Marketing / selling art

Unfortunately, art is one of those "touchy feely" niches that really need to be seen in person, although a website is great for driving sales from people who are already looking for you.

I would suggest reaching out to new home builders and offering your art for free to display in their model homes with the caveat that business cards be placed somewhere on or below the artwork so that people who appreciate it can visit your site and order directly from you.

It's really more of a marketing thing. You need to get your name out there in the proper setting so that people come looking for you.

Yes, it certainly an interesting one is this. I've never quite fully nailed it but i've just about made it work for all these years and i'm still convinced i can make the website work and get the conversions up.

I've been getting sales from cold traffic via facebook ads but got scared the other day when i lost £90 by an accident in the fb ads set up. It was my fault! ha ha. Really knocked me off centre did that then i ended up getting a £300 sale bulk order a few days which evened out the loss....

I may just have to turn the traffic taps on and keep going.... Just flood the site with as many visitors as possible and see what happens..... This may seem like madness but i think its the only way to go......

Thanks for you input.... Much appreciated.

D

Definitely more of an appreciator of this niche than a marketing expert for it, but found this Twitter thread about a gallery has sold over 480 paintings since March 25 very interesting and potentially helpful/relevant to your situation. I'll paste it below as well as link to it in case you want to review comments:

• So, my daughter's gallery has sold over 480 paintings since 25th March, 2 days after the UK Gov announced lockdown.
  How?
  She adjusted her approach. Many galleries have closed and done nothing, not selling artists work - waiting it out. My daughter saw an opportunity to fully ...

• ..exploit the online space & social media. She already had a good personal and business following on instagram. She already had an 10k+ email database.
  She knew that artists were desperate to sell work as their shows/exhibitions had dried up & galleries were not pushing online..

• She also knew that pple still wanted to buy art work, but couldn't go to galleries. The job was to put the two together.
  She came up with three novel online campaigns selling affordable art to buyers, with the agreement of the artists. Art purchased online would be sent direct..

• from artists homes/studios to the purchaser,
  Two online exhibitions were 'anonymous' - the buyer had no idea who the painter was until they had bought the painting. Also she had a countdown clock for when the new online art exhibition would go live..

• ...this created a buzz and anticipation. As soon as these exhibitions went live there was a 'feeding frenzy' - 100+ pieces of art sold in under an hour.
  Each exhibition that was successful meant that more artists got in touch with the gallery..

• wanting to sell their work. Social media meant that buyers were telling their friends and associates that good art could be purchased at the online exhibitons.
  The main thing was that she was quick to react to the lockdown. She knew that artists would be open to new ideas..

• ...as their income had fallen off a cliff. She also knew that buyers still wanted to buy art, but couldn't go to galleries to see them.
  My daughter was also very well versed on the power of the internet and social media (she was England's youngest female gallery owner) -

• ...she knew about online marketing, something which many galleries are clueless about. She knew that social media word of mouth and would drive eyeballs to her gallery site.

http://twitter.com/GuruAnaerobic/sta...05699265470469

Thanks for this. Yes, interesting. It is possible i'm sure. I've never actually bothered with galleries to be honest i've always enjoyed the freedom of not having to deal with them. I have managed to sail though this covid busines to far by sending cold traffic to the site, it is hit and miss but on the whole it usually generates enough sales to get though. I'm just having to get a bit more scientific with it...... To be honest though saying that even with targeted traffic as long as its between the ages of 25-55 it all just a bit of a lottery i feel. Thats my experience from my past successes..... I think i'm just going to have to be brave!! I've got a really nice selection of well made work thats got broad appeal. Maybe i'm just panicking a bit! Ha Ha.

You need to concentrate on creating a following on YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and start selling on Etsy Alot of artist score big with the Etsy Market.

I would suggest you to expose your art more in person and think about how to get a space for your art and then think about how to target. people localy so they can come and see, and then buy

Hello!

Firstly, I wish all of the best during these uncertain times! It won't be like this forever. Have you thought about using social media to post videos of your work? Like some others have mentioned, people do often like to see work in person. The closest you will get to this is videos for now! Many people have been hosting virtual events? Or live streams. Maybe this is something you could arrange? You would need to get people to know about it but a virtual event could work and it might make you stand out as well. If you have a website, make sure you are still using ads and trying to optimise your SEO and get as much traffic as you can. Someone mentioned a great idea about offering the work to model homes - I think this is a fab idea.

Selling art, as selling any product online is not easy. I have tried just about every channel known to humankind, including: Fine Art America, Zazzle, Red Bubble, Society 6, Etsy, eBay, Amazon, My Own hosted Site, plus Storenvy, Bonanza and others.

