Sell your Art Online
The web is an invaluable resource for artists, art galleries and art dealers to use to reach the largest number and widest variety of people possible. There are half a billion internet users which makes sales and marketing online very cost effective for creative businesses. New art buyers can browse freely without having to confront an often intimidating gallery atmosphere.
How to Sell Art Online and OnlineArt help our contemporary artists and galleries to have a presence on the net. Here are some of our tips for reaching as many new customers as possible for paintings, printmaking, photography and sculpture. We hope our suggestions on how to sell art on the internet help broaden your markets and increase your sales.
Get Online
Online art galleries are an important way of showcasing your art work and an opportunity not to be missed. To fully take advantage of the massive numbers using the net you must actively market your site to let people know you are there. It isn’t enough to build a site and hope someone will stumble across you, give them some directions. If you decide to use an Online Art website, it is helpful to see how many monthly visitors they are attracting.
When you have an online presence, can use your ‘exhibition’ of work to attract visitors just as a normal gallery would. All your promotional material and business cards can advertise where to find your online gallery. When you meet a new contact or do press interviews you can refer to your website address, in fact anywhere and everywhere you can think of.
Images and Information
Sharp images of your work and detailed information are very important in achieving both sales and new admirers of your work. It is helpful to remember that the only way buyers will see your work before buying, is on a computer monitor. This makes good images even more crucial as there may be some loss of clarity on older computers. If you are unable to photograph your work successfully it may be necessary to get professional shots but if it leads to a sale, the cost will be worth it.
When someone views your artwork online, you will not be there to explain the inspiration or method of production so it’s important to provide that information and keep it updated. You need to give the buyer all the details they need to make their mind up. If they need to wait for you to answer a question the delay may put them off as online buyers hate hassle.
Some of the more advanced Websites have ways of showing buyers what the art will look like in their homes with scale mock ups or ways of showing what colour you should paint the walls to accentuate the art. Tools like this, along with up to date details of your work are very useful for the buyer to make a decision and so increase your sales. As art work is such a personal subjective choice some buyers like to feel they are getting personal service and can require more interaction with you.
It isn’t just your work that you are marketing on your website; you should also be promoting yourself. Buyers like to know as much as they can about the work but also like to know about the artist, how they work and what inspires them. It is noticeable on group sites that the artists with photos of themselves attract more attention than those who just have photos of their work.
Gain Buyers Confidence
When your gallery is up and running you can begin to build up a good relationship with your customers which can lead to good word of mouth recommendations. Central to this is secure methods of payment on your site, so that buyers are protected from fraud. You need to able to talk authoritatively about your work, reply quickly to enquiries and deliver the goods when you say you will. A good telephone manner is also important because while most of your business will be done online, buyers often like or need to speak to someone directly.
Good luck with your website. We wish you every success with your art and your business!
