Sell Artwork Online: Make It Easy Tips and Tricks
Sell Artwork Online: Make It Easy Tips and Tricks
Selling artwork is a dream for many artists. It's an opportunity to share your passion with the world and make a living doing what you love. However, navigating the art market can be challenging, especially for those new to the industry.
Of course, with the right tools and strategies, you can reach a wider audience and grow your business from anywhere in the world when you sell artwork online. In this article, we'll explore how to sell artwork online effectively, focusing on Strikingly as a powerful platform for artists.
The Art Of Selling Your Artwork
Selling artwork is more than just putting it up for sale - it's an art form in itself. It requires careful consideration of pricing, marketing strategies, and presentation. As an artist, you need to showcase your work in a way that captures its essence and resonates with potential buyers.
Understanding The Art Market
The art market can be complex and daunting, but understanding its nuances is crucial for success as an artist. From galleries to online marketplaces, there are various channels through which you can sell your work. Researching these options thoroughly and identifying what works best for you is essential.
Benefits Of Selling Art Online
Selling art online offers numerous benefits over traditional methods. For one thing, it allows you to reach a global audience without geographical limitations or travel costs. There are several benefits when you sell artwork online:
Image taken from Strikingly
- Reach a wider audience
By selling online, artists can reach art buyers all over the world. This greatly expands the potential market and customer base.
- Lower costs
There are minimal overhead costs to selling art online. You don't need to rent a physical gallery space or hire staff. Most online art marketplaces charge minimal listing fees and commissions.
- Convenience
It is very convenient for artists and customers to buy and sell art online. Artists don't need to be physically present to sell their work. And customers can shop from the comfort of their home.
- Passive income
Once the art is listed online, it can generate sales even when the artist is not actively promoting or managing the listings. This can provide ongoing passive income.
- Price control
The artist maintains control over the pricing of their work. You can experiment with different price points to find the optimal balance of volume of sales and profit margins.
- Exposure
Selling online helps to increase an artist's exposure and visibility. More people discovering and viewing the art leads to more opportunities for sales and commissions.
- Analytics
Many online art marketplaces provide sales and traffic analytics that help artists track the performance of their listings. This data can be used to optimize pricing, cater pieces to popular subjects/styles, and improve marketing efforts.
- Authenticity
Reputable online art marketplaces take measures to authenticate pieces and ensure the art is by the named artist. This adds credibility and helps build the artist's brand.
- Fewer time constraints
An artist does not need to keep strict gallery hours. The art remains available for viewing and purchasing at any time of day. This provides greater flexibility and work-life balance.
Those are some of the main benefits for artists considering selling their art through online channels and marketplaces. The combination of lower costs, higher exposure, and greater convenience provides many advantages over traditional offline selling methods.
Strikingly: Your Partner to Sell Artwork Online
Strikingly is an all-in-one website builder that empowers artists to create stunning websites quickly and easily - without any coding experience required! Its user-friendly interface makes it simple to showcase your work effectively while providing powerful marketing tools like SEO optimization and email campaigns.
Image taken from Strikingly
By leveraging Strikingly's features effectively, artists can build their brand presence online while boosting sales and reaching new audiences. In the following sections, we'll explore how to use Strikingly to create a solid online presence, market your art effectively, boost your sales, build a strong reputation, and handle legal and financial matters.
Let's get started!
Creating Your Online Presence
In today's digital age, having a website is crucial for any artist looking to sell their artwork online. A website serves as your virtual storefront, allowing potential buyers to browse and purchase your art from anywhere in the world. Without a website, you risk missing out on a significant portion of your target audience.
Strikingly is an excellent platform for artists looking to create a professional and user-friendly website without breaking the bank. With its intuitive drag-and-drop interface and customizable templates, Strikingly makes it easy for even the least tech-savvy artist to create a stunning website in no time.
One of the most significant benefits of using Strikingly is its focus on showcasing your artwork in the best possible light. With features like high-resolution image galleries and customizable design elements, Strikingly ensures that your art takes center stage on your website.
But creating a beautiful website is only half the battle. To truly stand out as an artist online, you must build an impactful artist profile showcasing your art and your unique story and creative process.
