Internet provides opportunity to potential artists to achieve growth and inspire others by providing various platforms through which they can gain more exposure. In the past many forums have helped the art market to flourish. The salons contributed to this growth in the 19th century and in the 20th century commercial galleries helped many artists to stand out and gain exposure. And today in the 21st century internet is playing a major role in helping artists expand their reach. Therefore, to make it easy for artists to sell their art work online we present a few helpful tips.
Selling through an Online Art Gallery
The biggest challenge that artists face when it comes to selling art online is to get their work in front of people who will love it enough that they will purchase it. In order to reach your audience you can sign up with one or more of online art galleries. These art galleries act as a middleman between you and the actual buyer. Online galleries will try to put your work in front of the large demographic that is actively searching to buy art. Furthermore, people are more willing to buy paintings from online art galleries due to their reputation and the guidance and protection of payment that they provide.
Approaching an Online Art Gallery
When you are planning to sell through an online art gallery make sure to look at their information online instead of signing up instantly. Read on the procedure on how you can sell your work through their website. It is also recommended to read their criteria and terms and conditions properly and then get in contact with them.
Setting up Your Own Website
The first point of making your online presence known to the world is by setting up your own website. Your personal website will allow you to sell your work online to potential customers directly. Your website will also help interested buyers to view your paintings, watch videos and chat with you online to enquire about prices. It will also allow individuals to know about your inspiration and your techniques thus making them your true fans. Therefore, it is recommended to have a good and eye-catchy website design with interesting pictures and SEO friendly content. In this way when someone searches to buy a painting online then your website will rank on top of the search engines making them to prefer you over other artists.
Advertising on Social Media
This medium can turn out to be the best way to sell your art online. So, don’t forget to get all of your social media networks such as Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter on par with each other. Firstly, social media is the most cost-effective form of advertisement for gaining exposure. It makes it easy for you to stay connected with people who would buy your work resulting in future sales. However, you should keep your profile active by regularly putting up pictures, blog links and quotes of your paintings to make more people like and share your work and buy it online! Social media will also result in driving more traffic on your website.
Using Good Quality Pictures
Another important factor when it comes to selling art online is to put good quality photographs of your artwork. Always remember that the buyer will only get attracted to your art work if they find it attractive and visually striking. So make sure that the images you take enhance and highlight the best features of your painting. The quality of picture should also be good so if you are not running high on budget then plan on hiring a professional photographer for best results! Once you have taken the pictures make sure that they are properly cropped and are not blurry when you put them up online.
Careful Pricing
Yes! This is extremely important. Calculate all the costs that you have incurred while creating your artwork and then charge the price accordingly. Your prices should neither be extremely excessive nor too low. But you should also keep a reasonable margin for your profit based on the time, money and energy you spent on creating your art piece.
Courier and Package Service
Make sure that your artwork is packed professionally. A good idea is to come up with your own logo or personal style statement to promote your artwork and make it a brand. Furthermore, your artwork should be packaged properly and reach to the customer without being damaged and in the right order.
