SELLING YOUR WORK ONLINE
A guide to navigating the digital world of art sales.
Last issue, I explained the different components of running your own art business as a broad overview. This issue, we will dive into selling your work online, as the lines are becoming more blurred between gallery artists and independent artists. Most artists these days have started to sell their own work through websites, on social media or have their own studio sales. But remember “art does not sell itself ” even if it is incredible, so you will need to market your work. It is very time consuming to sell your own work, but in the end you are keeping 100 percent of the profit. Keep in mind that if your work is also in a gallery, you must have an agreement with them as that is a valuable partnership.
There are many roads to selling your own work online these days. The obvious way is selling from your own website with a small built-in store, or a call to buy option. The first step is to make sure it looks professional. You will need to have a section explaining your work, a list of your shows and history, and a bio in addition to your artwork. When writing about your work, it’s smart to think about describing your work to someone as if they are not able to see it. There are many websites that explain how to make a great artist website. I can recommend FASO.COM websites for artists. Also Artworkarchive.com is a great business software that can track your inventory as well as be a back-end to your website.
Next is to set up shop online. Research your website host options for low-cost shops that are built in. Weebly, for example, has a great option where you can have 25 items for sale for a low monthly fee. You will need a Square account to collect payments with credit cards either online
An example of a finished painting on the wall to be used on a website or for a social media post.
or on the phone. Square will take a small percentage 2.85 percent if the card is present in person, to 3.25 percent for online sales. This is a very small percentage of your sale. Square.com has all of the information. (It’s also important to remember that these small credit card transaction fees are a write off for small business owners and can be deducted from your income for taxes as an expense!) Each artwork has to be photographed, titled, priced and uploaded. You will have to keep your site up to date as things sell. You will need to market your site. Post your website address on social media, hand out business cards with your site address, network, possibly take out print and digital advertising, and market directly to collectors as well. Never try to market your work at someone else’s show.
Other Selling Platforms
Many art platforms where you can sell your work online have popped up like daisies. Imagine, now you don’t have to have a brick and mortar store—you can simply pay a low monthly rent at these online galleries instead, and collectors know to visit them. As mentioned in our last article, some of these are Artspace.com, Artsy.com, 1st Dibs, Saatchi Art, Amazon and Amazon Handmade, as well as Etsy and ebay. Artsy. com was a venture capital-funded startup that has strong technology behind it, but may be for galleries only. Saatchi Art, on the other end, is geared directly towards artists. Research all of these options to find which fits your genre and style best. Also a good idea would be to reach out to an artist on the website for their opinion. Prices can range from $100 to $450 a month, but remember this is instead of paying thousands for a gallery space and a percentage of the sale. Each platform and
their software assigns tags to your work that you add to help the collector on the site when searching for a specific artwork. Let’s say a collector wanted a beach scene in the impressionist style, they can type that in. Your work will be tagged with those codes, so it will come up in their search, within the site. When accepted, you will need to spend a week photographing all your work, writing the title, size, price, dimensions and year created, and then upload all of the images and information one at a time into the inventory of the site.
Social Media for Sales
Many works can now be sold directly through Instagram, and tech savvy collectors are catching on that they can reach the artist directly this way. However, they also know that often working directly with artists can be risky, so the artist must build a strong and trustworthy reputation.
First you will need to build a following by posting great work, close up shots of your easel, paints and videos of you mixing or showing the work on the wall framed and ready. Collectors love to see the process! This is called “content marketing.” Interesting web content is very important. Sometimes
collectors will buy a work, simply because they are interested in your artist “story.” Don’t forget to post in your stories as well as static posts. Add hashtags such as #artcollectors, #fineart, #contemporaryart or tags that refer to your style. Don’t forget to tell them how to contact you!
You can set up a business account with Instagram and Facebook, which provide special controls that you can use. I budget funds each year that go toward “boosting” my Instagram posts as well. This means that you can pay small amounts, and they will send your post out to a targeted audience of your or their choosing. In the “boost your post” button you will be taken through a few pages where you can set the parameters: how many days it will run, how many dollars per day and your audience. For example, you can set $5 a day for four days over a weekend and get thousands of more views. You can set parameters of certain areas such as California or New York or a place that buys your subject matter.
You can also download a post organizer, such as Loomly, that lets you plan and schedule posts on Instagram for a month in advance. Meanwhile, over on Facebook, in addition to your page you will want to join some art collector groups and post your work and videos on those pages. Make a list of the ones you join and remember to post paintings and videos there as often as once a week or at least twice a month to keep them thinking of your work. Don’t forget to always direct them on how to contact you or visit your site.
Indeed the world of art has changed, and as artists, we need to embrace this. At the same time, we must also pay special attention to our existing galleries, and if you have one that shows your work and especially if they promote you, you will need to work with them (and not against them) to continue that trust. If a collector calls you, it just takes a simple question of “where did you find my work?” The takeaway: If you want to sell on your own, it will take time away from the easel, and you will need to learn business and marketing skills, but it may be worth the profit. Find out more great business info in our last article titled “On Your Own” and in future issues of Art Industry Insider.