Sell your art online BY MOLLIE E BARNES FOR PURE ARTS GROUP
beginners guide: sell your artwork online The ability to sell your artwork online, during these difficult times, can change the game. The purpose of this guide therefore is to help you get started. It will cover the basics. If you would like to learn more, we would love you to JOIN US. Our member’s area is full of useful resources, top tips and recommendations and our website is chock-a-block full of useful videos to watch and articles to read; why not take a look here.
Contents 4 Top Tips 6 create your website 10 engage your audience 12 online Marketplaces 13 Use social media 15 managing your art PUREARTSGROUP.CO.UK
Pure is internationally renowned for discovering, mentoring and supporting talent in contemporary art.  Designed with the creative community in mind, it aims to support and guide its membership in order for them to grow and fulfil their aspirations and ambitions, dispelling the many myths that hold them back along the way! To become a successful artist, at some point you will need to take a leap of faith, to break away from the well-trodden path that is known and make a fresh path for yourself. This is how genuine creativity works and it can be intimidating as it is unknown, but it’s the most worthwhile thing you will ever do. In the words of Dr Brene Brown - you have to do it scared. Pure has a proven track record of supporting artists on their journey, holding their hand and guiding them through the process, via its workshops, talks, events and 1 -2- 1 professional development and mentoring programme. For those just starting out on the journey, this guide has been created by Mollie to provide you with an introduction to the basics you need to know to sell your artwork online yourself. Because art does not sell itself! It is a very basic how to guide, with some top tips we have learnt along the way. It will in no way fully answer all of your questions, but it will set the scene and provide you with a useful guide to follow to get started and start telling people about your artwork and encourage them to buy from you.Â
Lesley Samms, Founder Pure Arts Group LinkedIn, lesleysamms@gmail.com
Top tips
Some Some top top tips tips before before we we begin... begin...
1. be positive Be positive across all your networking platforms, across social media and most importantly, with yourself. Spend time with people who lift you up.
2. Celebrate those small successes Did you sell a card? Did you have extra likes on your Instagram post? Celebrate those things as they are huge steps forward in your journey and you should be proud. We are massive fans of the reward system at Pure – it’s addictive and life enhancing – and we LOVE cake!
3. Success doesn’t happen overnight You will need to grow your network and cultivate those followers. This takes time and patience, but it will be worth it.
4. Make things look good A great way to create professional covers, Instagram post, Pinterest graphics etc...is Canva - We use it all the time at Pure to get that polished finish.
5. Find a ready-Made audience On line galleries and marketplaces have ready-made audiences that you can tap into but there are hundreds out there. You need to do your research and choose wisely, but more on this later in this guide.
6. have your own website More details later on in the guide, but we believe this is a vital one. Even in these times of social media, having your own website is still essential even if it’s just a single page where your audience can rest, read about you and how to get in touch. Somewhere you are in control without distractions. Guiding them to your sales area is an added bonus. More on this later in the guide.
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7. Engage and grow your audience Growing an audience and keeping them engaged will ultimately determine your success as an artist. Starting a blog is a great way to let people get to know you and your story. Link this to your website and document your successes and difficulties. Work through things as part of a community and get that support. It is a great way to say exactly what you want to say about your journey. Although social media enables you to speak to your audience in real time 24/7, you are vulnerable to the vagaries of the algorithms, so we also recommend you grow your own email list. More on this later. Link backs are another great way for driving visitor traffic to your website. Support and promote your community on your website with links and encourage them to do the same back for you. All Pure members have a website link on our website and we ask our members to return the favour.
8. Be varied It’s good to approach this aspect of your art life with enthusiasm however, you don’t want to spread yourself too thin so we recommend you start out by exploring just a few of the platforms that we will detail later. Once you have selected which platform(s) are right for you and you have uploaded a minimum of 5 works, you can encourage your fans to follow you. And remember to keep your pricing consistent across all platforms.
