Find Your Niche – Increase Online Art Sales

How To Find Your Niche And Sell More Artwork

More and more artists are trying to sell art online.

It only makes sense that artists are building a thriving business online.

Artists no longer have to have their art shown in galleries to build name recognition.

Artists do not have to rely on an art agent who will take a large cut of the profits to market their artwork.

As an artist, you can create a professional WordPress website for under five dollars a month.

Advertising an art business is accessible on social media platforms, publishing blog posts is free on WordPress, and you can use a free email service to send out newsletters to your email list.

Selling art online sounds promising, doesn’t it?

The other side is that thousands of artists are trying to do the same thing.

With so much competition online, the only way you can compete is to craft a marketing strategy that separates you from all other artists selling art online.

How can you separate your art from all other artists selling art online?

Find your niche and promote your art to your target audience, those passionate about your artistic style.

What Is A Niche

A niche is a product or service that can be sold to a specific group of people.

For example: 

• Oil paintings of sailboats would be sold to people who enjoy sailboats.
• Pastel paintings of domestic animals would be sold to people who commission pastel paintings of their pets.
• Selling tile art would be sold to people interested in home decor.

Related Post – How To Make Tile Artwork

• Wildlife decorative tiles would be for people who have a passion for animals.

An artist’s advantage by focusing on niche marketing is that they can specialize in a specific subject and medium.

Finding your niche will allow you to focus on enhancing your artistic skills in that area.

Marketing strategies that focus on your target audience will be more effective.

For example, if you specialize in sailboat paintings, you will land more sales if you promote your art to people who own sailboats or have a passion for sailboats.

You might have a chance to sell to someone who lives in the Sahara desert, but the odds would not be in your favor.

Niche Marketing Advantages

• It will be easier for you to identify your target audience. You will know where they hang out online, what social media sites they visit, what blogs they read, and what events they attend. This will help you focus on marketing to people interested in the art you create.
• People are willing to pay more for things they have a connection with and love. For example, people who own horses will be more willing to pay more for a painting by an artist specializing in painting horses.
• It will be easier for you to be seen as an expert in your field. The more valuable content you write and publish, the more authority your brand will have. People will go to you when they are looking for the information you provide or the style of art you create.
• Your collectors will become your biggest advocates. People love to share things they have a passion for.

How To Find Your Niche

Tip number one is always to choose a niche that you enjoy. 

If you enjoy painting still life, that should be your niche. That is your passion.

You would not want your niche to be portraits if you had never painted a portrait.

Your niche is going to be your full-time job. You want to do something that you love and look forward to doing every day.

• What inspires you to create art?
• What is your favorite subject to create?
• Maybe you love to paint ocean views or nature?
• Maybe painting vintage cars come easily to you?
• Do you specialize in painting flowers?
• What do you see yourself painting five or ten years from now?
• What medium do you use to create your art?
• What are your primary colors?
• What size is your art?

Take some time to think about what you would like to focus on and create.

This information will be beneficial to your art marketing plan.

If you want to sell your art online, you need to start thinking and acting like a business owner.

You need to have a clear vision of your objectives and write goals that complement your objectives.

So, as you’re thinking about niche ideas, start with the things you like.

• What topics are you interested in?
• What hobbies do you enjoy?
• What would you do with your time if you didn’t have to make money?

Answer the questions above to find your niche.

Profitable Niche Ideas

Successful artists have learned that it is more profitable to only invest time and money into marketing to their target audience.

Now that you know how to find your niche, let’s talk about using this information to your advantage.

Below are a few popular niches with examples of where you can market your specialty art.

Nautical Art

Focus on marketing your art around the coastlines. Try promoting or selling your art in seafood restaurants, seafood businesses, marinas, or businesses specializing in nautical decor.

Children’s Portraits

Research into children’s toys and clothing manufacturers. Reach out to children’s book publishers and authors. Talk to teachers and daycare centers.

Cultural Themes

Focus on promoting your art to the specific cultures of your artwork features.

These are just a few examples; you can even be more specific with your niche.

For example, if you are a children’s portrait artist, you can narrow it down to toddlers.

Another example will be to focus on a specific location if you are a nautical painter. Maybe Key West-themed art.

Take some time to search through Google’s search. You will be surprised at how many different places you will discover where you can promote your art.

Don’t be afraid to reach out to people. People who own businesses are just like you. If you can provide something of value for their audience, they will be more than happy to help you.

Take some time to send emails to magazine publishers and authors.

You might not get a response every time, but there will be a day when someone reaches out to you.

With every email you send, you are building brand awareness.

They might not be able to help you now, but maybe they will want to work with you in the future.

Why Some Artists Fail 

Artists often fail to sell art online because they try to offer and promote too many different styles. 

Some artists have paintings of animals, still life, boats, and portraits that they are trying to sell. They might even use different mediums.

• How do they find their target audience? 
• Whom do they market to?

Unless the artist has a team of marketers on their side, there will not be enough hours in the day to effectively promote their art.

Having so many different styles might make it difficult for a person to know you are the artist of a piece they admire.

Building brand awareness is much easier when you have a specialty.

Let me give you an example.

If you go to a five-star restaurant, you will notice a limited menu to choose from.

The meals that they have to offer are all specialties from the chefs.

If the menu has too many different meals to pick from, the chef would never be able to cook with consistency.

