D - Displays

Displays - Any artist who hopes to participate in art shows, needs to think about booth display. Display elements include tablecloths, signs, banners, business card holders, display stands (such as jewelry stands for jewelers), and picture hangers (for 2-D artists).

Displays should be visually-unified and welcoming. They should allow the customers easy access to the artwork so that they can adequately view all pieces. Displays should also visually represent the artist's brand (see B).

For display ideas, artists can look on photo sites such as Flickr.com to see successful artist's booths. Though artists shouldn't steal the look of any one booth, they can incorporate great ideas from many booths and refine them into a useful booth display.

F - Facebook Fan Page

Facebook Fan Page - Facebook.com is a useful social networking site that can help artists to generate traffic to an online store. Artists can create a fan page for their artwork and invite friends to become fans.

A Facebook fan page can be created for free. It should feature a variety of artwork images, a description of the artist's business and a link to the online store. The fan page can be used to introduce new products, announce promotions or sales and advertise upcoming events such as art shows.

Once a fan page has been created, artists can also purchase advertising space on Facebook to promote their fan page and their site. The advertising cost is relatively low and the ads will be targeted to people who show an interest in similar shops and items.

M - Moo Business Cards

Moo Business Cards - Moo.com cards are actually more than just business cards. This company allows an artist to order a box of regular or mini cards featuring a variety of their images (a different one for each card). The Moo business cards are really like a mini portfolio.

Artists can choose to keep the cards to show to prospective clients or pass them out at shows and events. Either way, the cards provide a professional way for artists to show off their shops. Each card is printed on glossy cardstock in brilliant colors. They clearly and crisply present artwork in a vibrant format.

Moo.com also offers other accessories such as stickers, greeting cards and post cards. Post cards can be particularly helpful in preparing for an art show, as they can be mailed to prospective customers. The stickers can also come in handy when packaging artwork to ship. A photo sticker placed strategically on tissue paper wrapping can create a polished and professional look.

Whatever the needs, Moo.com provides many business solutions for artists. To go to their website to learn more, simply click on the link in the side bar of this page.

N - Network

Network - Networking is one of the most useful ways of finding new opportunities to sell art. Making friends with other artists allows you to pick their brains for useful art business information, such as upcoming art shows, selling tips and time management.

It is true that WHO you know is sometimes as important as what you know. You could be qualified for an art show, but maybe the organizers of that show know other qualified artists that they'd like to feature. Is it fair? Maybe not, but it happens all the time. It never hurts to get to know people that can advise you on your art career.

A key rule of thumb, as corny as it sounds, is to be friendly and pleasant to show organizers and other artists. If people think you are easy to work with, they will want to work with you again. Making a good impression is so important to securing future show spots.

Bottom line, don't burn any bridges. Your talent is very important, but no one will want to work with a talented snob.

P - Paypal (Virtual Terminal), Propay

Paypal - A Paypal account is essential for artists who wish to sell their wares online. Paypal.com allows customers to make payments via credit card and the payments are safely processed and deposited into the artist's online account. The funds can then be transferred to a local bank or used directly from the online Paypal account.

It is free to register and fairly simple to use Paypal. Artists need to sign up and register a username and password. They then need to verify the account by registering either a credit card, bank account or debit card. Money can then be deposited into the Paypal account using one of these methods. When the artist receives payments, those payments are credited in the Paypal account and can then be transferred to either the bank account, credit card or debit card. Paypal does charge a 2.9%  fee to process payments.

Paypal also provides a number of services that members can take advantage of. Paypal users can agree to turn their Paypal account into a money market account that gains interest. Account holders can also sign up for a Paypal debit card that can be used to purchase goods using direct funds from the Paypal account. Perhaps the most useful tool for artists though, is the Paypal Virtual Terminal.

The Paypal Virtual Terminal allows business owners to process credit cards using the computer. It does cost around $30 a month, but for artists who participate in an art show each month, it quickly pays for itself. The great thing about the Virtual Terminal is the high volume of payments that can be processed per month. The Virtual Terminal allows artists to process over $10,000.00 worth of sales a month. It charges a percentage fee on each charge, and the percentage decreases as the number of sales rise. The highest percentage fee is 3.4%.

