Have you ever wondered what making money from your crafts would be like? In this article, I will show you how to sell art online in 5 easy steps.
I have been selling art online since the early 2000s and have loved every minute of it. There have been some rocky roads, but it has been an exciting journey.
I don’t know what is more exciting for me, selling a piece of art I have created or the satisfaction of knowing I learned how to operate a successful online business so I can have a place to sell my art.
Throughout the fifteen-plus years, I have tried almost everything. Some things worked, and some things failed. Having a plan fail is no problem for me. It is a learning experience. As long as I learn from the mistake and do not repeat the same mistake, it will be a positive experience.
You can see the same success for your art business. Your drive should be learning how to sell art online and nothing else. With a positive mindset, you will have a website selling art before you know it.
Many factors will determine how long it will take to reach your goals. If you continue to learn, stay consistent, work hard and never give up, you will achieve your goals.
How to Sell Art Online in 5 Easy Steps
In this article, I will go over the five things I have learned about starting an online business over the years.
Here are the topics I will be covering:
- Know what you want
- Set Goals
- Have a Place to Sell Your Art
- Promote Your Art
- Continue to Learn
Know What You Want
Before you start working, you need to know what you are working for.
A sharp vision of what you want will be the fuel you need to get through some long days.
Have you heard of Michael Jordan?
Michael is considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
If you ask anyone what they remember about Michael’s career, they will talk about all his accomplishments, highlights, and best performances.
No one will ever talk about his struggles. No one mentions how many hours he spent on the court practicing his skills. They only remember his fame.
What I remember most about Michael is his dedication and drive to be the best he could be.
I would like to share with you some of my favorite quotes from Michael.
“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” ~ Michael Jordan
You will succeed if you can have this mindset while building your art website. A website selling art is built from ideas. If an idea fails, try a different idea. Do not stop until you are where you would like to be.
“If your’re trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I’ve had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” ~ Michael Jordan
I love this quote and live by it.
How many obstacles were conquered to separate a website selling art from a website builder not selling art?
Roadblocks are learning experiences. Analyze what works and what does not work. If something is not showing you the results you were hoping for, discard it and return to the drawing board.
“I’ve always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come.” ~Michael Jordan
The most successful artists have put in a tremendous amount of work learning their craft and learning about marketing.
You need to be willing to put in the hard work.
You need to be willing to learn.
You need to believe in yourself.
Take the time to:
- Learn from artists selling art.
- Learn from entrepreneurs.
- Learn from everyone.
Artists sell art; art does not sell itself.
Here is one of my favorite quotes.
“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” ~ Michael Jordan
How powerful is that quote?
What does this teach us?
Failure is okay as long as you get back up and try again. Do not stop trying until you are where you would like to be.
Take some time to decide what you want from your art career. The next step will be writing goals.
Set Goals
Before I talk about how to write goals, I would like to take some time-sharing with you some statistics courtesy of GoalBand.
- “People with written goals are 50% more likely to achieve than people without goals.”
- “Only 3 out of 100 adults write their goals on paper.”
- “Specific goals which are time-bound and measurable work best.”
- “Most gurus agree goals should be carried around with you all the time.”
You can read more at 18 Facts About Goals and Their Achievement.
A study from Harvard showed some eye-opening results.
A group of people was asked if they had set goals. They were also asked if they had written goals and plans to accomplish their vision.
After a ten-year study, the results showed that 13 percent of the people had goals but did not have them written down. Those people earned twice as much money as those who did not set goals.
The people who had written their goals down earned ten times more money than those who did not set goals and those who had goals but did not write them down. Only three percent of the people had written goals.
Writing down your business goals and having a plan is worth your time if you want your income to increase. Before you do anything, write down your goals and set up a plan to achieve them. Your goals will constantly change, and you will want to view them and address them regularly.
Now you are motivated to write your goals.
S.M.A.R.T. Goals
You might have heard about S.M.A.R.T. goals. This is the foundation of your goal plan.
I have been utilizing this system because it works and gives me the results I am looking for. If you have not already, start using them today.
Specific – Write down specific goals for your art business. Your specific goals should answer when, which, who, why, and where. You need an unclouded vision of your goals. Take some time and think about where you would like to be in a year, five, ten, and twenty years.
Measurable – Your specific goals need to be measurable. You will need to know how and when your goals will be accomplished. If you cannot measure the outcome of your plan, you will never reach your destination.
Attainable – You should only set goals that are attainable. Sit down and think about how realistic your goals are.
Relevant – Write down goals that are only relevant to your destination. Will your goals lead you to your end vision?
Time – You will need to set deadlines for your goals. If there is not a date that you wish to accomplish something, that day will never come.
Now that you have your goals written, you will need to have a place where you can sell art.
Have a Place to Sell Your Art
To sell art online, you will need to have a place where people can go and make a purchase.
Depending on your goals and if you are computer savvy, you might want to consider building a website.
This will be your online art gallery.
You can showcase and sell your originals and prints if you wish to the world.
Here is a list of other platforms you can sell art on if you are just starting or are not good with the computer.
I suggest that you learn how to build a WordPress site while learning how to sell art online.
It sounds scary, but it is not that hard. I have learned everything about building websites from articles and YouTube videos.
You will be surprised how easy it is.
Until that day, here is a list of places to sell art online.
Note: Before joining any site, read the terms and conditions.
- Art Storefronts
- Art Pal
- Absolute Arts
- Aftcra
- Amazon
- FASO
- Fine Art America
- Image Kind
- Zazzle
- American Handmade Crafts
- Art Muse
- Artspan
- Etsy
- eBay
There are hundreds of more sites available online for you to sell art. You will notice that the more art that sells online, the more sites will pop up for artists.
Take some time to look at each site’s offers from the list above. You will find places that will allow you to sell original art and prints, while other sites are only print-on-demand sites.
Review your goals and decide on what will work best for you.
Promote Your Art
I believe there is no good or bad art; there is only art.
Art is a form of communication.
I am often asked, “What art sells best?”
My answer is, “Your art.”
Someone in the world would love to have what you created on their walls.
You just have to find them.
Promoting your art and learning about digital marketing comes into play.
Artists who sell art online are the artists that have taken the time to learn how to promote their work online.
People will not just find you.
You have to find the people who will be interested in your offer and make a presence.
They are out there. You just have to look for them.
If you are new to selling art online, you need a plan. If you do not have a plan, you will waste valuable time.
Over the past fifteen-plus years, I have learned the best way to create a solid foundation for an online art business.
Go to Sell Art Online Startup Plan to learn everything you need to know about starting an online art business.
Continue to Learn
Now that you have a vision, goals, a place to sell art online, and a solid foundation for digital marketing, you will need to schedule time for continued education.
Digital marketing is changing every minute.
You need to stay on top of what is working and what is not working.
For example, when I started my Facebook Business page, my posts reached over 85% of my followers. Today I am lucky if my posts reach 3%.
If I were not on top of the changes, I would be wasting my time on things that do not work.
Besides teaching 10-12 guitar students five days a week, working on commissioned drawings five days a week, and writing articles for Nevue Fine Art Marketing and other sites seven days a week, I still find time every day for continued education.
If you want to keep up to date with art marketing, sign up for my free weekly newsletter. I will send you the latest strategies every week.
You can find the sign-up form at the bottom of this post.
Conclusion:
You now know how to sell art online.
Do not skip a step.
Know what you want.
Set goals.
Find the best place for you to sell your art online.
Promote your art.
And last but not least, keep learning.
You might also be interested in:
22 Creative Things To Sell On Etsy
How To Write Well-Written Art Descriptions
