Business considerations ... Q&A session
...
Q: Advertising in art-related magazines may get a wide
readership, but how do you gauge ahead of time whether it will be
worth the expense?
A: (from Bill Ritchie)
Calculations are in order. First, secure the circulation
facts and figures from the art related magazine advertising
department. Publishers - even the small ones - have done their market
research and can tell you the demographics of their business, i.e.,
who reads their magazine, how old they are, how much money they seem
to have, etc.
Second, consult one
of the magazine's sales agents and talk with them. The agent's job is
to sell you advertising space for as long a time as possible. They
will usually inform you that it takes about three appearances in
advertising before it "sticks" and the results began to come to you.
You may be able to do this by e-mail instead of the telephone. The
magazine has a Web site, too.
Third, make a long
range plan. You will not get fast results; therefore, your
calculations might be based on a year-long budget. This will help the
overall costs because advertising on a contract - such as for one
year - is cheaper and less work than it is to do a lot of
experimentation with short-term ideas.
Fourth, be sure you
have inventory to meet the demand. If your advertising plan is
effective, you will get results and perhaps you will not be able to
meet the demand. For example, if you have an edition of 250 prints
and you advertise it, and you get 600 orders, what will you
do?
Those are four ideas. More will come out of your
communication with the advertising sales person at the site you're
considering. Printed advertising is expensive, and creative companies
have offerings that can help you cut costs, such as cooperative
printing projects, inserts, barter and so on.
The next time you open an art magazine and see an
advertisement, realize that you are looking at a line-item in
someone's annual operating expenses budget. It is not likely that it
is the artist's own budget. Printed advertising costs vary widely,
but think of it as a page or a fraction of a page. Think, "This page
is about $7,000, and this fourth of a page is $2000." Then, go
figure.
A: (from ...)
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