Artists can use Virtual Terminal with a manual credit card machine or knucklebuster (see K). They simply need to swipe the credit card and make sure the numbers imprint on the receipt. They also need to mark the type of credit card that was used, i.e. Visa, Mastercard, etc. Finally, they need to get the expiration date and the contact information for the person using the card. This information can then be entered into the Virtual Terminal later that night, after the show. At shows where WiFi is available, artists can use Virtual Terminal at their booths from their personal computer.

Propay - Propay is another website that provides a credit card processing service. Unlike Paypal, Propay exists solely to process credit cards for business people. Many artisans prefer Propay because the membership fee costs less, even though the processing fees are roughly the same. Propay uses a graduated membership system with different yearly membership fees.

The least expensive Propay membership, at arond $35.00 a year, allows artists to process Visa and Mastercard but they cannot exceed over $1000.00 in sales each month. The most expensive plan, at around $300.00 a year, allows artists to process Visa, Mastercard, Discover and AmEx and the monthly processing limit starts at $3,000.00. Artists can apply to expand the limit, but there are no guarantees that they will be able to process over $3,000.00 a month. For many artists though, this limit is very reasonable.

Q - Question the Pros

Question the Pros - The best way to be successful in the art business is to ask the advice of people who have already succeeded. There are a number of ways to do this both virtually and in person.

To start, take advantage of the Etsy forums and their "Quit Your Day Job" series. Though forums can be bogged down with people wasting time and chatting about who knows what, some posts can be extremely helpful. I find that the "Business Topics" section is best for useful advice. Many successful artists post in that section and are quick to share knowledge with newbies.

The "Quit Your Day Job" series is a string of stories featuring people who were able to make a full-time living from their art business. They share the ups and downs of making a full-time living from their art. It's useful to hear what has helped in their success and also what challenges they have faced in the process.

Participating in art shows is another wonderful way to pick the brains of seasoned art pros. Get to know the people participating in the event and ask them about their businesses. Each person will probably be able to offer something useful, and it never hurts to network (see N).

Taking an art class can also expand access to other artists in the area. Look for community art classes that target art educators and art business people. These classes can provide invaluable information and help you to network with many other artists and art educators.

U - Understand Your Target Market

Understand Your Market - Every small business person has to understand his or her target market. They must know who they are marketing to and what that group of people values.

An artist who sells high-cost sterling silver and gold jewelry probably won't be selling to teenagers, whereas a funky artist who creates plastic jewelry out of shrinky dinks might. Artists need to continually think about who their work is intended for. This doesn't mean that they have to change their work to fit a different market, but instead find the market that is perfect for their work.

Artists can look for certain variables in the market to determine their target market. These variables include age, gender, financial affluence, geographic location, and even whether or not the target market are parents. Each artist or crafts person will have different criteria for assessing their target market, but they should continually be thinking about who could best use their products. For instance, a crafter making baby blankets probably wouldn't want to participate in an art show on a college campus. Even though there may be parents there, the concentration of parents would be less than if that crafter was at a street festival for families.

By understanding the target market and choosing to participate in events that appeal to that market, an artist can maximize his or her earning potential. Artists can also spare themselves the time, money and effort of participating in an event that doesn't adequately showcase their work for the right market.

Though no event is ever totally targeted to only one market, artists can use some smart business sense to pick events that will get them the most contact with their target market. In this way, artists can be even more successful and build a strong customer base.

Z - Zapplication

Zapplication - Zapplication is a free online database of art shows. Zapplication allows artists to create an online portfolio and art show application that can then be used to apply to numerous shows throughout the United States. The site features some of the top shows in the United States and provides a simple format for artists to quickly apply to shows.

To use Zapplication, artists must sign up using a username and password. They must then upload pictures of their artwork and booth display. Zapplication requires that the images be a specific data size, but they offer help to adjust the images to be approved. Once the images have been uploaded and some basic business info has been entered, artists can search through a large database of shows and instantly apply.

To apply to any shows, artists can simply click on the shows they want and select "apply". Most shows require application or jury fees and these can be paid through Paypal (see P) directly from Zapplication. Once an artist's portfolio has been created, that same portfolio can be used to apply to numerous shows. It only take minutes to apply, making Zapplication invaluable to busy artists looking for art and craft shows.