Power of Story

 I have had several visitors to the studio in recent day who have observed that I love to tell stories. I collect them actually and always feel more comfortable when I have a half dozen pieces on hand in the studio that contain great tales. I'm convinced that it's great stories that strengthen the connection between the viewer and the painting. 

An example of the power of story is my regular giveaways of pet portraits. On Friday, I decided to launch a new one. The concept is simple. To enter to win a $450 pet portrait all folks had to do was post a comment with a picture and the pet's name. Within 30 minutes, there were almost 100 shared.

 

In the end, over 300 pics were submitted and that post was seen by almost 10,000 people. I narrowed it down to nine finalists and invited people to vote for their favourites. That post garnered over 300 responses and was seen by over 13,000 people. 

In the end, the voting ended in a tie with Finn and Grimace running away from the field. Now, I could have done another post, an overtime vote if you will, but I decided not to. Instead, I will gift two portraits to two different families. That's a better story and generates more positive energy. Two families are ending their weekend overjoyed.

Looking it from a marketing perspective, why do I do these contests? It's simple. It's a highly effective strategic investment in customer engagement reminding everyone that I do pet portraits. The contest is over and there are already two paid commissions in the queue.