• Happy Thanksgiving
• Your website has monthly Hits
• Increase your website Hits
• News and changes to MyArtClub.Com
• New Links to help you
• Help for those who need it
• Presenting to your group

As we write this newsletter it is Thanksgiving holiday weekend in Canada. We want to thank you and all the artists and members of MyArtClub.Com. We are grateful for your membership and kind encouragements, which have helped the site recently:

• expand to over 200 artists, often through artists like you spreading the word,
• attract traffic at a growing pace, with a recent record of almost 90,000 hits (page views) delivered in September alone.
• show 3,000 images are now online, all catalogued and easily sorted.

Your website has monthly "Hits"

On average our artists are getting about 300 hits monthly. This means a total of 300 pages of either "artist page" information or "art page" images are being shown over the internet each month, for each artist. Many are doing over 1000 hits per month, and you can do this too!

How can you see your own hit totals? After you login, the past month and current month's artist page hits and art page hits are listed on a table. You add the two types together to arrive at the total hits for your site. To look up the last 6 months click on "Market your artist site", then click on "View your Artist and Art Page Hit counts". Remember to add the art page and the artist page hits for any given month for your total pages shown.

Increase your website "Hits"!

There are lots of easy ways to increase your traffic and build your customer base.
Your own traffic building efforts will guarantee a huge difference to your site visits. Here are 6 top ways:

1) Add more artwork. Most artists with more hits have more art on line. If you have unused art space on your website, fill it up, and enjoy more traffic. If you are not sure what to do, especially newer artists please don't hesitate to email the [email protected] for assistance. You can add more art at any time, and even add more art spaces as needed.

2) Keep your art work current. Active artists change some of their images and information at least every couple months. It does not take long to keep your content up to date and the payoff is great. Visitors will return often to your site for more when they find it is changing!

3) Invite your fans to see your work on line This is one of the key ways to increase your traffic, especially to easily keep in touch with your customers. After you load or reload an art work, use our "Notify Fans" feature to send an email with your personal comments and a direct link to the art image just loaded. Got some news you want to share? Let your network know!

4) Update your mailing list. Your customer and network list is gold for you. If you send out emails (the fastest and least cost way to keep in touch) you need to keep your email list current. Load up your email list to your website by logging in to your site then click on "Market your artist site", then click on "Maintain your mailing list information." You can load up your email addresses either one at a time or in bulk. Contact us if you need any help.

5) Use your web address. Three ideas for showing your website address (shown on your webpage, i.e. www.MyArtClub.Com/Joe.Smith): 1) at the bottom of all correspondence and email, 2) on all pamphlets or business cards and 3) on any listing of you as an artist, or art group.

6) List your web page with search engines and directories. Listing your website and art work can increase your traffic especially for new customers. MyArtClub.Com has links on line to several free search engines and directories sources. Click on our "Links" page which is found from the main MyArtClub.Com page, on the right hand column under "Resources".

News and changes to MyArtClub.Com

A new "banner – less" look! Earlier this year we moved to a more independent look on each artist's website. No longer does each artist page have a top toolbar that is still seen on the MyArtClub.Com home pages.

This change enhances the focus on the individual artist or art group. The artist's name or your optional Artist Signature digital signature to starts off your page. All art and artists are still searchable from the main MyArtClub.Com, and a link back to the main site is at the bottom of each page. We hope you like these changes; feedback we have received so far has been positive.

Account payment tracking more automated As every business manager can likely attest to, the financial aspects are second to the selling aspects in the early stages. With successful growth we discovered a need to be more diligent about collecting and managing the funds. Therefore we have instituted an automated reminder for renewals, and for cheque payments. Renewal reminders are sent monthly. We update payments as received each week, and send an electronic receipt for payments.

Cheques only please. Credit card payments are not currently accepted by our website. Our affordable supplier of credit card processing has been required by the financial institutions to discontinue offering us the service. We are now applying to have our own credit card merchant capability later this year. We apologize for this inconvenience, and appreciate the many artists who have sent in cheques instead.

Your "links" easily added. Linking to other sites is a good way to create reciprocal traffic and interest. As a convenience for you to create more links out into the internet, we have added an easy form to create a link on your web page. Just log in, select "Maintain artist pages" and scroll down to "#7, Click here to maintain your Links to other sites" Be sure to ask sites you link to if they could return the favour!

New Links to help you!

Alice-Rich.Com link is to an excellent seminar (an OPUS Framing and Arts Supplies supported program) on expanding your marketing horizons. Note the registration deadline is Oct 20 for theVancouver based seminar.

ArtBizCoach.Com link is one of our newer links, featuring a biweekly free email newsletter of ideas focusing on the business side of things.

We are adding links on a regular basis. Come check it out. Links from our site to others sites are intended to help artists find helpful resources, or opportunities. We have two main categories located from the main home page on the right side column "resources" and "links". We welcome your suggestions!

Help for those who need it

MyArtClub.Com is always pleased to help. We regularly answer emails on a 24 hour turn around basis, and look forward to helping in any way we can. If you are running into difficulties, need some help with your website, or have a question or suggestion, please send us an email at [email protected]

Presenting to your group

Many of you were first introduced to MyArtClub.Com via one of our free one hour seminars. We are always keen to meet art groups and show artists and groups what they can easily do on line. We offer a fun presentation targeted to users of all skill levels. If your art group would like to know more, or have an update on using the internet, please contact us.

Thanks for reading – hope you enjoyed it, look forward to seeing your latest art on the Internet!

Peter Newell and Cam Anderson,
MyArtClub.Com

Do you have any comments or suggestions?
Please write to us at: Webmaster @MyArtClub.Com