7th in a Series on The Solo Show - THE HOW, Part 2 (Reaching EVERYONE)

By Sandi Parker

Many of us have done it, most of us have considered it, some of us have just dreamt about it: mounting a solo show. This is the seventh in a series of posts about the nuts, bolts, dos, don'ts, lessons learned, opportunities missed, psychological trauma and euphoria of mounting a solo show; the why, where, when, what, who and how.


THE HOW, Part 2 - Reaching EVERYONE
(Including those elusive non-social media types)

You've done your due diligence and have been posting away on social media (see post #6 in this series on social media posting) about your upcoming solo show. But as we all know, not everyone is on social media, so you need to have additional strategies for reaching those potential buyers.


YOUR POSTCARD


The most obvious way you can reach not only your Facebook buddies but everyone you know is, of course, via your postcard. ALWAYS have a postcard printed for your solo show (some venues will do this for you, with your input, and some will give you a template). I recommend paying a little extra to have a larger postcard printed - 5x7 is a good size. It does cost a little more to mail, but you want your postcard to have impact. Small postcards get overlooked, lost or just not noticed. Next, choose the art you want on the postcard. I do not recommend putting 5 pieces of art on your postcard - or even two. You do not want to give away your whole show on the postcard leading people to think, "Oh well, I've seen most of the show here, maybe I don't need to go." What you want is a teaser - pick your best work, the one you are most proud of and - this is very important - the piece that you think really represents the rest of the show.

Be very judicious in what verbiage you put on the front of the postcard. The key here is that you want the the viewer to be drawn in with a quick glance - not turned off by having way too much to read (we're talking short attention spans here, people - remember that you are competing with the rest of the mail that your postcard will arrive with!) On the above postcard, there is a terrific painting, the name of the show, the artist, and the dates. Some people choose to use just the title and name of the artist on the front - a good idea as it forces the viewer to turn the postcard over to find out when the show is, and then they will see the rest of the pertinent info. However, the downside is that when it is tacked to a bulletin board or stuck on the fridge, the viewer won't be able to remind themselves of the date with just a glance. You can also add the date of the opening reception, but again - be wary of too much print.

The postcard on the right lists one date (presumably the opening reception day) - a good option to provide a reminder if the postcard is tacked up - and also states the location of the show. This show does not have a title, but a description of the show. You may want to add a descriptive line even if your show has a title - "Italian Landscapes," "Acrylic Abstracts," etc.


For the back of your postcard, you - once again - do not want to have TOO much verbiage. Below is an example of a simple template. It is always a good idea to add a logo from your venue if you can obtain one. Include the address and hours of the venue. In addition to your name, title of the show, descriptive line, dates and opening reception info, you may also want to add your website. Be sure to leave enough room on the right side for mailing addresses.

Prices for printing vary, which may affect how many you order - however, you will want A LOT of postcards, not only for mailing but for giving out, putting in coffee shops and any place else that will allow it, a stack to keep in your car/handbag/studio, etc. You should order a minimum of 500. Sounds like a lot, but you'll end up using most of them - and remember that your venue will want several hundred for their own patrons. One of the most economical printing sites I've found is VistaPrint. (www.vistaprint.com) - they are inexpensive and have telephone assistance to help you with your design. Be sure to get a jpeg of your postcard, both front and back (you can usually download this from the site you ordered your postcards on). Use this for posting on social media and for emails (see below). And, be sure to mail your postcards to EVERYONE you know, including friends, relatives and previous buyers of your work.


EMAILS AND EMAIL NEWSLETTERS


Another vital avenue of communication to those who may not be on social media is email. A good thing to have is an "email newsletter." If you have a hosted website, such as artspan, they may have a free template for sending email newsletters - and there are sites such as Constant Contact, Mail Chimp and IContact, some of which are free and some of which charge a subscription, that you can use to send newsletters. The advantage with a newsletter format is that it looks very professional and is set up to allow for posting photos. But even if you don't want to go the newsletter route, you should still send out several emails during the run up to your show.


Try to include a photo of your postcard, front and back if you are able. Embedding the image in the body of the email is better than attaching it, since most people don't want to bother opening attachments, especially if they have to be downloaded. Most free emails such as Outlook and gmail now provide for dropping in photos. Basically you will be giving a quick reminder of your show; make the email personal and describe how excited you are about the show and that you hope to see everyone there. You may want to send one email every month prior to your show - and be sure to add all the pertinent info.

An example of an email newsletter using IContact

No matter what form of communication you use to get people to your show, the key is to COMMUNICATE - early and often!

For more information about having a solo show at Gallery Underground, please visit our website: http://www.galleryunderground.org/about/show-opportunities/. 

Next in the series: THE HOW, Part 3 - Your reception


Sandi Parker is an artist who works in both traditional oils and abstract acrylics. She is the Co-Director of Gallery Underground and has mounted 3 successful solo shows: in 2007, 2010 and 2016.