9. Stay inspired Keep up with what other artists are doing, and check in with PURE for regular updates and helpful solutions at https://www.pureartsgroup.co.uk/watch
10. get organised Keep yourself organised and your work-space tidy. We love a journal for recording inspiration and a checklist to keep us motivated and focused. Watch our April crowdcast broadcasts for more on these two subjects: https://www.pureartsgroup.co.uk/watch
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create your website It’s always best to have your own website.
PROS
A website is a fantastic landing spot for your collectors and admirers and they don’t need to be expensive to create and operate.
• Unlimited sales potential 24/7 • Your success is only dependent on you and not another platform • You are able to build a close customer relationship • Unlimited market size with no geographical limitations (unless set the location)
CONS
• Includes entire range of your artwork in one location
• You have to put in the time to upload your images and curate your online shop
• Your work is not compared alongside others of the same or similar genre
• You need to do all the marketing
• Low ongoing costs
• Small upfront investment and the monthly payments
• No Commission Fees PUREARTSGROUP.CO.UK
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Thinking of going DIY? Site builders are probably the easiest way to help you create your own website and sell your artwork if you plan to build a website yourself from scratch. Whichever software and platform you choose to build your own website, you will need to register a domain name and buy web hosting.
Easy to use Includes an ecommerce (online store) Looks professional Responsive
£10 a month
Wide selection of themes
(for annual payments)
Includes a fully integrated online shop
Inexpensive Steep learning curve. Not best for beginners.
Amazing portfolio templates
Very easy to use Integrated marketing tools Automated branded emails for easy marketing
Huge collection of extensions to extend your website
Looks professional Responsive
Website E-Commerce If you add an e-commerce aspect to your website, which we would recommend if it is to be your primary income source, you will need to sign up for an online payment system. Pure uses Paypal because it is fast, convenient and simple. It connects directly to our bank account, which means buyers can pay for online purchases even if they do not own a credit card, and it is safe for buyers as we do not receive any of their bank or credit card details. There are plenty of other online payment systems available that you can use to conduct e-commerce activities. This article details some of the options you could consider: read it here. 7
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create your website What Pure artists have to say...
“Although I mostly sell through Galleries and Art Fairs I recently added a Shop on my Weebly website for the BumbleBees. It has made the selling process so much easier as I can direct customers to see my range and they can immediately click and buy without endless emails. How often does a sale trail go cold because you weren’t able to respond instantly at 4am?” - Louisa Crispin “I use wordpress and can recommend it due to it’s large number of theme options and extra plugins that improve the functions on your website. A friend set up the original website for me, but I am able to maintain and update it myself. There are also e-commerce plugins available, such as Woocommerce.” - Hildegard Pax
Resources
Watch: The 6 best website builders
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read: step-by-step guide to wordpress
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engage your audience Tell everyone about it!
There is little point investing your time and money building a website however if no one knows about it or you! This guide will take you through the various online platforms you can utilise to grow your audience, including online galleries and marketplaces and social media. But before we begin, we will cover a few of the basics that you can integrate into your website to start building an audience immediately.
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blogs Blogging is recognised as being one of the simplest ways to engage your audience, build your brand and drive traffic to your website. Additional benefits include: • Gain confidence. Blogging is the shy person’s stage. • It’s a form of diary • Potential for self growth • Development of technological skills
VLOGS Vlog posts consist of creating a video of yourself with your artwork, uploading it to the internet, and publishing it within a post on your blog. The benefit of a vlog over a blog is visual content performs better than written content on the internet. However, Vlogging is usually more expensive than blogging because it requires sophisticated equipment.
mailing lists We would always recommend artists build their own mailing list, as this creates a direct connection with potential buyers. Add a subscribe to my mailing list option to your website and connect it to a GDPR compliant mail list manager such as: • Sendinblue (www.sendinblue.com) • Mailchimp (mailchimp.com) • Benchmark (www.benchmarkemail.com) • OmniSend (www.omnisend.com) • Sender (www.sender.net) • MailerLite (www.mailerlite.com)
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ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE Tell everyone about it!
