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Ask yourself, "Who else reaches the same prospects I do?"

In my last article, I talked about the importance in marketing of being personal, timely and relevant.

One of the most powerful ways to be personal, timely and relevant, while extending your reach, is through strategic cross-marketing.  Ask yourself, "Who else reaches the same prospects I do?"  Make a list.  Now go partner with those people.

Of course, saying "go partner" is easier said than done.  But the effort is worth it, because this form of marketing is so powerful.  

I've always been a proponent of "partnership" marketing.  I recall an article by Kim Cady that appeared on Empty Easel, Art Marketing Through Partnerships, that reminded me how well partnership marketing can work.  Kim, who paints animals, has successfully partnered with animal shelters, mom-and-pop pet stores, and local animal groomers.  I suspect veterinary clinics would be a good fit too.  Her partners receive anywhere from 20%-50% of the proceeds she makes because of those partnerships.  And that's an important point.  You need to have a mentality of what you can give to the partnership first.  Give first and you'll "get" later.  It's a lot easier to approach someone when you have something of value to give them.

Even the traditional gallery system is an example of "partnering."  Galleries reach people who love art, and artists reach people who love art.  Hence they make great partners.

But who else could you partner with?  Get creative.  This may sound radical, but what about partnering with another artist whose work appeals to the same type of buyers as your artwork?

I look forward to the day that I'll receive an email from an artist whose work I own telling me about a great new artist she's discovered whose work I will love!  I already respect the artists whose works I've purchased, so getting a personal recommendation about another artist would be exciting.  That email would get opened and you can bet dollars-to-donuts that I would be checking out the recommended artist's portfolio. (Aside:  I wrote the original version of this article over seven years ago....and I'm still waiting for this to actually happen).

You're probably already thinking that you wouldn't want to sell another artist's works to your customers . . . . remember you have to give to get.  The other artist will be offering your artworks to their customers too.  This type of cross marketing does tend to work best when both parties have about the same size mailing lists.

Partnering with others is a way to reach a much larger population of prospects....quite a bit more than you can reach on your own, all while keeping the messages personal and relevant.

So ask yourself:  Who else reaches the same prospects as you?  Could you partner with them in some way?

Sincerely,

Clint Watson

BoldBrush Founder, Software Craftsman, Art Fanatic