Category: Art

Jo-Ann Castano

CDA/ArtsGloucester

http://www.facebook.com/joann.castano

Put your best image forward

online graphic postings and marketing

Joey had asked me to repost my response to his own GoodMorningGloucester post of August 3, 2019 regarding our intraweb conversation about frustration of receiving postings of flyers with tiny font when we the publishers need to resized for online use.  I went on a rant page scroll so for this repost, a bit of edited sense making.

We’re really talking about several issues here. They have to do with many constraints and skills; time management, finances, arts marketing, community networking, understanding technology, access to software, online and offline marketing, graphic design, understanding target markets, the culture of communities and some basics in the complex way the internet works with local and global target marketing.

There are TIME CONSTRAINTS for everyone. I often redesign artist’s and organization’s posters and submissions so that for whatever format they will be published in (blogs, ArtsGlouceter’s CACCN-News Flash, seARTS Newsblast, ArtThrob, individual emails, online news media) they all require different sizing of the image. I want the images to reflect the excellence that is in our community. 
Marketing: The image is important to communicate what the message is, especially for arts and cultural groups, since visuals, sounds and communications is what the arts do. I usually design for 600, 500 and 300 dpi. This way it is an added benefit for the artist or group who may not have the software, skills or time. They can reuse and send off these images on their own mailing lists with a more professional look.  
I suggest that the designers for organizations make poster size images and then redesign for smaller online ad size at the same time. It’s also a good idea to make a smaller template sized image for use in online calendars. The better the graphics, the more professional the graphics, the more chance of being noticed and reused or mentioned by professional communication channels such as art journals, tourism magazines, gallery dealers and patrons of the arts and culture.
Online, a good policy is to always type the important text of the image below the image so that the text in the image is clearly communicated. This also makes the text available to search engines and benefits the marketing of the client/customer as well.  Supply url web addresses as available and needed. I suggest that the client/customer have a web page on their web site with the poster information and include the link to that page for more information when submitting to online marketing. This is also beneficial for those of us who are marketing beyond our regular channels and on to social media which has a larger and broader audience beyond ones own list. This can draw more traffic and interest to the web site. Today one needs to be doing social networking along with the standard mailing list distribution of information. They now go hand in hand.
Check with online marketers about their requirements. Try not to just send online marketers pdf files (unless requested) of your flyer for submissions. Always include an appropriate jpg or gif file image properly sized. Include the text you want submitted in an email or online submission forms. Just as when sending a press release to newspapers, include an image if the publisher can use it. Photo credit and image caption can be helpful also or required.
For artists or cultural groups who don’t have a web site, open a Facebook account and keep it professional. Add images of your work in a photo album, keep people posted on what you are doing and invite people to re-post or “share” your postings. Sounds like it would be helpful to send 500 w/ dpi bold images to GoodMorningGloucester, content typed in an email so Joey can copy and paste easily and give the url to your web site, facebook site, blog or wherever you have an online presence. The more we all re-post, “share” other’s posts with our friends and colleagues, we can share our community collectively with pride.
Most of what I am concentrating on these days is facebook and social networking, marketing of the arts on the North Shore and keeping up with the local, state and national agendas for advocacy in the arts (time permitting, as it is an addiction and passion). If anyone would like to post their own art or event (only arts and culture please) or see what I’m looking at and promoting, visit:

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/joann.castano

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ArtsGloucester.

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/joanncastano

Subscribe: ArtsGloucester’s Community Cultural/Civic Network (CACCN) newsflash mailing list:

email me at: CACCN(at)artsgloucester.com

When promoting the arts or anything else, put the best image forward because Gloucester and our cultural leaders and artists who work so hard, deserve no less. Joey’s and the other photographers’ and artists’ images on GoodMorningGlouceter are stunning and pull at the hearts and interests of our local and global community. Writers and contributors, you are the heart and soul of this place we call home. Thank you !

Joey, love you for what you do and know how much work it is. Besides that, I love how your brain is networked for doing all this, online and off line.  Man, do you know how to connect the dots.
blah, blah, blah,…Keep going!
Jo-