Are you excited about selling your art online? In this Sell Art Online Startup Plan, you will discover everything you need know to get your online art business started, so you can start selling your art today.

Sell Art Online Startup Plan

There is no better time than now to sell art online. You have the opportunity to reach millions of collectors who are interested in purchasing your art.

Whether you have been selling your art online for some time now, or you are just starting out, your main goal is to be noticed.

Most artists cringe when they hear the words “art marketing.” The truth is you will not be able to sell your art if you do not market your art.

People can not buy your work if they do not know it exists.

Art marketing can feel overwhelming at times, and it does take a lot of effort.

However, if you have a plan, you will be happy to learn you will have an opportunity to sell art online, and a lot of it.

 

Sell Art Online Strategy

Follow the five simple steps outlined below, and you will have a strong foundation for your online art business.

I provided additional articles and recommendations to help make each step easier.

At first, all of the information might seem overwhelming.

Take one step at a time.

Learn the basics of each topic and start implementing them. Do not get caught up in advanced tactics in the beginning. You need a solid foundation before any advanced art marketing strategies will work.

Complete one step at a time.

Before you know it you will be selling art online.

You will want to learn more advanced art marketing tactics after you feel comfortable with the five steps outlined below.

If you have not already done so,  sign up for the free weekly newsletter.  I will email you important articles that will teach you how to sell art online.

Visit Art Marketing Resource for all of the tools I use and recommend for operating an online art business.

 

Sell Art Online Startup Plan - Goals

The articles below will help you with writing your goals and artist mission statement.

You can not sell art online if you do not have a clear vision of what you want.

Step 1. is the most important step you will take.

Every other plan and step you take along the way will guide you towards your vision and your goals.

Before you go to step 2, take the time to read these articles:

• Sell Art Online Basics Setting Goals
• How to Write an Artist Mission Statement

 

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 the amount of money than the people who did not set goals.

The people who had written their goals down earned ten times the amount of money than the people who did not set goals as well as the people 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 well worth your time if you want your income to increase that much. Before you do anything, write your goals and set up a plan to achieve them. Your goals will constantly be changing, and you will want to view them and address them regularly.

 

If you struggle with writing goals, I recommend reading my book 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 critical 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 today.

The time you spend now on your goals will save you time in the long run.

Now that you have your goals documented it is time to go to the next step. You need a place where people can purchase your art.

 

Sell Art Online Startup Plan - Showcase Your Art

I am often asked, "What are the best places to sell art online?"

With more art being purchased online, more business will take advantage of the opportunity and provide services to help artists showcase their art.

You will need to have a place online where you will be able to sell your artwork.

Here are just a couple of options for you to get familiar with. The two suggestions are used by many artists but not the only two options available.

After you become available with what they have to offer, take a look around to see if a different site offers something different that will be better for your art business.

FASO – FASO (Fine Art Studio Online) is a Third Party site that was built by artists for artists. If you are interested in designing an online art gallery that allows you to sell art online and you are not computer savvy, FASO is a site you will want to consider using.

You will have a professional online art gallery along with necessary tools needed to help build your art business. You will find everything you need in one place.

 

ETSY – Many artists start selling their art online with Etsy and do very well. Etsy makes it easy for artists to build an Etsy shop and start selling within minutes.

Another benefit selling art online with Etsy is they already have a large community. It will be easier for you to start building your brand.

I know many artists that have both an online art gallery and an ETSY shop.

To get started with ETSY, take my step by step tutorial.

For $4.95 you will get access to a downloadable PDF and six videos, that will go over with you each step on how to start your Etsy shop and list your first item for sale.

How to Sell Art on Etsy – Online Art Marketing

With more art being sold online every year, you will notice more options are becoming available for artists to showcase their work.

To learn about some other options read, 7 Popular Third-Pary Sites for Artists. This is just a small list of what is available.

When you are just starting out, you want to keep things simple. You need a goal, a place where people can purchase your art and an art marketing plan.

As time goes by and you become more familiar with selling art online, you will discover different options that will benefit your business. For now, use something that is simple and popular with many artists.

Once you have become familiar with showcasing your art on third-party sites, you will want to consider building an artist website. It will be easier for you to generate traffic to your artist website after you have built an online business.

While you are building your online presence, learn how to build a website with WordPress. WordPress is very easy to use and you will own it. You will have total control of the look and feel of your site.

Visit  4 Amazing Artist Websites You Should See so you can start to get an idea of what you can do with a website.

 

Why Many Artists Fail

One reason many artists fail selling art online is that they do not learn how to market and promote their work. They think that just because the upload an image of their art, people are going to find it.

This is not how it works. You need to market and promote your art. You need to let people know what you have to offer.

There are so many tools available for you to accomplish this and you will want to take advantage of the ones that will give you the best results.

The next three steps will go over email marketing, content marketing (blogging) and social media marketing.

Focusing on these three categories will help you build your business larger than you could have ever imagined.

 

Time Management

Another reason artists fail is that they do not learn how to accomplish every task that needs to get done. This is also known as time management.

You will need to learn how to be productive and organized if you want to reach your goals.

 

 

 

Sell Art Online Startup Plan - Build an Email List

 

Your next step will be to start collecting emails and develop a newsletter marketing strategy.

Try AWeber free for 30 days! - AWeber Communications

 

Read the articles below to learn how to develop a newsletter marketing strategy.

You will notice most of these articles are designed to optimize your Artist Blog. I want you to get familiar with this content before building your blog.

You will discover how to optimize your site for your email marketing strategy. It is easier to do it right the first time than going back and revising.

• Ultimate Email Marketing Guide for Selling Art Online
• 7 Email Services for the Online Artist
• Best Places to Add an Email Opt-in on Your WordPress Blog
• 4 Email Opt-in Plugins for WordPress

Here are a few books I recommend for email marketing:

Audience: Marketing in the Age of Subscribers, Fans and Followers- Jeffrey K. Rohrs

 

Sell Art Online Startup Plan - Artist Blog

To sell art online, you will need to be noticed and build brand awareness.

Many successful online businesses achieve this with content marketing.

I recommend using WordPress for your platform. You will need a hosting service if you are going to use WordPress.

I use and recommend HostGator (Affiliate Link) for a hosting service. I could not be happier with their product and customer service.

HostGator makes it easy to have your WordPress site up in minutes. If you need assistance, customer service is available 24/7.

Read these articles to help you get your art blog up and running so you can let everyone know about your artwork.

• 6 Blogging Benefits You Can’t Ignore
• How to Write a Content Marketing Plan That Increases Art Sales
• Art Marketing Basics Solve a Reader’s Problem
• Effective Writing Tip – Keep it Simple – Online Art Marketing
• How Content Marketing Can Benefit Your Art Business - Infographic
• What do I do After Installing WordPress - Art Marketing Plan

You can find more helpful articles at Blog Resource.