Develop Your Own Unique Selling Point
What do we mean by a unique selling point or an USP and why do we need one?
A unique selling point is what makes you and your product different. It is what customers remember about you, and what makes them come back to you. There are hundreds of thousands of artists out there so you have got to have something that makes you or your art and preferably both different from every other artist and their work.
Of course you think that your work is different. After all how could it not be – you made it. Unfortunately that is not the way that the public see it. They have more to do with their time than to just remember you. So you have got to help them by making something about you or your work worth remembering.
You need to sit down with a pencil and paper and write down everything that you can think of – anything that could be incorporated into how you market or present your work. Have a look at other websites to see if you can pick up any ideas from other artists.
Can you say that a celebrity has purchased your work. Have you been commissioned by someone famous to produce something for them. Some art aspects are easier to get celebrities to endorse them than others. For example I was a rock’n'roll photographer for some time so I can tell stories and show pictures of that. My most unique selling point is unfortunately one that I cannot exploit as much as I would like to. In the mid 1980′s I did some charity work around my area and because of this I met HRH Prince Charles. I was also commissioned to paint two pictures for him. Because our meeting was informal (we met in my local pub and only locals and no press were allowed in) no photography was allowed. This however has never stopped me using the meeting and presentation as part of my unique selling point. After all how many artists can say that the future king of England has two of their pictures in his collection.
Other things that you could try are:
Give a picture/print/sculpture etc. away every month from your web site.
Stress that you always give authenticity certificates with your prints.
Open up your studio, and have this advertised in your local paper.
Always turn up for local fairs, and offer a print as a prize for one of the events.
See if you can come up with a logo.
Have you a story that you can tell about some of your paintings. People love hearing stories that make their purchase different.
Produce some “How To” e-books about your craft
Produce some tutorials on your site and on you tube
Give demonstrations. You will almost always make a sale or two after a demonstration.
Always have publicity cards in your wallet/handbag
Answer the telephone with your business name.
Make sure that your answer phones answer with your business name.
All of these things are simple, cost nothing or very little but can help to make you memorable. All of these little things will merge into making you memorable. Don’t expect to come up with your final USP list straight away. You should, with a little thought, be able to come up with about a dozen ideas but this is an ongoing thing. Some things will work better than others so you may drop some ideas, combine others and as you mature into your art business you will develop other ideas.
