Art sales continue to rise every year. The internet has changed the way artists art selling art and how art collectors discover art. Even though more art is being sold online every year, there will still be artists who can’t land a sale. It is essential to understand why some artists fail at selling art so you can learn what not to do.
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Is Your Art Good Enough
Learning how to operate a business is crucial if you are trying to earn an income selling fine art or handmade crafts.
You might be thinking to yourself. I don’t want to manage a business. I want to sell some paintings or drawings.
Selling products or services is operating a business. It doesn’t matter if you sell one painting or a hundred paintings. Exchanging a product for money is the act of doing business.
So if you are interested in selling your art, you will want to start thinking like a business person.
This brings me to my next point, believing in your product.
Do you question how good your art is?
Do you judge your art with other outstanding artists?
Do you think your art is not selling because it is not good enough?
Most successful artists have asked the same questions and felt the same way you do at some point during their careers.
Entrepreneur artists have an objective, believe in their art, and will learn everything they can about marketing art.
Starting an art business begins with having a product or service to sell and learning how to operate a business.
Do you think the artists you see online are making a presence just because of their artwork?
Before you answer that, let me ask you this.
What is good art?
People purchase art because of:
- The subject
- The colors
- An Emotional connection
- The price
- The size
The quality of the art is judged by every viewer who looks at it.
Some people are looking to purchase art, just like yours.
So back to my earlier question, why are some artists all over the internet while your friends and family only follow you on social media?
The reason why you see those artists everywhere is that they have a desire to learn and become successful.
Of course, you will want to continue to enhance your artistic skills. But the level of an artist’s skill is not the only reason they are successful or starving artists.
The reason why some artists are successful, and other very talented artists fail every day is the will to learn how to operate an art business.
Why Some Artist Fail At Selling Art
So can you make a living as an artist?
If you continue to enhance your artistic skills, learn why some businesses thrive and why others fail, and implement marketing strategies that support your goals, the answer, in my opinion, is yes.
I have written over a thousand posts about art marketing and operating an art business.
In this post, I wanted to do something a little different. I want to highlight why some artists fail at selling art.
It is essential to know what works and what doesn’t work if you are trying to build a successful art business.
Not Learning The Business Of Art
One reason artists fail at selling art online is that they do not spend time learning everything involved with operating an art business.
Art Business Jobs:
- CEO
- Creator
- Content marketing specialist
- Accountant
- Email marketing specialist
- Social media marketing specialist
- Customer service manager
- Inventory manager
- Website designer
- Photographer
- Shipping manager and the list go on.
Your workload drastically increases once you decide to start selling your art.
Many artists who fail do not take each essential job seriously.
If you want to be successful, you will have to learn about each job.
This does not mean you must learn every job before starting your business.
But you must devote time each week to learning about art marketing.
There are so many great resources for you to learn everything you need to know about operating a successful business.
Related Resources:
Not Executing Art Business And Art Marketing Strategies
It is one thing to learn about art marketing, but it is another thing to implement an art marketing plan.
Like I have mentioned earlier, online art sales are increasing every year. The increase in art sales has made it more appealing for artists to try to sell their creations online.
This means that there is more competition than ever before.
The artists who are selling fine art online are the ones who are, marketing their business daily.
Creating an art marketing plan might not sound appealing to you, but it is essential if you want your art business to thrive.
Create a marketing schedule and start implementing it today.
No Planning
Staring an art business begins with a vision followed by developing a plan that compliments the business goals.
So many artists have a dream of selling art.
The artists who sell their artwork are the ones who develop an art marketing plan.
How to start an art marketing plan:
- Know who your target audience
- Know what your target audience is searching for in the search engines
- Know what social media platforms your target audience hangs out on
- Decide how you get your art in front of your target audience
- Decide when you will be implementing your art marketing plan
- Decide how long you will perform the art marketing plan
Not Organized
You will have to keep track of a lot of information while you are operating your art business.
Lack of organizational skills is one reason some artists fail at selling art.
