Are you finding it impossible to sell your artwork online? Do you spend hours a week on Facebook and Instagram only to be rewarded with “likes” and “shares”? Are you struggling to drive potential buyers to your online shop? Maybe it is time you start putting your energy into a strategy that has been proven to work repeatedly. In this post, we will share 9 practical tips on how to sell your original work blogging.
If you are new to blogging, we would like you to start by reading how to run a successful art blog. This post will provide you with all of the basics you will need to build a solid foundation for your artist blog so you can start reaching more potential customers.
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9 Effective Tips On How To Sell Your Art Blogging
With so many online marketing tools available, it can be overwhelming to decide what tools to use.
Some popular places where artists sell their original art online are Squarespace, Etsy, eBay, and a personal artist website.
Related Post: 15 Places to Sell Art Online and Make Money
Many POD (Print On Demand) sites are available for artists wishing to sell artwork prints. A great way to increase your revenue is by offering art prints and a print-on-demand service. Services like Printful makes it easy to integrate into Etsy or an online art gallery.
Related Post: POD Websites How To Increase Art Sales
Then there are social media platforms. You will find artists showcasing their art to their art collectors on the most popular social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and Pinterest.
Related Post: 7 Effective Social Media Tips for Growing Your Artist Brand
If you are interested in increasing online sales, you will have to decide on what platform you will sell your artwork on and how to get your products in front of a wider audience.
Deciding on a platform to showcase your artwork is the first step. After you have uploaded your images on your site, you will have to attract your target audience to your listings. If you fail to do so, your artwork will collect dust in your studio.
Related Post: How to Find Your Target Audience in 3 Easy Steps
How can you find time during the day to promote your art on social media sites, answer emails, send newsletters, and write blog posts?
You can’t unless you plan on spending 12 hours in front of your computer.
The only thing you can do is identify what marketing tasks produce the best results.
What actions guide you towards your goals?
If you want more likes and shares on your posts, you will need to spend more time on Facebook.
If you want more likes on your Instagram images, you will want to upload more images to your Instagram account.
If you want to put more money in the bank from selling your art, you will have to spend more time promoting your brand and driving traffic to your art listings.
Related Resource: Create an Artist Brand Workbook
Many artists overlook the power of blogging and spend all of their time on social media, only to be discouraged because they are not selling their art. Artist blogs drive people searching for art on Google to online art galleries. If you do not have a blog, you miss out on all art lovers interested in purchasing wall art online.
Your artist blog will be the fuel that drives a tremendous amount of traffic to your art listings.
Art Blogging Benefits
- Blogging will help you sell your art and increase your audience much more than any other tool on the internet.
- Social media post lifespans are only hours; your blog posts will live for as long as you have your blog live.
- People can search for information on your blog via google search.
- People can purchase off of your blog.
- People trust blog content over advertisements.
- Social media sites are for socializing. People visiting blogs are looking for information and purchasing.
Related Post: 10 Reasons Artists Should Start Blogging
Are you ready to create a blog to drive traffic to your art listings? Read Artist Blog Startup: Step By Step to have your first artist blog up in no time.
Tips On How To Sell Your Art Online
Now that we have explained the importance of owning a creative blog, we would like to share some tips for selling art online.
We have not only seen an increase in monthly page views, but I have also seen an increase in my art sales.
You will have the same success as long as you focus on your goals and implement strategies that match your goals.
Related Resources:
How to Write Goals You Can Achieve Workbook
Get More Done in Less Time The Part-time Artist eBook
Know Your Artist Blog Objectives
You can not accomplish anything if you do not have a vision of what you want.
How do you think a painting will turn out if you do not have an idea or a vision before you start?
It might be a masterpiece, but the odds are slim.
How can you develop strategies to guide you there if you do not know your destination?
Here are some ways goals will improve your Focus:
- Goals trigger behavior
- Goals guide your Focus
- Goals sustain momentum
- Goals align your Focus
- Goal setting promotes self-mastery (Source Jeff Boss Forbies)
Take a few minutes to start writing down some goals for your blog.
Do not be too concerned about writing the perfect goal. Perfect goals don’t exist. Just write a few things you would like to accomplish in the next 4-6 months.
After you have your goals documented, decide what actions will help you accomplish those goals.
For example, if one of your goals is to increase your traffic by 10% over the next month, start implementing some strategies that will help you to increase your traffic.
Related Resource: How to Write Goals You Can Achieve Workbook
Related Post: Know Your Artist Blog Objectives To Create Killer Content
Art Blog Ideas
Are there times you find it challenging to think of things to write about?
Everybody who writes will have a time when they have writer’s block.
Here are some tips for Battling Bloggers Block by Darren Rowse:
- Change your blogging environment
- Keep an idea Journal
- Just write
- Read what other bloggers are saying
- Combine two disconnected ideas
- Start with a need
- Take questions
- Flip an idea
- Collaborate with other bloggers
- Set a deadline
- Take a break
- Stimulate your mind
- Find your golden hour
- Comment on other blogs
- Read your archives
- Macro and Micro posts
- Write in a different voice
You can read more by visiting Battling Bloggers Block.
Another way to prevent a writer’s blog is by being prepared.
Create a list of topics you would like to write about to compliment your brand.
Start with a generic idea and keep building off of it. This technique is known as masterminding. Before you know it, you will have so many ideas that it will be challenging to write them all.
Here is an example of how it works.