With Strikingly's built-in blogging platform and social media integrations, you can easily share behind-the-scenes glimpses into your artistic process or write about topics related to your artwork. By creating engaging content that resonates with potential buyers, you can build a loyal following that will help drive sales over time.
If you're serious about selling art online, having a professional website is non-negotiable. And with Strikingly's user-friendly platform and powerful features tailored specifically for artists, there's no better way to get started than with this innovative platform.
Marketing Your Art Effectively
Marketing your artwork effectively is crucial to your success as an artist. Defining your target audience, utilizing SEO strategies, social media, and email marketing are all effective ways to reach potential buyers and increase sales.
1. Define Your Target Audience
Knowing your target audience will help you tailor your marketing efforts to their interests and preferences. Are you creating art for a specific age group or demographic? Is there a particular style or theme that resonates with them? Use this information to create targeted campaigns that speak directly to their interests and needs.
2. Implement SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is optimizing your website's content to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). You can improve your website's visibility online by using relevant keywords in your website's content, meta tags, descriptions, and URLs. This makes it easier for potential buyers to find your artwork when they search for related terms.
3. Use Social Media to Showcase Your Art
Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest are great tools for showcasing your art online. By posting high-quality images of your artwork regularly on these platforms, you can build a following of fans who appreciate your work. You can also use social media to engage with potential buyers by promptly responding to comments and messages.
4. Engage the Power of Email Marketing
Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach potential buyers directly. By collecting email addresses from interested parties on your website or social media pages, you can send them newsletters with updates about new artwork releases or upcoming exhibitions. You can also offer exclusive discounts or promotions through email campaigns.
Marketing your artwork effectively requires a multi-pronged approach that includes defining your target audience, utilizing SEO strategies, leveraging social media platforms, and harnessing the power of email marketing campaigns. With these tools at your disposal, you can increase your visibility online, reach more potential buyers and ultimately sell more artwork.
Boosting Your Sales
As an artist, your ultimate goal is to sell your artwork. However, it's not always easy to find the right buyers who appreciate your work and are willing to pay for it. That's why boosting your sales is critical if you want to make a living out of selling art. Here are some tips on how to do it:
1. Pricing Your Artwork
Pricing your artwork can be tricky as you don't want to undervalue or overprice it. You need to find the sweet spot that reflects the value of your work and appeals to potential buyers. One way to determine the price is by calculating the cost of materials, time spent creating the piece, and a markup for profit. You can also research similar artworks in your niche and see how they're priced.
2. Offering Promotions and Discounts
Everyone loves a good deal, and offering promotions or discounts can entice potential buyers to purchase your work. You can offer discounts for first-time buyers, bundle deals for multiple purchases, or seasonal promotions around holidays or events.
3. Selling Through Online Marketplaces
Selling through online marketplaces such as Etsy or Artfinder can expand your reach beyond just your website audience. These platforms have built-in audiences of art collectors and enthusiasts looking for original artworks to buy.
4. Effective Packaging and Shipping
The last thing you want is for your artwork to arrive damaged or broken during shipping, which could result in an unhappy customer and negative reviews. Make sure you invest in quality packaging materials such as bubble wrap, sturdy boxes, or tubes, depending on the size of the artwork. Also, consider using tracking services so that both you and the buyer know where the package is at all times.
Boosting sales requires some effort, but implementing these strategies can help increase exposure and attract more buyers interested in purchasing your art online.
Building a Strong Reputation
As an artist, your reputation is everything. It's what sets you apart from other artists and helps you sell your artwork. There are several ways to build a strong reputation in the art world.
1. Hone Your Skills as an Artist
One of the best ways to build a strong reputation is by honing your skills as an artist. Take classes, attend workshops, and practice regularly. The more you improve your craft, the more valuable your artwork becomes.
2. Encourage Customer Feedback and Reviews
Another way to build a strong reputation is by encouraging customer feedback and reviews. When someone purchases one of your pieces, ask them to leave a review on your website or social media pages. Positive reviews can help attract new customers and establish trust with potential buyers.
3. Network with Other Artists and Galleries
Networking with other artists and galleries can also help build your reputation in the art world. Attend art shows and events, join online communities, and reach out to other artists for collaborations or partnerships. You never know who might be able to help promote your work or introduce you to new opportunities.