I also tried Facebook ads and sold my art locally using its yard sales and marketplace.

I made some money, but never made more than minimum wage, when I deducted my time, cost of materials, auction fees, ad fees and returns.

Saturated Market

Part of the problem, is that the so-called art market is saturated beyond belief. You are competing literally with billions of people who fancy themselves artists throughout the world. Many of them are not bound by copyright or tax laws, which also puts you at a distinct disadvantage -- if you are.

Every niche is crowded and unless you really have sometime truly unique -- or if you violate copyrights -- you are going to find your sales are minimal. Plus, if you somehow find an artwork/artworks that are popular in your inventory, counterfeiters will rip them off and begin selling them under your COST.

Pricing and Shipping

You will also find that the average art buyer online is looking for a price point under $20 (US), This is the high side, If you don't believe me, just go on eBay and research what is the price of the majority of art actually sold!

Then there is the problem of shipping. During last holiday season, about 20% of my art was either misdelivered, or never received. The cost of shipping is crushing as is the cost of eating returns on eBay, Amazon and Etsy.

Sell Local

Selling local is the most profitable method for me. However, COVID-19 has clamped that down. I only ship and many customers do not want to wait or pay for shipping.

So, for now, my art biz is in Limbo. Again, these are only my experiences. Your talent and product may be more marketable than mine.


Good Luck!

hotels, restaurants, cruise ships....

You say you stopped FB ads after YOU made an error - so fix the error and keep going. Set an ad campaign for a period of time to see if the R.O.I. is worth it.

I am unclear (even after looking at your site) if you are shipping only framed art - have you considered shipping unframed prints (tube boxes are cheaper) during the pandemic?

I wanted to ship a piece of art from Atlanta to Ohio in the USA - only 600 miles or less - and the cost was ridiculous. i ended up taking it from the frame, rolling it into a tube and shipping it then reframing when it arrived. Was cheaper!

If all your art is sold framed - perhaps add a covid-19 'special' where you reduce price by the cost of framing - and sell the art piece 'to be framed'.

Is that a possibility?

Free hanging of one's best art would be like a car dealer putting his best car inventory on display for free in a parking lot. Good luck with that. Don't know of anyone who has sustained any meaningful number of sales this way. Wishful thinking.

So sorry for the late reply on this thread. Thanks to everyone who has taken time out to reply. I'd been locked out of the warrior forum. I've just managed to re-set my password and to get back in now. I don't know if it's anything to do with the antiquated mac that i use. I've struggled to get in few time before as well...

So the good news is i've managed to survive to date off the sales of my work. It's been tough with this mystery virus causing havoc and maybe making some people a little hesitant to spend in such uncertain times but i have made it through so far which is a big positive.

I did continue experimenting with facebook ads but i found it very hit and miss and didn't want to risk loosing any cash if i didn't make it back through sales. It all seems a little too much like heading to bookies and blowing it all on the horse racing. I also worked with a supposed expert in facebook ads but i really wasn't seeing the results i was hoping for for the outlay. So i've put that on the back burner for now,

I do still use ebay. I wish i didn't have to but although i end up selling the work far too cheaply on there it is at least a lifeline and helps me make it through the month. If i could list under other sections on there i would make reasonable money off it to be honest but i've clamped down on there by the powers that be and i'm only able to list under the prints and art section. A lot of the work i make is abstract and is inspired heavily by architecture, sound and geometry. If i was allowed to list under say mid century furniture, music production technology, synths' etc. Sofas, Lighting etc etc i would clean up! I've done it before that cut off my lifeline. I was selling nearly £400's worth of prints every week on there alone...... Now it can be £100 - £150 if i'm lucky.....

Etsy - i have an account. I've tried it a few times. Sold a couple of pieces but it never seems to manage to get an sales traction as people don't seem to be able to find my listings...... I'd really like to work out how to get at least a few pieces selling on there each month... The work is relevant and all i seem to get from people who have invested in what i do is glowing reports... That's not a brag it's the feedback i get so i know i'm on the right track with what i'm producing....

I know for a fact that the work i'm creating really fits in with modern living spaces so one thing i'm really wanting to do is start making connections with interior designers, landlords, property developers etc and start selling into them. I'd even consider working with a sales partner if i could find the right one. They could make a good commission on the sales and leave me a lone to just get on with the work i make..... That would be a great solution to some of my issues!

If i have any more thought's i'll post them up. i'm just mid way through a print run so got to get back on the printing press now before the inks set... but just wanted to reply after getting back in here..... If you want to see what i'm producing pm and i'll send the link..... I just didn't want to post it up publicly...

Cheers
D