Let’s say, for example, you are known for painting birds.
One category for your art blog will be “Bird Paintings.“
You can then take that idea and branch off of it, almost like a spider web.
Bird species – Songbirds, Birds of Prey
Native birds – Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, Northern Cardinal, Baltimore Oriole, American Robin
Exotic birds – The Rainbow Lorikeet
Bird watching
Inspirational bird images
You can easily see how you can start developing an extensive list of ideas to write about.
The list you create will help you prevent writer’s block, but you will also be writing about topics that will attract your target audience.
Now you might be asking yourself, “Why should I be writing about all of the different species of birds if I paint birds?”
That is a good question.
Writing about all of the different species of birds will attract people who are interested in or have a passion for birds. These are the people who will be interested in purchasing your artwork.
People who love birds might not think about purchasing a bird painting or even searching for bird paintings, but when they land on your site and read the valuable post you have written, they will see your artwork and remember you.
If you provide enough value, they will continue to visit your site, and when they are ready to make a purchase, they will buy from you because you have connected with them.
Related Posts:
How To Create Post Ideas That Generate Blog Traffic
How To Brainstorm Blog Ideas For More Studio Time
6 Types of Art Blog Posts That Work
Blog Structure
Now that you have created a list of blog ideas, you will want to learn how to structure your post so it is easy for your readers to consume from a PC or mobile device.
Writing blog posts is different from what we were taught in school.
Content may be king, but if you don’t optimize your blog content in a way that Google likes, your readers will never find it. (Source: Problogger)
When writing blog posts, you are no longer just writing for the reader but also for the search engines.
The keywords that you target will determine who will find your post.
Related Post: Keywords – Generate Traffic to Your Art Gallery
Tips for writing for your readers:
- Easy to understand vocabulary.
- Short sentences.
- Short paragraphs.
- Plenty of white space.
- Highlight key points.
- Separate text with images.
- Stick to the issue you are trying to make.
Tips for writing for the search engines:
- Proper use of keywords.
- Headings
- Images
- Internal links
- Outbound links
- Meta description
Related Resources:
WordPress SEO Basics eBook
Optimize Art Blog Posts for Search eBook
Art Blog Titles
You spend a significant amount of time writing posts that will attract your target audience.
No matter how valuable your content is, it will be useless if nobody reads it.
Crafting a title that will encourage people to click on it is an art.
Tips for writing blog titles:
- Make it engaging
- Set the right expectations
- Keep it short and sweet
- Include a keyword but don’t go crazy (Source: Matt E Lindley Verve Blog)
Unfortunately, no secret formula will guarantee a perfect title that everyone will click on.
Take some time to write a few different titles for your posts.
Read them and ask yourself, “What title would make me click to read more?“
Related Post: How To Write Great Titles That Generate Blog Traffic
Blog length
There are many arguments on how long posts should be to generate traffic.
Why does blog length matter?
There are two reasons you will want to focus on blog length: your reader and the search engines.
First, let’s talk about your readers.
Your readers will turn into loyal collectors of your artwork if you can connect with them.
How can you connect with your readers?
You connect with a reader by being personable, entertaining, and providing a solution to a problem they might have.
How do you write for the search engines?
Writing SEO-friendly posts will help your readers find your articles online.
Related Post: What is – SEO Basics for Artists Selling Online
There are hundreds of algorithms that affect the PageRank of a post.
PageRank is an algorithm used by the Google search engine to measure the authority of a webpage. While the details of PageRank are proprietary, it is generally believed that the number and importance of inbound links to that page are significant factors. (source: Techopedia)
Post length is one of the factors that affect Pagerank.
Google’s mission is to provide the best information available to its readers.
The more details a post has about a specific topic, the longer it will be. This is why it is said that longer posts rank higher in the search.
The problem most writers encounter is that they start to focus on the word count instead of the readers.
If you lose your reader’s attention because you are filling your posts will filler words, they will leave your site, and it will tarnish your brand.
The other side of the coin is that if you write a post that contains 100 words, your post will never be ranked.
The solution, write for your readers and provide them with as much information needed about the topic you are writing about.
Related Post: How Long Should Your Artist Blog Post Be
Subheadings
Subheadings are an excellent way to keep your posts easy to read.
Some people are just looking for specific information.
Breaking up your posts with subheadings will make it easier for your readers to find what they are searching for.
Steps For Writing Blog Posts
If you are not careful, you could end up eating more hours in the day on marketing than you would have wished for. Having schedules and plans will help you be more productive and make your time more valuable.
Writing Blog Post Guide:
- Have a vision
- Create a brand
- Create categories that support your brand
- Create a list of blog topics
- Schedule time to write
Related Post: Steps For Writing Blog Posts
Promote Your Blog Posts
After your blog post is written, your job is only half done. You will need to spend some time promoting your work.
Related Post: How To Promote Blog Posts
Final Thoughts On Art Blogs
Building brand awareness online will take time and a lot of work.
Your artist blog will be the fuel that drives traffic to your art listings.
If you are new to selling art online, visit Sell Art Online Startup Plan
9 Effective Tips On How To Sell Your Art Blogging Overview:
- Art Blogging Benefits
- Know Your Artist Blog Objectives
- Art Blog Ideas
- Blog Structure
- Art Blog Titles
- Blog Length
- Subheadings
- Steps For Writing Blog Posts
- Promote Your Blog Posts
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