4. Be Consistent
Consistency is key in building a strong reputation as an artist. Consistently creating high-quality artwork, engaging with customers on social media, and attending events can help establish yourself as a serious artist in the industry.
By honing your skills, encouraging customer feedback, networking with others in the industry, and staying consistent in your business, you can build a strong reputation as an artist and confidently sell artwork online.
Staying consistent in all aspects of your business lets you build a strong reputation and confidently sell artwork online. However, it's important to remember that consistency doesn't just apply to the creative side of things. As an artist selling your work online, you'll also need to handle legal and financial matters consistently and carefully. This means keeping track of invoices and expenses, filing taxes properly, and ensuring you have the necessary licenses and permits to sell your work.
Handling Legal and Financial Matters
As an artist looking to sell your artwork online, it's essential to understand the legal and financial aspects of the art market. Here are some key areas to consider:
1. Understand Tax Laws for artists
When you sell artwork, you are considered self-employed and must report your income on your taxes. It's important to keep track of all sales and expenses related to your art business, including materials, shipping costs, and website fees. You may also be eligible for certain deductions as a self-employed artist.
2. Protect Your Intellectual Property
As an artist, your work is your livelihood, so protecting it from infringement or unauthorized use is important. Registering for copyright protection can help ensure that others can't profit from your work without permission. You may also want to consider trademark protection if you have a unique brand or logo associated with your artwork.
3. Contract and Commission Basics
When selling artwork online, it's essential to have clear contracts in place with buyers and any galleries or agents who may represent you. These contracts should outline payment terms, commission rates, delivery expectations, and other relevant details.
4. Keeping Track of Your Finances
In addition to reporting your income on taxes, keeping accurate records of all financial transactions related to selling your artwork online is important. This includes tracking sales through various platforms or marketplaces and any expenses incurred in the process.
By understanding these legal and financial considerations when selling art online, you can ensure that you protect yourself while maximizing profits from your creative endeavors.
When it comes to selling artwork online successfully, there are many factors at play beyond just creating beautiful pieces. By honing both the creative and business sides of the equation - including understanding tax laws for artists - you'll be well on your way toward building a successful career as an independent artist!
Conclusion
When you sell artwork online, you must be prepared for the difficulty you’ll face when you start. However, know that it can be a rewarding experience. This article covers the basics of selling artwork online and how to make the most of Strikingly as an artist. Here's a quick recap of the tips and tricks we've discussed.
Creating an online presence is crucial in today's digital age. A website allows you to showcase your work to a wider audience and build your brand as an artist. Strikingly offers several benefits for artists, including easy-to-use templates and customizable features that allow you to create a professional-looking website in minutes.
Marketing your art effectively involves defining your target audience, optimizing your website for SEO, using social media to showcase your work, and leveraging email marketing to reach potential customers.
Boosting sales requires pricing your artwork appropriately, offering promotions and discounts to entice buyers, selling through online marketplaces such as Etsy or Amazon Handmade, and ensuring effective packaging and shipping.
Building a strong reputation involves honing your skills as an artist through practice and education, encouraging customer feedback and reviews on platforms like Yelp or Google My Business, networking with other artists and galleries in your community, or online forums like Reddit's r/artists network.
Finally, handling legal and financial matters is essential for any artist looking to sell their work online. This includes understanding tax laws for artists in different countries around the world (such as VAT), protecting intellectual property rights through copyright registration or trademarks if necessary; negotiating contracts with clients or galleries; keeping track of finances using software like QuickBooks or Xero.
Sell Artwork with Strikingly
Strikingly is an excellent tool for artists looking to sell artwork online. With its intuitive website builder and customizable templates, you can create a professional-looking website that showcases your art beautifully. Additionally, Strikingly offers built-in SEO tools that help you optimize your site for search engines like Google, which can drive more traffic and increase sales.
At the end of the day, selling artwork is about sharing your creativity with the world. Whether you're a seasoned artist or just starting, embracing your passion for art and letting it guide you on this exciting journey of selling your work online is essential.
Go forth and create!
