Douglas Miller of Green River Stone Company (www.greenriverstone.com) recently spoke with The Curator’s Eye (www.curatorseye.com) about his company’s unique approach to the fossil market and how he utilizes internet advertising to brand his company to potential collectors from across the globe.

Green River Stone was founded with a focus on fossils as both an artistic visual medium, as well an important contribution to the scientific community.

Douglas Miller and his partner Greg Laco founded Green River Stone fifteen years ago with the intention of doing something unique within the fossil world. “Green River Stone is not just a fossil dealer; we discover the fossils and do all of the preparation and restoration work in-house. Green River Stone owns a private quarry in Wyoming and prep labs in Logan, Utah… our goal is to provide visually beautiful, scientifically credible, natural works of art.” Douglas’s background in art and science gives him a perspective on fossils from both sides. “Fossils in our murals, sculpture and home interior products are beautiful to look at. We view them as natural art and thus we display them in galleries alongside other, more traditional, works of art. At the same time, fossils represent a one-of-a-kind prehistoric artifact, which, when prepared correctly, can offer significant information to the scientific community. We do our best to share that information.”

Green River Stone forgoes the traditional gallery space in order broaden their potential client base.

The fossils of Green River Stone are displayed, in addition to their small showroom adjacent to their prep labs, in art galleries, designer showrooms and high-end rock and mineral stores across the United States and Europe. Green River Stone also produces home interior products, “including table tops, wall tiles, countertops and backsplashes all made from our original 50 million year old fossil stone, we display these works in kitchen & bath designer showrooms throughout the United States.”

Green River Stone turns to The Curator’s Eye and online technologies to expand the exposure of their company and brand.

Green River Stone’s primary approach to marketing has been through direct contact at consumer shows and events. In order to broaden the reach of their marketing and brand themselves to a wider range of potential customers, They now leverage the online marketing power of The Curator’s Eye to help them “get in touch with many new domestic and international clients and it has increased our exposure via the web. The Curator’s Eye offers us the opportunity to show our products to potential collectors that might not otherwise know about us. We have even sold a few fossils from our listings.”

The Curator’s Eye helps Douglas direct his branding efforts by providing information on what collectors show interest in.

The Curator’s Eye website provides its member dealers with a wealth of information on what pieces generate interest and what does not. “The feedback loop has been quite helpful in seeing what collectors respond to,” Douglas elaborates, “So far we have received our greatest response from our fossil turtle, fossil stingray and our palm fronds. These are all quite rare, large and of exceptional quality. The Curator’s Eye has been fantastic in responding to our requests, posting our products quickly and accurately, and in providing on-going information about who visits our listings.”

Branding is very important for any gallery. For Douglas and Green River Stone, they “want the public to associate the name Green River Stone Company with the highest quality products and services offered in our industry. We spent many years training our artisans and refining our process to achieve an unparalleled standard of quality and services. We see that same approach to quality in the Curator’s Eye.”

Green river Stone uses a variety of marketing methods to connect with collectors and grow their client lists

In addition to their galleries and showrooms, Green River Stone maintains a website (www.greenriverstone.com), utilizes social media, and they attend a number of shows each year. Their marketing efforts are all done in-house and as such are always looking for new ways to reach out to potential clients. “We have an active e-mail list that we gather at shows, internet inquiries and through The Curator’s Eye. We do some print advertising as well. We provide these current and prospective clients with announcements of upcoming shows and a quarterly mailing that features company news and interesting new fossils.”

Online Technologies Are Used to Introduce Green River Stone to Prospective Clients and Generate Interest

The internet is potentially a powerful marketing tool, if it is used correctly. Douglas Miller and Green River Stone “view online technologies as a way to introduce our products to prospective collectors or to generate interest. The sales process is more typically a personal one on one.” Douglas explains, “When people contact Green River Stone Company, they generally have a lot of questions and we consider the answers to be a valuable part in closing the sale. We welcome the opportunity to personally speak with the public about what it is we do. The Curator’s Eye has been doing a fantastic job for us and we are pleased with the results so far.”

The Green River Stone Company offers the finest in natural art fossil fish and stone products. Our medium is fossil-rich calcium carbonate shale from our private quarry in Southwestern Wyoming. From this stone, deposited 50 million years ago as sediment in a large freshwater lake, we produce individual fossil specimens, artistic fossil murals, and other stone products for museums, private collectors, interior designers and architects. For more, visit their website:www.greenriverstone.com

The Curator’s Eye offers specialized, targeted online advertising and marketing services that help private dealers compete in a global art market. To view exceptional items for the distinguished private collector available from the top dealers across the globe, visit www.CuratorsEye.com.