The meals might be tasty, but they would not be five-star.

Five-star restaurants know the importance of a limited menu that showcases the chef’s strengths. The chef will be able to execute a great meal every time. 

You want your followers to learn your unique artistic style. 

You want them to be excited to see your next creation or read your next blog post.

People become fans of artists because they have learned about the artist and passion for their art.

An essential part of your art marketing plan is to find people who will want to get to know you as an artist and have a passion for your artistic style.

They are out there, and they will be easier to find when you find your niche.

I have to disclose that I know of some artists who do very well selling a variety of styles, but they have been selling art for many years and have worked hard at building a following.

Your Passion

An easy way to build your art business online is to focus on your passion.

Your passion is your strength.

It will be the fuel that keeps you focused and motivated to be the best you can be.

Marketing and promoting will be easier if you’re well-versed in the subject you love to create. 

Attracting your target audience will even be easier on social media networks.

Solving a problem your following might have will become one of your strengths. People will start to go to you for answers to their questions.

You will build brand authority and be seen as an expert in your field.

Isn’t it easier for you to trust someone who has a passion for what they are talking about?

The same is true for your audience.

Research Your Niche

After choosing your niche, it is always a good idea to research your niche. If there is a lot of competition, you will want to find a way to stand out from the crowd.

Ask yourself

• Do I offer something that they do not?
• Do I have more knowledge of my niche than they do?
• Do I offer different mediums or different sizes?
• Do I use a different color palette?
• Can I teach about my niche?
• What do I like about their blog?
• How can I make it better?

Answering the questions above will help you to develop a marketing plan for your business.

Online Niche Marketing Basics

To successfully sell art online, you will have a good understanding of marketing. Don’t start by trying all of the newest strategies out there.

Instead, focus on learning about online marketing basics:

• How to find your niche
• Know your audience
• Artist Website
• Artist Blog
• Email List
• Social Media

Find Your Niche – As I have said, you will have to have a clear vision of what you are marketing to market your art effectively.

Would you go to a family doctor or see a back specialist if you had back problems?

You would seek out the best back specialist to start living a better quality of life.

Why would you trust someone who does not specialize in what you need?

The same is true for most art collectors. They want to purchase art from someone specializing in a specific subject they are collecting.

Identify your niche and start marketing that specific niche.

Know Your Audience – Knowing your audience is easy after identifying your niche. 

People who love or have horses will be attracted to your art if you specialize in painting horses. 

It is safe to say that you will enjoy some of the same things your target audience enjoys.

For example, if you paint sailboats, you are passionate about boats and the water. 

This will be a common ground you have with your audience. You will be able to connect with them on a personal level.

Artist Website – If you are selling art online, you will need a place where people can view your artwork and make a purchase. 

Many artists do well, selling art and crafts on Etsy.

Etsy is a great way to start selling art if you are new to digital marketing. 

If you have been selling on Etsy and want to take your business to the next level, you will want to consider owning an artist website. 

You will have more flexibility and control with a WordPress website than you will with Etsy.

Related Post – Most Profitable Crafts To Sell

Artist Blog – Marketing is about building brand awareness. 

Blogging will strengthen your online presence, make you seen as an authority in your niche, and build trust with your audience. 

Your blog will be the driving force to attract your target audience and generate organic traffic.

Do you need help with your blog? 

Join all of your fellow artists who are taking the challenge. 

Email List – Building an email list is very important for your business. Your list will be a direct way for you to get in touch with your target audience.

Here are some helpful articles that will help you to build your email list:

• Ultimate Email Marketing Guide for Selling Art Online
• How to Build an Email List from Scratch Fast
• 4 Email Opt-in Plugins for WordPress

Social Media – Social media sites are a great way to build an online presence and relationships with your followers.

Your art blog, email list, and social media sites will drive traffic to your artist’s website.

Focus on Your Niche

Now that you understand what you will focus on for your online art marketing, you will want to develop an art marketing plan.

Your art marketing plan should be split into sections.

The sections will be your artist website, art blog, email list, and social media networks.

Everything you do for these four areas should reflect your brand and focus on your niche.

All of the content you create should be about your niche.

The more you write about your niche, the more traffic your site will generate.

An easy way to do all of this is by focusing on your blog.

Write posts about your niche. Everything you can think of that relates to your niche.

After publishing a post, send the post to your email list.

Post blog sections on all of your social media networks and include a link to the original post.

You want people to click on the link to be on your site.

Creating a content marketing plan will help you save time in the long run.

You will have all of the topics mapped out, so all you will have to worry about is writing the posts.

You want to work smarter, not harder.

The more you have planned ahead of time, the more time you will have in the studio.

Final Thoughts On How To Find Your Niche

You are an artist telling a story with no words. As an artist, you have the power to create emotion with color and lines.

As an artist, you have the power to create emotion with color and lines.

You are unique, and no other artist can create art exactly as you can.

Take an in-depth look at your strengths and what separates you from other artists who create similar subjects.

Make a list of all the things you can think of.

Find your niche (your specialty).

Create a content marketing calendar and start writing content. Stay consistent with your schedule.

Promote your posts on your social media networks and share your post with your email list.

You will be the go-to artist when people are looking to buy art that you specialize in.

You Might Also Be Interested In:

• The Ultimate Roadmap to Gallery Representation for Emerging Artists
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• 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