How to build a customer email/postcard list

Comment by Larry Berman on January 31, 2012 at 9:01pm

It takes time to build up a mailing list. And for some reason people are more inclined to give out their street address than their e-mail address. You say that you put a book and pen out. Where in the booth was it located? I got much better results by hanging a clipboard and pen on a string in the front of my booth but I also kept a clipboard in the back specifically for people who purchased.

Getting back to the postcard idea. If you have an older snail mail mailing list, you need to offer them something to convert it to e-mail addresses. Send out postcards offering a drawing for a piece of art on your web site to everyone who goes there and fills out a form giving you their e-mail address.

Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100

Comment by Melanie Rolfes on January 31, 2012 at 10:51pm

Larry has posted some excellent advise on this before.  I use Larry's Mailing List form just adjusted for my needs.  I have excellent results.  I don't give out a card without getting contact info.  I have passed out forms to other artists and every time they start out by asking "if" the customer wants to give their email.  Mistake.  Hand them the clip board and tell them to write out their email and you go get the business card while they are writing.  Then I make notes next to their name on what they were interested in.  Just today I ran around Boca Raton with 9 appointments from my clip board.  With out the "mailing list" clip board I would not have been busy today.   Good luck with the contact list.

Comment by Larry Berman on January 31, 2012 at 10:55pm

Here's a link to the page with the form:
http://artshowphoto.com/pages/emailform.htm

Larry Berman

Comment by lori kay on February 1, 2012 at 5:46am

Thanks Larry

Comment by Kathy Oda on February 1, 2012 at 8:31am

I was next to an artist last year who doesn't have business cards.  When someone asked her for a card, she would tell them that and then immediately capture their email address.  And I never saw anyone tell her no.  By the end of the show, she had several pages worth of emails.  It was most impressive to watch... I took a page from her book and started proactively gathering information from strong be-back candidates which has turned into a good revenue stream with commissions or follow-on sales...

Comment by Kathleen J. Clausen on February 1, 2012 at 12:08pm

We started out by making a list of those customers who gave us checks. (We've only taken credit cards for 18 months or so).  We do send out cards via snail mail.  We give a small discount to people who are prior customers.  We also offer a small gift if they bring the cards to the booth at the show.  I make jewelry, so I have given out mini cleaning cloths, anti-tarnish tabs, and even healthy chocolate (not so successful!  I wound up eating most of it!)  This has been very successful for us and people often say that they look forward in coming in.  We also have had a book at shows and the promise of a little gift when they come in again has gotten us lots of sign-ups.

Comment by Kay Cummins on February 1, 2012 at 2:08pm

Interesting...I get emails with more ease then physical address. A couple of points| It does take time and sometimes I get busy and forget...but anyone that is really engaged agents at lasted asked if they would like to be on my list, I tell them I don't email too often, but .5 times a year either with my show schedule or new work. Most engaged people want to see what you are up too. I hand them a small clipboard with a 3x5 card where they can write their info. I look at it and if unsure read what I see back. This shows that I am interested in them. I also make notes on the piece , ring size etc. Anyone purchasing gets the clipboard while I am ringing up. Ar home I enter the info. And keep the cards by show or future needs. I need to get better at getting physical addresses so I can start postcards in the future. Any tips?

Comment by Annette Piper on February 1, 2012 at 4:29pm

I still have a lot of rural clients that aren't web savvy so I don't push the email contact with some, but good idea Larry  - I might have to try your suggestion.

Whilst I process a sale and wrap etc., I ask the customer to fill out their details on the sales dockets - name address telephone and email and there is a check box as to whether they want to received updates or newsletters from me.    If they say yes, I add them to my newsletter database when I get home.  If they say no I don't - the good thing there is that I can still contact them if I need to about their purchase, but they don't get unsolicited mail/email and so my unsubscribes from my  newsletter are virtually nil.

If they only provide snail mail they don't get newsletters etc., but I may do a mailing when I'm doing a show local to them plus I send anyone who's purchased over $100 in the last 2 years a handwritten card at Xmas :)   I believe postage rates are higher here in Australia - the minimum is 60c per item at the moment unless its over a couple of hundred items.

Comment by Kathleen J. Clausen on February 1, 2012 at 6:09pm

Christmas card is a nice touch, Annette.

 

Comment by Charlene Marsh on February 1, 2012 at 6:46pm

I always ask my buyers if they would like to be added to my USPS mailing list and show them a sample postcard if there is any resistance.  Once they see the type of card I mail out, they are more than willing to give me their address.  I never just lift an address from a check.  I have them write their address on the receipt or, if paid with a check and have permission, I copy the address before I cash the check.  I do not put out a "sign up" sheet.  I only want QUALIFIED art buyers because the postcards cost too much to mail to all the folks who "love" my work (but never buy it).  I find more resistance to trying to collect email addresses ~ everyone gets too much spam as it is ~ and I don't press it because I am still on dial up internet service and can't do email marketing anyway.  But I keep hoping for the future.  I do like the idea of collecting an email address in exchange for my business card to interested visitors. 

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