Selling Art On
The Internet
The
5 Core Principals
© by Carl
(CAKUart); all rights reserved
Selling
art on the Internet requires determination and the ability
to implement some core business principals.
I was once
told a long time ago by a successful businessperson that,
"marketing is everything". While I believe you need to
produce a good product, I strongly agree with the belief that
marketing is vitally important in progressing in any business,
including the arts.
In terms of
marketing and selling art on the Internet, there is no doubt
that it takes patience and perseverance. Like any business, it
takes time to build a presence and a following. My motto is
"work on building your tribe".
Regardless of
where you live in the world, the same rules apply in regards to marketing
your work online.
I believe
there are 5 core principals that all artists should implement
when they start selling art on the Internet.
Quality Artwork
The first one
is kind of obvious, but very important. You need to be producing
good art. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how much time
you spend on marketing. If your artwork doesn't connect with
your audience you simply will not sell any art.
If you are
unsure about your work in regards to how it will be received,
then a good idea is to start by selling in your local
community. Get some feedback from people who have had the benefit
of viewing your work in the flesh.
Additionally,
keep working. Keep developing your craft.
Target Market
The second
principal in regards to selling art on the internet is; you need
to know who your audience is.
Unless you
already have a reputation within in the art scene, you
need to establish a presence online that is focused towards the
folk in your target market.
One of my mentors once explained it really well, "I'm looking for
people who are looking for me".
Seeking out
your target market consists of building a web presence through
blogs, video
networks, social media, forums, advertising
campaigns and press releases.
In addition
to this, fill your content with relevant rich keywords so the
search engines will pick you up and help you gravitate towards
the people who fit your target market criteria.
While I think
the shared galleries are great to get yourself up and running,
eventually you will need to bring your focus back to building
your own brand through constructing your own real estate
online.
The true
essence of building your own brand really comes down to being
consistent. It's not really about flashy gimmicks. Successful
branding is really just being consistent.
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"Secret Girl" by
Carl (CAKUArt) SOLD
Oil and Acrylic on Canvas
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Content is King
The third
principal is creating content that inspires, intrigues and
enhances your visitors experience online.
Now I don't
mean you have to become a guru or some kind of entertainer. I simply mean keeping your content
message focused. This will help to build an element of
expectation from your visitors – and this is one of the basic
principals of creating your own brand – predictability… or
in some regards, reliability.
Many
self-representing artists presenting their work on the Internet
simply do not have any real content that accompanies their work.
Your web
presence really comes down to how well you are communicating who
you are and what you can do. Do it in a way that grabs peoples attention…
for the right reasons of course.
Additionally,
this content is what will help you with favourable search engine
placement. The higher you rank in the search engines the more
people in your target market will discover you.
Traffic Traffic
Traffic
The forth
principal for selling art on the internet is knowing how to drive targeted traffic to your site
or blog. It won't matter how much you have invested in a website
if you are not generating traffic.
The
difference can be likened to having an art stall on the side of
a lonely country road or having a stall in the middle of Times
Square in New York.
Relationship
Building
Principal number five is; you have build on going relationships with your visitors, customers and collectors.
If you do not have an
email autoresponder on your website or blog, then I really encourage you so set one up. Being able to communicate with your audience is key on the Internet. Additionally you can use
social networks like Twitter and
Facebook.
Building
relationships with your audience really just comes down to
knowing how to add value to their lives.
It's not just
about trying to get them to buy your art. It’s about
developing loyalty through keeping your prospects updated and informed with regular content - via email, social networks, video, articles and blog posts.
Lastly,
you have to be prepared to adapt to change in terms of the ebb
and flow of the Internet.
The
internet is constantly changing. This simply means that your
methods for promoting need to keep in time with the current.
There is no reason why you can't outsource most of the work
required to stay in line with the times. But you need to be
aware of the changes as they take place.
Selling
art on the internet is not without it's challenges. But if you
follow the principals above and work with a decent level of
consistency you will in turn begin to see some sales on the
horizon.
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