as plans for the short term. The plan period could be years, weeks, months, days or even for tomorrow! Your planning will involve setting objectives and goals, developing strategies and their associated action plans.
2. Organizing:  In order to make a plan a reality, management must bring together the necessary resources and organize them so that things get done. These resources include materials, financial capital, human resources and technology. In organizing, duties are assigned and delegated along with responsibilities
3. Staffing:  Any organization needs the right people and the right amount of people to accomplish its objectives. This function starts with recruiting the right people, training them, making sure they are rewarded and reviewing their performance.
4. Directing:  The directing function is what people usually think of when they describe the process of managing – but as you have seen it is much more! Directing involves supervising employees and motivating them to do their best. Leadership skills are the foundation of effectively performing the direction function.
5. Controlling:  This function is all about measuring accomplishments and performance and taking corrective action if needed. Measuring can come in the form of seeing if you are on schedule (time) or if your costs or profits (money) are on target. Without measuring it is impossible to see where you are and if you have accomplished your goals.

Ok, these are the basic functions of management that you will need to use to run a successful art business and manage your company effectively. In the next article, Art Business – The Basic Principles of Managing People we will take a look at 14 things you need to know about managing people.

Just like any other business, artists need to set goals as well. Your goals will help guide your art business direction and help you answer the question of “where are you going?” When artists typically think of goals they think of their creative direction and what types of art they are going to create. If you have an art business you need to broaden the scope of your goals to include the major business functions.

In the article Business Plan Basics for Artists – Goals and Objectives we explored why you need goals and how to turn them into objectives. Here are a few ideas in the areas where you should be developing goals:

Creative Direction / Products / Services

What are your goals with regards to your creative direction, the art you produce and services you provide? If you have been dreaming about a new creative project or direction, turn it into a goal! Here are some ideas to get you thinking about your creative direction and product/service goals:

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What does your brand say about your art business?

What Are People Saying About You, Your Art, Your Business?

Your brand is one of the most important things in your art business and will have a large impact on your overall success and direction. Other people will define your brand so it is imperative that you develop and manage its perception and reality.

Brands are everywhere, you have seen them; Coke, Pepsi, Nike, Ford, Mercedes, Dollar Store, Neiman Marcus, Oprah, Martha Stewart, PBS, Fox News, Prada, Walmart, Bic, Mount Blanc, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Louvre, and the list goes on and on. Each brand name has an experience and expectation associated with it.

Here are a few names that you might not associate with a brand; Picasso, Andy Warhol, Christo and Jeane-Claude, Henry Moore, Salvador Dali, Richard Avedon, Ansel Adams, Jasper Johns, Robert Mapplethorpe, Georgia O’Keefe, Jackson Pollock, Norman Rockwell, and the list goes on and on. Each name has an experience and expectation associated with it.

The above examples are brands, some are businesses and some are personal. For many personal brands it may be hard to separate them from the business brand.

The Traditional View of Brand

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