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How To Promote Art Online – For Increased Sales

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Free Promoting Art Online Tips

Developing an effective marketing plan takes a lot of planning and trial and error.

Purchasing ads on social media sites and search engines might increase your website traffic but not increase your ROI (return on investment).

Promoting art online does not have to eat up your profits, and to be honest, you should focus on promoting your art with all of the free tools and creative ways to market your art business.

Businesses of all sizes are taking advantage of all the free online marketing strategies. So should you.

The art marketing strategies mentioned in this post are free but will cost you your time.

However, the time invested will pay off tenfold.

Table Of Contents
  1. Free Promoting Art Online Tips
  2. Effective Art Marketing Tips
  3. Online Portfolio
  4. Create Your Online Store
  5. Promote Art Online With An Art Blog
  6. Promote Art Online On Facebook And Instagram
  7. Promoting Art Online On Pinterest
  8. Twitter Marketing
  9. Online Art Competitions
  10. Join Artist Groups
  11. Final Thoughts On How To Promote Art Online For Free

Effective Art Marketing Tips

Creating art is something we all look forward to.

Learning how to market your art online is something most artists despise and put on the back burner.

But if you want to earn some money from your creations, you will have to learn how to promote yourself as an artist and put in the hard work.

In this post, I will share the top online marketing tips I have learned over the years so you can start building a thriving art business.

Online Portfolio

Before you can start promoting your art online, you will need to build an online art gallery.

Your online art gallery will be where people can view and purchase your artwork and read more about you as an artist.

There are different options you have when it comes to building a website.

You can use a third-party website like Etsy, Weebly, FASO, or you can build a WordPress website.

Before you jump right in, take some time to write your objectives.

Doing so will help you to make the best decision for your art business’s future.

Below are some pros and cons of a third-party site:

The information below will help you decide if operating a third-party website is best for you.

Third-Party Websites Pros

  • Most Third Party Websites are straightforward to get started. (Read the terms and conditions before joining.)
  • Uploading artwork is effortless.
  • Some sites allow you to have a storefront to brand your business
  • You do not need to know how to build a website
  • Sell prints of your work
  • Sell prints on merchandise
  • They will help you market your items
  • They offer a shopping cart
  • Ideal for someone just starting out

Third-Party Websites Cons

With every positive, there will be negatives. You will want to weigh the pros and cons before deciding if you will use a third-party website.

Below are some cons you will want to know before jumping into a third-party website.

  • You do not own the site
  • Limited branding functions
  • Overcrowded with artists making it challenging to stand out
  • Selling and listing fees
  • You cannot collect buyer’s contact information
  • Some third-party platforms charge monthly fees

Benefits Of A WordPress Website: (Source: Aspire Internet Design)

  • Ease of use
  • Manage your website from any computer
  • No HTML Editing or FTP software required
  • Search engines love WordPress sites
  • You have total control of your site
  • The design of your website is 100% customizable
  • A blog is built-in and ready to go
  • Extend the functionality of your site with plugins
  • Your site can grow as your business grows
  • Have multiple users

Now that you have a better idea of your options, it is time to build your online art gallery.

Related Posts:

Sell Art Online Free – 7 Popular Third-Party Sites for Artists

If you are interested in building a WordPress site, you must purchase hosting and a domain name.

Related Post:

How to Choose a Perfect Artist Domain Name

I recommend using BlueHost for your hosting service.

BlueHost offers hosting and domain names at affordable prices. They also have a one-click WordPress site launcher that will have your site up in just a few minutes.

How To Become A  Successful Artist Online

People can only get to know you as an artist online by writing about your art journey.

The easiest way to get started is by writing an artist statement and an “About Me” page for your website.

An artist’s statement is a short story that describes your art, goals, mission, and views as an artist.

Post your artist statement on your website and any social media sites you will be promoting your art online.

Related Resource: 

Artist Statement Workbook

The “About Me” page is a great place to post your artist statement and any other information you would like to include about your art business.

Taking the time to write your “About Me” page and artist statement is crucial for the art business and often overlooked.

People who visit your website do not know you personally, and you will not have the opportunity to introduce yourself in person.

Your “About Me” page will give them a brief overview of who you are and what you offer.

Create Your Online Store

The next step is to build your online store. Your online store will be where your viewers visit to look and purchase your artwork.

If you are using a third-party site, take a few minutes to learn how to upload your artwork.

Creating an e-commerce page on your WordPress site requires installing the WooCommerce Plugin.

WooCommerce is a free eCommerce plugin that allows you to sell physical and digital products.

Below is a video to help you get started with Woocommerce.

Key Points When Uploading Your Art For Sale:

  • High-quality images
  • Great Titles
  • Well written descriptions
  • Policies
  • Showcase prices
  • Have a way for a person to make a purchase

Below are some posts to help you with the key points listed above.

At this point, you have a website or a third-party site, an “About Me” page, and your products are listed for people to purchase.

The next step is to learn how to promote your art online so people become aware that you are an artist and you have a product for sale.

Promote Art Online With An Art Blog

Driving traffic to your art listings will be your main focus from this point on.

There are several different ways you can do this, and you should focus on all of them.

Keep in mind that the more people visiting your site, the more opportunities you will have to land a sale.

The first online art marketing strategy I would like to highlight is blogging.

Your artist blog will be the fuel that drives a tremendous amount of traffic to your site.

You will receive more traffic from blogging than all social media

platforms combined.

Why?

Your website will receive more traffic from searches because people search on Google when they are interested in purchasing a product or learning about a specific topic.

Your blog posts will be showcased in Google’s search results, where people can discover your website.

The more content you publish, the better your odds of being found online.

