11 Reasons Why Some Artists Fail At Selling Art

151 Shares

Art sales are continuing to rise every year. The internet has changed the way artists art selling art and how art collectors are discovering art. Even though there is more art being sold online every year, there are still going to be artists who can’t land a sale. It is essential to understand the reasons why some artists fail at selling art so you can learn what not to do.

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, Nevue Fine Art Marketing may earn an affiliate commission.. Affiliate relationships include, but are not limited to, Bluehost, Tailwind, and StudioPress. To learn more visit Affiliate Link Disclosure Policy

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 just 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 really good artists?

Do you think that 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 are artists who have an objective, believe in their art, and will to 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 on the internet are making a presence just because of their artwork?

Before you answer that, let me ask you this.

What is good art?

Why do people purchase art?

People purchase art because of:

The subject
The colors
An Emotional connection
The price
The size

The quality of art is judged by every viewer who looks at it.

There are people who are looking to purchase art, just like yours.

So back to my earlier question, why are some artists all over the internet while you only have your friends and family following 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 a successful artist or a starving artist.

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 that relate to 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 as essential to know both 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 the time to learn everything that is involved with operating an art business.

Art Business Jobs:

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 that you have to learn every job before you start your business.

But you will need to devote time each week to learn about art marketing.

There are so many great resources out there 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

There will be a lot of information you will have to keep track of while you are operating your art business.

Lack of organizational skills is one reason why 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 trying to locate something you need.

Website

The platform you are using for an online art gallery could be the reason your art is selling or not selling.

I recommend using WordPress for artist websites.

There are thousands of themes available along with plugins that will make your artist 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 not feel safe providing you with their credit card information if the site looks outdated or doesn’t work correctly.

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 that 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 the people who are 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 that you create, and that is ok, there are plenty of people who are searching for your style of art 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 why 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 for sale.

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 let them get to know more about you as an artist.

No Call-To-Action

Does your WordPress artist website make it clear 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 are interested in buying a piece?

Is there a way for potential art buyers to contact you if they have any questions before making a purchase?

What is a call-to-action?

In advertising materials, a call-to-action is a piece of 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 that you publish on your site should have a clear call-to-action that instructs the reader what to do after they have finished reading the content.