Quick recap

This was a workshop led by Elizabeth Guilford on sales funnels for artists, where she shared her journey from working multiple jobs to becoming a successful full-time artist using Lloyd's funnel building methodology. Elizabeth explained the three essential components of a working sales funnel (hook, story, and offer) and discussed common mistakes artists make, including not understanding that breaking even is still considered successful for funnels. She shared specific details about her process, including using local printers for cardstock prints, targeting US audiences only, and sending prints via first-class mail, while emphasizing the importance of testing different elements of the funnel and having a clear target audience in mind when creating collections. The workshop included Q&A sessions where Elizabeth addressed questions about advertising costs, shipping methods, and how to determine appropriate print quality for funnel offers.

Art Business Funnel Workshop

Elizabeth began her funnel building workshop by sharing her personal journey from working multiple jobs to eventually pursuing art as a business. She described a pivotal moment in 2019 when she realized she needed to find more fulfilling work beyond her 12-hour shifts and various odd jobs. Elizabeth explained how she transitioned from not considering art as a viable career path to exploring multiple business opportunities including teaching art classes, selling on Etsy, and creating content for Amazon. The workshop was structured as a 2-hour session where Elizabeth planned to share funnel information and address common mistakes artists make when building sales funnels.

Sales Funnels for Art Business

Elizabeth shared her journey of discovering sales funnels through Lloyd's training, which transformed her art business from nothing to generating $20,000 in revenue within two months. She explained that a sales funnel is any system that converts cold traffic into customers, moving prospects from cold traffic through warm audience to buyers, with the potential to continue nurturing customers for higher-value purchases over time. Elizabeth noted that many artists struggle to convert followers into buyers because they focus too much on organic social media marketing without building trust or properly presenting their work and pricing, while sales funnels can bypass the follower step through paid advertising.

Marketing Funnel Strategy Discussion

Elizabeth discussed the concept of a "no-brainer" or "irresistible offer" in marketing, sharing her recent success with a new funnel collection that generated over $3,000 in revenue from 100-120 orders within a weekend by leveraging her existing community. She explained her approach to advertising, typically starting with a daily budget of $20-30 and testing for several days before making adjustments. The discussion concluded with Elizabeth introducing the three essential components of a working sales funnel: hook, story, and offer, with plans to elaborate on creating effective offers for artists.

Funnel Components and Testing Strategy

Elizabeth discussed the three essential components of a working funnel: the hook, the story, and the artwork. She emphasized the importance of testing each component individually rather than making multiple changes at once. Elizabeth highlighted the significance of the hook, particularly the ad photo and headline, in capturing attention from cold traffic. She shared a specific example of how changing a headline led to immediate sales results. Elizabeth also stressed the importance of writing one's own story for the funnel, rather than using AI-generated content, to build trust with potential customers.

Art Marketing Funnel Strategies

Elizabeth discussed the importance of including a story element in art marketing funnels, sharing that she and Lloyd have spent over $500,000 on ads testing different variations over five years. She explained how to build cohesive art collections for marketing, recommending high-contrast pieces for better online visibility and suggesting collections last 8-10 months before needing a break. Elizabeth also addressed running multiple funnels simultaneously, noting that while she has tested this approach, it's generally not necessary as the goal is to bring new people into the community, and successful collections can be reused seasonally.

Art Funnel Management Strategy

Elizabeth discussed the management of art funnel offers, explaining that there's no set time for how long funnels can remain dormant before being restarted, though ads would need testing again due to constant changes in what works. She addressed questions about print quality and costs, clarifying that she uses high-quality cardstock prints rather than Gicle prints for her introductory offers, and has found that educating customers about the differences between print types helps build excitement for higher-quality offerings later. Elizabeth shared her targeting strategy, which currently focuses on broad, location-based targeting within the US using Facebook and Instagram, and explained her shipping approach using regular envelopes with cardboard inserts for cost efficiency.

Mailer Options and Sales Funnels

Elizabeth discussed mailer options and postage costs for different print sizes, explaining that 5x7 prints ship in regular envelopes while larger sizes require specific mailers or packages. She emphasized that a successful sales funnel should break even, focusing on customer acquisition rather than immediate profit, and shared examples of artists who use funnels to build long-term customer relationships. Elizabeth also addressed questions about adding gifts to mailers, noting she includes digital bonuses rather than physical gifts, and clarified that while some of her funnels have been profitable, breaking even is still considered successful for the initial customer acquisition phase.

Sales Funnel Strategy Discussion

Elizabeth discussed the importance of understanding that a successful sales funnel can operate at break-even while building relationships with customers. She explained that the funnel should be viewed as the first step in a longer business relationship, not as the entire business itself. Elizabeth shared her approach to email marketing, sending three automated emails per week through MailerLite, with a mix of informational content and selling messages. She emphasized the importance of having a clearly defined target audience for funnel collections, recommending artists identify customers with similar interests and values rather than targeting wealthy individuals unlikely to purchase from a free print offer.

Art Advertising Strategy Discussion

Elizabeth discussed strategies for advertising art, emphasizing the importance of targeting a specific audience through tailored ad copy, images, and landing page content rather than broad targeting. She advised focusing on a single overarching message or theme for each collection to avoid diluting the marketing message. Elizabeth also highlighted the importance of testing different elements of the funnel, including headlines, stories, and offers, and recommended starting with a small daily ad budget of $20-30, with testing being an ongoing process rather than a fixed timeframe.

Artist Sales Funnel Strategy

Elizabeth presented on sales funnels for artists, discussing her one-on-one artist strategy sessions priced at $97 for an hour-long personalized consultation. She shared insights on collection sizes, recommending 4-5 piece collections as the most successful structure, and explained her upsell strategy including mystery prints and limited edition pieces. The discussion covered practical aspects of fulfillment including print costs, shipping, and when to outsource to a printer business, with Elizabeth noting her current costs around $4 per order including fulfillment and shipping.