Below are some posts to help you get started with your art blog:

For more blogging, visit Blogging Tips. Here you will find hundreds of blog articles that will help you to build a blog that will drive thousands of people to your website every month.

Marketing Artwork On Social Media

Social media plays a significant role in online art marketing.

These platforms will help you to build and connect with your target audience.

Related Post:

Simple Strategy For Finding Your Target Audience

For you to get the best results with your social media marketing, you will have to take the time to develop a social media marketing plan.

Before you start, have a clear vision of your goals.

Knowing what your business objectives are will help you to make better marketing decisions in the future.

Related Resources:

How to Write Goals You Can Achieve Workbook

Review Your Art Goals to Increase Sales

Creating a social media strategy is essential and should include which platforms you will be using, what type of audience you will be targeting, and what you would like to get out of your campaigns.

Now that you have an idea of what you would like to achieve on social media, let’s go over some of the social media powerhouses you will want to consider marketing your art on.

Promote Art Online On Facebook And Instagram

If you plan to market your art on these platforms, you will want to create a Facebook business page and Instagram business account.

Facebook frowns on people selling products and services on their accounts and has the right to close your page if you are doing so.

The best way to prevent this is to create a business page.

Related Post:

How to Set Up an Artist Facebook Page

7 Facebook Marketing Tips Artists Need To Know

Additional benefits of starting a business page are:

  • Build brand awareness
  • Look more professional
  • Analytic tools

If you are interested in promoting your art on Instagram, you must create a Facebook business account first.

You must create a Facebook business account before you can build an Instagram business account.

Before I talk about some Facebook and Instagram art marketing tips, I want to disclose that it takes some time to build a following on social media.

Do not expect it to happen overnight.

You will have to put in some hard work and be consistent with your efforts before you start to see an increase in your following.

I also want to mention that not every strategy will produce the results you were hoping for.

That is why assessing your progress through the analytic tools each platform provides is so important.

Doing so will allow you to change any strategies that are not producing positive results.

There is so much involved with operating a Facebook and Instagram business account.

I thought it would be more valuable for you if I included links to more detailed posts rather than writing a brief overview.

Below are some posts that will help you make the most of your Facebook and Instagram marketing.

The number of posts listed above might seem overwhelming, and they are if you try to tackle too much at once. Remember that these are all strategies I have learned over many years.

To get the most out of the above information, only work on one strategy at a time.

The number of posts listed above might seem overwhelming, and they are if you try to tackle too much at once.

Remember that these are all strategies I have learned over many years.

To get the most out of the above information, only work on one strategy at a time.

For more articles about social media marketing visit social media marketing resources.

Promoting Art Online On Pinterest

Pinterest is second to blogging regarding driving traffic to my website.

Pinterest drives more traffic than all of the other social media accounts I use combined.

I would strongly recommend starting a Pinterest business account after you have created your Facebook and Instagram accounts.

To give you an idea of how powerful Pinterest is, my Pinterest business account is receiving over 1.2 million views a month as of my writing this post.

Below are some articles that explain how I built my following on Pinterest.

Twitter Marketing

Marketing your art business on Twitter is different from marketing your art on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Twitter does not drive a lot of traffic to my site, but it is a great platform to use for networking.

Networking with other artists is an excellent way for you to build your online art business.

Below are some articles to help you with your Twitter marketing strategy.

Online Art Competitions

Entering online art competitions is an excellent way to promote art online.

If you win the competition, you will have an award that will increase the value of your work and build your reputation as a seasoned artist.

You will still increase brand awareness, even if you do not win the competition.

Most competitions highlight runner-ups or recently submitted entries.

Below are a couple of art competitions worth looking into:

The Artist’s Magazine’s Annual Art Competition
Chelsea International Fine Art Competition

Join Artist Groups

The last art marketing strategy I would like to talk about is going to be artist groups.

Being involved with groups is a great way to network with other artists.

There are plenty of artists groups you can look into on Facebook and Etsy.

Spend time researching the groups to see what will best fit your artistic style and goals.

Final Thoughts On How To Promote Art Online For Free

There is a lot of information to swallow in this post, and I do not expect you to get it all done in one sitting.

Bookmark this page so you can refer back to it at your convenience.

If there is one piece of advice I have learned over the years that I would like to share with you, that is to only work on one strategy at a time.

If you work on multiple projects at a time, you will never make the most of your efforts. Learning how to promote art online takes time, so be patient.

The art world has changed over the past few years.

Artists no longer need gallery representation to build a thriving art business.

Building an art website will allow people interested in your artistic style to learn more about the art you create.

You can also collect email addresses on your website and keep your fans up-to-date on current art fairs.

You Might Also Be Interested In:

How To Promote Art Online Overview:

  • How To Be An Artist Online
  • How To Become An Online Artist
  • Online Store
  • Start Blogging
  • Marketing Art On Social Media
  • Facebook And Instagram Business Accounts
  • Pinterest Marketing
  • Twitter Marketing
  • Online Art Competitions
  • Join Artist Groups

About Dave Nevue

Dave Nevue is a Professional Pastel Wildlife Artist and the founder and CEO of Nevue Fine Art Marketing. He also authored the eBook The Productive Artist How to Live Your Dreams, and provides courses on art marketing at Nevue Fine Art Marketing Courses.

Disclosure:

Disclaimer: Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means I receive a commission if you make a purchase. Affiliate relationships include, but are not limited to, Bluehost, Tailwind, and StudioPress. To learn more visit Affiliate Link Disclosure Policy

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Where To Start

Art Marketing - Complete Guide For Marketing Art Online

Sell Art Online Startup

Favorite Art Marketing Tools

Free Drawing Tutorials