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
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 be focusing 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 marketing strategies available online and so should you.
The art marketing strategies mentioned in this post are free but they will cost you your time.
However, the time invested will pay off tenfold.
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 are at the point where you would like 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 with you 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 the place 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 out the pros and cons before you decide if you will be using a third-party website.
Below are some cons you will want to know about 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 buyers 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 what your options are, 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 will have to 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
The only way people can get to know you as an artist online is 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:
The “About Me” page is a great place to post your artist statement along with 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 the place 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 you to install 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.
- Helpful Tips For Photographing Your Artwork That Work
- Tips for eCommerce photography for Crafters
- Effective Tips On Writing Art Descriptions That Sell
- How to Write a FAQ Page For Art Websites
- Art Business Basics: Show Your Art Prices To Increase Sales
At this point, you have a website, or you are using a third-party site, you have an “About Me” page, and you have your products 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 who visit your site, the more opportunities you will have for landing 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 search because people search on Google when they are interested in purchasing a product or interested in 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 become.
Below are some posts to help you get started with your art blog:
- Keywords 101 – How To Generate More Traffic to Your Art Gallery
- Increase Blog Traffic By Writing Catchy Art Blog Titles
- How to Write Pillar Content and Why it is Important for Artists
- 9 Effective Tips On How To Sell Your Art Blogging
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 get started, have a clear vision of what your goals are.
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 things like 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
You will want to create a Facebook business page and Instagram business account if you are planning on marketing your art on these platforms.
Facebook frowns on people selling products and services on their personal accounts and has the right to close your personal page down if you are doing so.
The best way to prevent this from happening is to create a business page.
Related Post:
How to Set Up an Artist Facebook Page
Additional benefits for starting a business page are:
- Build brand awareness
- Look more professional
- Analytic tools
If you are interested in promoting your art on Instagram, you will have to create a Facebook business account first.
It is required for you to create a Facebook business account before you can build an Instagram business account.
Before I start talking about some Facebook and Instagram art marketing tips, I want to disclose that it does take 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 it is so important to assess your progress through the analytic tools each platform provides.
Doing so will allow you to make changes to 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 to make the most out of your Facebook and Instagram marketing.
- Facebook Basics What Artists Need to Know
- How Clickable Facebook Cover Photo Can Drive Traffic To Art Websites
- Facebook Marketing Basics For Artists – Pin Your Best
- How to Use Your Facebook Business Page to Engage with Other Pages
- Facebook Page Basics How to Build Your Following
- 12 Facebook Page Apps For Your Art Business
- 10 Effective Facebook Marketing Tips For Artists
- What’s New with Facebook Video – Online Art Marketing
- How to Sell Products on Facebook Selling Art Strategies
- 7 Tips on Building an Artist Facebook Page Following
- How To Market Your Art With Facebook Stories
- How To Build Your Art Brand With Facebook Video
- How To Create A Facebook Cover Video For Visual Artists
- Facebook Is Now Combining Ad Creation with Power Editor 2017
- Facebook Artist Page Tips That Will Build Your Following
- How to Sell Art on Instagram Best Strategies
- How to Add Multiple Images to Instagram Posts – Art Marketing
- 5 Apps for Your Instagram Art Marketing Strategy
- 2 Instagram Tools to Analyze Your Art Marketing Results
- Sell Artwork on Instagram: Strategies for Using Instagram to Find Customers for Your Work Online
- 7 Instagram Tips For Visual Artists Selling Art Online
- 3 Instagram Marketing Videos Artists Selling Art Online Must See
- How To Use Instagram To Promote Your Art
- How To Turn Your Art Blog Posts Into Instagram Content
The number of posts listed above might seem overwhelming and they are if you try to tackle too much at once. Keep in mind that these are all strategies I have learned of many years.
To get the most out of the information provided above 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.
Keep in mind that these are all strategies I have learned of many years.
To get the most out of the information provided above, 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 places second to blogging when it comes to 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 me writing this post.
Below are some articles that explain how I built my following on Pinterest.
- Pinterest Basics – Artist Business Account on Pinterest
- What’s New with Pinterest – Pinterest Adds Pinch to Zoom
- How Artists Can Improve Pinterest Engagement And Sales
- How To Enable Rich Pins On Pinterest
- Why Artists Should Create A Pinterest Business Account
- 15 Pinterest Business Tips For Artists That Work
- Pinterest Introduces New Sections Feature
- 7 Pinterest Strategies That Increased My Traffic
- How To Hide Pinterest Images In Blog Posts With Social Warfare
- How To Create Pinterest Images With Canva
- How To Use Pinterest To Drive Massive Art Blog Traffic
- Increase Your Art Blog Traffic With Simple Pinterest SEO
- How To Start A Pinterest Strategy For Artists
- How To Create A Pinterest Profile For Your Art Business
- Pinterest Board Tips That Will Attract Your Target Audience
- What You Should Pin To Your Artist Pinterest Boards
- How To Start Selling Art On Pinterest
- Understanding Tailwind Analytics | Pinterest Marketing Strategies For Visual Artists
- How To Pin On Pinterest With Tailwind’s Smart Schedule
- 7 Pinterest Business Tips For Artists Selling Art Online
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.
- Showcase Your Art on Twitter
- Twitter Basics Build your Art Business
- Share your Art Brand with Twitter and Sell More Art
- How to Optimize Twitter Art Business Account with Keywords
- 10 Reasons to Have Your Art Business on Twitter
- Richer Images for Twitter Help Artists Grow Their Audience
- How to Search People on Twitter – Find Art Collectors
- How to Grow Your Artist Brand with Twitter
- 4 Twitter Tools to Save You Time
- How Twitter Builds Art Businesses
- How to Create an Artist Twitter Account Step by Step
- Can Twitter Help You Sell More Art
- Increase Website Traffic With Twitter
- 12 Twitter Marketing Benefits for Artists
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 be increasing 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 some time researching the groups to see what will be the best fit for 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 own website and keep your fans up-to-date on current art fairs.
Would you like to learn how to build a blog that generated over $15,000 a month?
Debbie Gartner explains exactly how she created a blog that makes her six figures a year.
- Easy On-Page SEO (For Beginners)
- Easy Backlinks For SEO
- Google Analytics Easy As 1,2,3
- Blog Income Recovery
You Might Also Be Interested In:
- How To Start An Art Business In 9 Steps
- 3 Different Pencil Points For Shading
- How To Draw An Elephant With Pastels
- Blick Studio Drawing Pencils Review
- Shading A Cylinder Drawing Tips
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
28 Day Blogging Challenge for Visual Artists
Are you ready to start building an online presence?
Available on Amazon or Download your copy today.
The Productive Artist How to Live Your Dreams
The right mindset and time management skills are essential for any business. These topics are often not talked about but are key elements for your success. You will learn how to have a winning mindset and time management skills necessary for operating a successful art business.
Available at Amazon or Download your copy today.
Get More Done in Less Time The Part-time Artist
Proven strategies that will help you to get more work done in less time so you can sell more art and earn more money.
Available at Amazon or Download your copy today.
Did you enjoy this article? Don’t forget to sign up for my free weekly newsletter.
You can also join me on:
Learn how to start, grow, and monetize your online art business.
Learning how to market your artwork takes time and a lot of dedication. Be patent and always work towards your goals and you will be where you want to be before you know it.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.