Mailing list management ideas?

[artistinmemphis]

How are some of you designers and artists keeping up with your clients and friends in terms of contact lists?

I'm a landscape painter, and want to keep track of contacts, create labels to mail postcards for art shows, send batch emails for art invitations.

I don't need huge software with tons of options.

I'd be curious to find out what has worked for you.

I have some software (Artwork Archive) I'm using to archive my artwork, but it doesn't have email capability. Some artists I've talked with are using iContact for email, Bento or Filemaker for contacts.

Thanks.

[CrickettGrrrl]

I just kept it simple, used a word processor with an address label template. Then I kept it "groomed". Any new business contacts, bang, into the document. --And any returned postcards --boom, modify the list with changed addresses, etc. Once the main body of addresses had been entered it was pretty easy to maintain.

If you ever get an intern for a semester, this is something they could do.

I've since got Bento and haven't yet merged The List into it.

[artistinmemphis]

Thanks CrickettGrrl... now if I can just teach my trustworth dog to type,,, he comes with me when I go out painting.

Originally Posted by CrickettGrrrl

If you ever get an intern for a semester, this is something they could do.

I've since got Bento and haven't yet merged The List into it.

Bento has lots of neat features. I couldn't figure out how to make a list of paintings with title info on one page though (consigment sheet for a gallery), it seems to only handle one file at a time and can't list the images together? My Bento trial ran out, so haven't pursued it.

[Bobby.e]

I use constant contact to send emails. I have a database specific to my industry for storing the data

[CrickettGrrrl]

Originally Posted by artistinmemphis

Thanks CrickettGrrl... now if I can just teach my trustworth dog to type,,, he comes with me when I go out painting.

Heh, my studiodogs feel they do enough simply being muses. If I could strap brushes to their paws & get any meaningful work from them, I would.

Originally Posted by artistinmemphis

Bento has lots of neat features. I couldn't figure out how to make a list of paintings with title info on one page though (consigment sheet for a gallery), it seems to only handle one file at a time and can't list the images together? My Bento trial ran out, so haven't pursued it.

A few months ago I downloaded an Artwork database template from Bento's Template Exchange. Unfortunately, none of the Bento help links are working, including the template exchange. I've downloaded a lot of stuff from that site.

But it's easy to add additional fields and you can look at things with list view, etc. Here's the sample:

[fig]

You might check out MadMimi, really simple e-mail/mailing list solution that's free to cheap depending on your list and mailing needs.