I know selling artwork online isn't an easy task for most artists.
So I thought I would share some of my own
fundamental tips on the subject.
1. Make the most of your keywords! I know it has been said a hundred times before, but this is so important! When selling on Cafe Press, Greeting Card Universe, Ebay or even from your own website, make the most of your keywords. Try to include as many words as you can pertaining to your subject matter, including colors, titles, objects in your paintings, etc.
this will help people find your artwork when looking online as they search the net.
2. Networking! It may seem a bit trivial to you to socialize with peers or people in general, but believe it or not, this is one of the key elements in selling your art! Using sites like Facebook, MySpace, You Tube- it is all free advertisement! Add friends, connect with other artists and advertise! Use bulletin boards, videos, emails, and blogs to post new items that you have produced! Tell people about yourself! Let them get to know you. Now this doen't mean you have to divulge very personal information, but let people see the real you- why do you like to work with a certain medium, who are your favorite artists and why, where do you buy materials to work with, what inspires you? This information lets people see what kind of person you are and helps them connect with you. Join groups and team up with other artists to help advertise your websites! Traffic will increase to all of your members sites!
3.Emails, Advertisements, & Blogs! Make the most out of all of the websites you are selling on! Create email lists for customers to let them know when you add new items or prints to your store! Create a signiture in your regular emails with links to your shops! Don't just advertise online! Get yourself some bumper stickers with your websites url address! Hand out inkpens, carry a totebag with your store's name and url! Add your url for free to major search engines- like Google! Create business cards, flyers, postcards, newsletters, etc. to hand out to people! Put them in artshops where people can find them! You have to sell yourself, and in order to do this- you have to be visible both on and off the net! And bring your shops together on a blog! Add links to all of your sites so that people can find you! Use your blog to take surveys, polls, find out about your customers, and what they like! Ask for opinions, let people see what you are working on. keep an art blog diary of your artwork! Do tutorials on how to create a certain kind of artwork, such a batiks or paintings! Do you have a method of creating collage artwork? Tell people how you work! And don't just limit it to artwork! Add a forum for other things, maybe keeping craft rooms neat & clean, how to organize your painting utensils, etc. How to make a drying rack for paintings...anything that will help draw interest to your blogs and get traffic to your sites!
4. Be persistant! Probably the most important key to remember is to be persistant! Building any business takes time and extreme patience! So give your business time to grow! As you create new artwork, add it to your sites. And keep advertising. Utilize your images so that they continue to help your business grow! Jpg Images can be used to create many new items, such as greeting cards, t shirts, prints, mugs, etc. Create your own lines of apparel or dishes, etc. Keep your sketches and make coloring online coloring pages available for kids! No matter what you do- just keep creating and trying! Never give up!
Good luck to each and every one of you! And if you have your own ideas or tips, please feel free to share them here!
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