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I recently spoke with a man who is an art collector, an art lover and has been a director of several major art galleries over the past few decades. We'll call him "Jim."

He told me a story about how much he enjoys the Boldbrush Contest and how he loves discovering great new artists who enter the contest.

Recently, he was delighted to discover a new artist whose work caught his eye.

So he "liked" her work on our contest page. That's something that happens millions of times a day somewhere on the internet - somebody "likes" something on social media.

What usually happens next? Nothing, right?

Likes Are Marketing Leads

What if I told you that, when someone "likes" your art online, you've just been handed a marketing lead?

How many people do you think respond to people like their posts personally?

How many artists do you think take the time to send a heartfelt thank you to the people who "like" their art online?

I would guess it's extremely rare.

Most of us "like" something and move on, never to think of it again. We don't expect any kind of response.

In this particular case, however, something very different happened.

The artist in this case responded directly to "Jim" and let him know that she really appreciated the fact he took the time to like her art and that, coming from him, it meant a lot to her.

He then excitedly told me, “Now that’s marketing! That's how artists should market themselves!”

He was already a fan of the artist's works, but after that reply he's become a huge fan of the artist herself. He now follows her everywhere online - Instagram, her newsletter, the BoldBrush contest and Facebook.

And now he pays attention to everything she produces.

One simple heartfelt thank you from this artist turned a casual fan into a superfan. And this is something you have an opportunity to do yourself, several times a day.

It's yet another illustration of the marketing principle that personal outreach works the best, while generic posting gets lost with the rest.

Until next time, please remember that Fortune Favors the Bold Brush.

Sincerely,

Clint Watson

BoldBrush/FASO Founder & Art Fanatic