Why is offering merchandise so important for an art business?

Merchandise is critical for several reasons. First, most people on your email list aren’t in the market for wall art right now - maybe only 2-3 out of 100 actually need art at any given time. But merchandise items are impulse purchases and gift items, meaning all 100 people could potentially buy them immediately. Second, merchandise allows you to get the highest ROI from your marketing efforts. Third, it gets your work physically into people’s homes and lives - those products go places your emails and social posts can’t reach. Every day someone uses that mug or wears that item, they’re reminded of you. When wall space opens up in their life, you’re top of mind. You’re playing the long game. One artist sold $12,000 in calendars alone when he finally offered them, reaching an audience he didn’t even know he had.

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Asked by synthesized from teaching · Answered by Patrick Shanahan and Nick Friend · art-marketing-podcast · 2022-02-12