You will have to keep track of:
- Art business goals
- Blogging schedule
- Keyword research
- Social media posting schedule
- Art prices
- Client information
- Sales
- Local fair date
- Accounting and so on
Develop spreadsheets or organize a file cabinet for your business needs.
There is a lot of work that is involved in selling art. The last thing you will want is to waste time locating something you need.
Website
The platform you use for an online art gallery could be why your art is selling or not selling.
I recommend using WordPress for artist websites.
Thousands of themes and plugins will make your artist’s website user-friendly and attractive for art collectors.
Always remember that a first impression could be the determining factor of a sale of a loss of a potential art collector.
People will feel unsafe providing you with their credit card information if the site looks outdated or works incorrectly.
Related Resources:
How To Install WooCommerce On A WordPress Artist Website
How To Manage Plugins In WordPress
Best Email Opt-in Plugins For Artist WordPress Websites
How To Install Premium Themes To WordPress
Marketing To The Wrong People
Creating art and marketing art is the foundation of any artist’s business.
You have to create art that people will want to purchase, and you have to put your artwork in front of people to let them know it is for sale.
We have talked about developing a marketing plan and implementing the plan. But we did not talk about who to market your art to.
A successful art marketing plan is a plan that centers around a target audience.
What is the target audience?
A target audience is simply those interested in a specific product or service.
Your target audience will be people who have a passion for:
- The subject you paint or draw
- The medium you use to create art
- The size of the art
Not everyone will like the art you create, which is ok. Plenty of people are searching for your art style as we speak.
The question is, do you want to spend time showing your art to people who are interested in purchasing your artwork or who do not like your artistic style?
Realted Resorces:
Sell More Art By Learning Who Your Audience Is
How To Find Your Target Audience
What Is Your Target Audience Searching For
Communicating With Art Collectors
Engaging with your art collectors and potential art collectors is essential for the growth of your art business.
Another reason some artists fail at selling art is that they only reach out to their target audience when they have a new piece of art available.
Art collectors want to feel a connection to an artist and their artwork.
Taking the time to build real relationships with people goes a long way.
Spend a few minutes every day or week to reach out to your fans and tell them more about you as an artist.
No Call-To-Action
Does your WordPress artist website clarify that you have art for sale?
Is your art easy to be found on your site?
Do your landing pages include prices and a way for them to purchase if they want to buy a piece?
Is there a way for potential art buyers to contact you if they have any questions before purchasing?
What is a call to action?
In advertising materials, a call-to-action is content intended to induce a viewer, reader, or listener to perform a specific act, typically taking the form of an instruction or directive (e.g. buy now or click here ).
Everything you publish on your site should have a clear call to action that instructs the reader what to do after reading the content.
Related Resorce:
Call-To-Action Strategy That Generates Sales
Lack Of Consistent Art Marketing Efforts
Another reason why some artists fail at selling art is because they are not consistent with their art marketing efforts.
It takes time to build a following online, and with the amount of competition, it is harder than ever.
The good news is that if you continue to work hard on a regular schedule, you will eventually achieve what you have set out to achieve.
The artists who fall short are the ones who get discouraged quickly and give up.
Art Prices
Pricing is another reason why some artists fail at selling art.
If you price your art too high, you will lose sales, and if you price your art too low, you could potentially lose sales.
Unfortunately, there is no majic formula that works when it comes to pricing your artwork.
However, the market will tell you if you are in the right pricing range.
Related Resource:
How To Price Your Artwork For Better Sales
Show Your Art Prices To Increase Sales
How Creating A Pricing Chart For Your Art Will Increase Profits
7 Art Pricing Rules To Stick With
Conclusion:
Learning how to start a business as an artist has never been easier. You have all of the information you need right at your fingertips.
Learning how to make a living being an artist is as easy as starting a business.
The challenge is developing a plan, sticking with the plan, revising the plan, staying motivated, and being patient.
This post outlines 11 reasons why some artists fail at selling art.
The objective of this post is to help you not make the same mistakes so you can grow your art business quicker.
Related Posts:
Number One Reason Artist Blogs Fail
How Artists Sell More Art By Failing
Why Art Websites Fail: How To Fix It
7 Reasons Artists Fail on Social Media
