There are many avenues to share about our work as artists: from galleries, to social media, to local markets and more. 

But the most consistent way artists can reach their collectors, all over the WORLD, is through their newsletter list. 

Have you been putting this off? Let me explain why it’s so important. 

It’s the most consistently direct line of communication with your customers. 

Okay, besides reaching them on the phone or face to face, which you don’t always have an opportunity to do anywhere at anytime like email. 

When someone signs up for your email list, those updates from you go straight to their inbox, and aren’t hidden from view like can happen on Instagram or Facebook. 

It’s where your most important information lives, like when new work is released to your website, or a special event is coming up. 

Email has been around since the start of the Internet (actually even before), and is a classic form of communication that won’t be going away any time soon. Why wouldn’t you take advantage of that? 

Your collectors want to hear from you. 

It’s true! According to this research, 61% of customers want to receive promotional emails from their favorite businesses weekly. 

Think about when you sign up from someone else’s list: you’re excited to see what they send you! You want to hear about when they release something new. I’ll even go so far as to say you want to feel a part of their “world”, and signing up for their list helps you feel like an insider if they’re offering you real value. 

When you’re sending your updates, just make sure to keep a delicate balance of too few vs. too many emails. This can vary per list, so experiment with it a bit. 

Your art sales will likely increase. 

Need I say more? On average, for every $1 you spend on email marketing, there is a return of $42 (DMA, 2019). Woah! 

For example with my own art and products, a majority of my sales are coming from the emails I send out. Why? Because my best collectors are on that list, getting timely and regular updates from me with new work. They know that when I release a new collection, I’ll send an email out giving them first notice and sometimes other special perks. 

Tips on how to start your list: 

• Start with a free service like Mailchimp or research others
• Don’t ever sign anyone up yourself without their explicit permission 
• Look at what your favorite businesses are doing with their signup forms
• Save emails you get with design or copy you love
• Start with one or two places for people to sign up, like a form on your website or through the link in your bio on Instagram
• Offer something fun to encourage them to join, like free shipping or a digital wallpaper with your art
• In a welcome email, make sure they know what kind of emails they should expect from you and even how often. Don’t forget to include that signup bonus in your welcome email!

Tips on how to maintain your list: 

• Actually email your list: don’t just let it sit there. Keep it active and send out emails at least once a month
• Find that balance of how many updates you want to send per month or year
• Make your emails fun! Or beautiful, or funny. Whatever feels genuine to you and makes your customers excited to open them
• Continue your research on best practices and new strategies

I hope I’ve made the case for starting that email list if you haven’t yet. I promise that even though when I first started mine it was a little overwhelming, now I actually really enjoy the process. It’s exciting to know that all of my marketing efforts are actually reaching my audience through email!