Many artists generate a significant income selling their artwork and handmade crafts online, and so can you.
Building an online art business has never been easier as long as you know what tools will help you get the job done.
This post will discover five tools to help you build a successful online art business.
5 Tools To Help You Build A Successful Online Art Business
Is selling your artwork online relatively new to you?
If you are just starting, I recommend reading Sell Art Online Startup Plan. This post covers all the basics you will need to know to start selling your art online.
Before we start, I want to tell you upfront that selling art online is work, and it takes time to build brand awareness.
The more time you put into your art business, the more you will get out of it.
Anyone can sell art online. You want to learn the best strategies to build your business faster.
Below are 5 art business categories I cover in Sell Art Online Startup Plan:
- Goals
- Showcase your art
- Email list
- Artist Blog
- Social Media Marketing
The list is small, but each section will take up some of your time, and don’t forget that you will also need to devote time to creating the art you will be selling.
As long as you are organized, utilize the best tools, and plan out your days, so you are productive, everything will run smoothly.
I will share with you five tools I have discovered that have helped me grow my art business faster than I could have imagined.
I want to mention that not everyone will see the same results with the tools I will highlight.
Do some research and decide what tools will help you achieve your unique goals.
Goals
I didn’t see actual results until I started writing goals and tracking them.
I knew I wanted to sell art, but everything else was a little blurry, and I didn’t know what actions to take when I started selling my artwork online.
I was wasting a lot of time accomplishing nothing.
When I started documenting my objectives, I developed strategies to guide me to the finish line.
While implementing the strategies, I kept records of the results to revise my plans and make smarter marketing decisions.
Because I have witnessed the value of goal setting, I decided to create workbooks for all of the artists I coach one on one and have chosen to make them available on Nevue Fine Art Marketing for a reasonable price.
Free Online Art Gallery Software
The following tool you will need to invest in is a platform where you can showcase your artwork.
There are many options available, and you will have to take a few minutes and review your goals to decide the best options for you.
If you are just starting and are unsure if you will enjoy selling your art online, I suggest starting with a third-party platform like Etsy or a website builder.
Etsy was created for artists to sell their handmade goods to people interested in purchasing unique items they can’t find elsewhere.
I recommend starting with Etsy because it is easy to get started, and the fees are very reasonable.
Below is a Tutorial I created to help you get your Etsy shop up and running in just a few minutes.
How To Set Up An Etsy Shop Tutorial
The other option you have is to build a website with WordPress.
The WordPress software is free, but you must invest in a domain name and a hosting service.
One of the many positives of building a WordPress site is that you own it, and you will have total control of the design and the content you publish.
Using third-party sites has limited features, making it challenging to create a unique brand that will separate you from all of the other artists selling art online.
Related Posts:
As you can see with Nevue Fine Art Marketing, I have two objectives. One objective is to sell my original artwork and prints of my art. The second objective is to coach artists to build a successful online art business by providing information I have learned over the past 16-plus years.
Your site’s design will be determined by your goals and can be changed anytime. You can change your website to accommodate the growth of your business.
Building a WordPress site might feel overwhelming at first, but I must tell you that it is easier than you might think.
You can find the answers to any problems that might arise via a Google search or YouTube because WordPress is the most popular website builder for professionals and bloggers.
Setting up your WordPress site has never been easier with the one-click WordPress Install Features provided by Blue Host and HostGator. You must purchase a domain name and hosting from Blue Host or HostGator and use the one-click WordPress Install Feature, and your site will be up and running in no time.
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase by clicking on an affiliate link, Nevue Fine Art Marketing may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate relationships include, but are not limited to, Bluehost, Tailwind, Skimlinks, SareASale and StudioPress. To learn more visit Affiliate Link Disclosure Policy
To help you get to know your new WordPress Site I have created a couple of eBooks and courses to help make the learning process a little easier.
- WordPress Dashboard Guide eBook
- WordPress SEO Basics eBook
- WordPress Basics Video Course
- WordPress Basics SEO Video Course
Email List
Growing an email list from day one is something I wish I did.
Your email list will be your business’s most significant asset, and I recommend you start from day one.
Related Post:
Ultimate Email Marketing Guide for Selling Art Online
The following two tools you will want to invest in is a marketing automation platform that helps you share your emails and newsletters and an opt-in plugin to collect emails from your site.
OptinMonster is a powerful WordPress Plugin that converts abandoning visitors into subscribers and customers.
OptinMonster’s Features:
- Convert any link or mage into an opt-in form.
- Personalize campaigns based on visitor’s location
- Detects user’s mouse behavior which shows them a targeted message as they are leaving
- Easy drag and drop builder
- Mobile friendly pop-ups
- Lightbox
- full-screen welcome mat
- Slide-in scroll box
- Floating bar and so much more….
After you have collected emails, you will need a service that will send bulk emails and newsletters to your list.
Related Posts:
Writing Email Tips That Sell Art | Selling Art Online Strategies That Work
Popular Free Email marketing services:
The above are free services and have limited features.
If you are planning on starting an art business, you might consider investing in a service with more features like AWeber.
Try AWeber free for 30 days! – AWeber Communications
Social Warfare
The last tool you will want to invest in for your artist website is a way for people to share your content on their favorite social media platforms.
There are numerous social sharing plugins available for WordPress, and I have tried many of them.
All of the plugins I have tried in the past had limited features I liked, but I searched for something more.
I finally discovered Social Warfare, a social sharing plugin that allows you to build brand awareness while making it easy for people to share your content on their favorite social media platforms.
It only took a couple of months to see tremendous growth in my traffic.
Below are some examples of my most shared posts:
- Art That Sells – What Artists Need to Know
- How to Write an Artist Statement That Sells Art
- How to Price Art – Ultimate Art Pricing Guide
You can see from the posts above that Pinterest was my most considerable traffic-generating platform.
Once I noticed that I started to focus on growing my Pinterest Business account. The problem I faced was that it took up too much of my time, so I started searching for a Pinterest scheduler and stumbled across TailWind.
It takes me less than 30 minutes a week to schedule all of my Pinterest pins for a week. The time I save using Tailwind is used on other strategies to help me sell more art.
Related Posts:
- How I Sell My Art Online With Tailwind
- Understanding Tailwind Analytics | Pinterest Marketing Strategies For Visual Artists
- How To Pin On Pinterest With Tailwind’s Smart Schedule
- How To Use Tailwind Tribes To Sell More Art
Final Thoughts On Tools To Help You Build A Successful Online Art Business
Starting an art business takes planning and work.
The tools highlighted in this post will not only make your work easier, but will also help you to build a solid online art business.
Take a look at the tools mentioned and see what will be the best fit for your unique goals.
5 Tools To Help You Build A Successful Online Art Business Overview:
- Goals Planner
- Free Online Art Gallery Software
- Email List
- Social Warfare
You Might Also Be Interested In:
- The Ultimate Roadmap to Gallery Representation for Emerging Artists
- How to Get Your Art in Front of Your Ideal Audience
- The Benefits Of Using Print-On-Demand For Your Art Business
- Show Your Love for Wildlife with a Fine Art Print of a Cardinal Pastel Painting
- How To Sell Your Art At Craft Fairs Like A Pro