SEO SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which is the practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic search engine results, predominantly driven by Google. Google’s algorithm is extremely complex, but essentially to increase the chances of people finding your site amongst the thousands of other artist’s websites, you need to ensure it loads quickly, is mobile friendly and has lots of unique content that you update frequently.
Paid Advertising Google Ad’s Simply put, Google Ads lets you promote your artwork so that it appears in Google search results when someone types in a relevant search term. You only pay if someone clicks on your advert, and so it won’t cost a fortune. This is especially useful if you have a unique style. For example, if you are a Sussex based sculptor, you can create your advert to appear when someone searches Google for ‘Sussex Sculpture’. You can make this more or less specific as you prefer. Find £75 of Google Ads credit here!
Resources
Watch: online & offline marketing
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read
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Online Marketplaces Making use of ready-made audiences
Online galleries and marketplaces have ready-made audiences that you can tap into but there are hundreds out there, so it is important to do your research and find which one works for you and is a good fit with your art practice, in much the same way you would when looking for a physical gallery.
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some options... Branded as a ‘dating site for art’. Using AI technology and personal shoppers.
Pros
Free gallery to buy and sell Popular: thousands of artists
Pros
You can sell originals and prints using their print on demand service
Price range from £12 to £11 million
They have a marketing guide to help you sell your work
Wide selection of artists Fun website and approach
CONS
Features artists from their network 67% of sale price to artist
Differing reviews on their Print on Demand service
Cons
Less of a customer relationship building environment
Harder to gain visibility
The world’s leading online gallery.
Global Online Marketplace
Pros
Pros
The biggest art market website with 65,000 artists around the world
Costs only £0.20 to list an item for a low 5% commission rate
Search function for buyers to narrow down their selection
It’s incredibly easy to list your artworks on Etsy
Work with their curatorial team to get featured
Good mobile app
Cons
Works seamlessly on iPhone app
Sudden platform updates can be frustrating to get used to
Consistently updated blog
Cons
Requires a lot of self-promotional work on other platforms
It can be hard to gain visibility 15
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Online Marketplaces Making use of ready made audiences
CROWDFUNDING This is a new route artists are taking to sell their artwork and raise funds for a particular project or cause. You don’t need to be an established artist to make this work but you do need to be able to connect with an audience via social media, and encourage these connections to support you by taking part or sharing your page with their connections.
Advantages You don’t need to be an established artist You can connect with people interested in your artwork and build lifelong collectors You must promote your campaign to Facebook, Instagram etc… You MUST set a realistic goal. If you don’t reach the goal you won’t receive anything!
- Bekky May Bingham
Our favourite Crowd funders Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, GoFundMe
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“I was very lucky to be selected for the New Designers show, in the ‘One Year In’ section. The cost of the stand was beyond what I could afford, especially when you added materials, cost of staying in London etc. so I decided to set up a Crowdfunder campaign, because I wanted people to get something in exchange for supporting me. The process of setting up a Crowdfunder was very straight forward and it worked beautifully. I was really encouraged by people’s generosity, and the show opened up all sorts of exciting avenues for me so it was really worth it.”
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USE SOCIAL MEDIA Try them all and find what works best for you
You were waiting for us to talk about the two big words: SOCIAL MEDIA! There’s no avoiding it. It makes selling artwork much easier if used correctly. You need to find the channels that work best for you, and there are many to choose from:
try them all and find what works for you PUREARTSGROUP.CO.UK
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social media top tips 1. keep it real
Show behind the scenes, show your studio, show the paint on your face.
2. be positive
Talk to your audience as you would a friend and show them your work.
3. like, follow & subscribe
Like, follow and subscribe to people you find inspiring. Comment genuinely and be generous with your likes.
4. don’t be repetitive
Don’t be repetitive or bombard your audience with the same things every day.
5. Be unique
Be unique and let your creativity shine. Show them YOU, the artist.
6. hashtags
Hashtags are a great way to reach out, things like #artwork #art #newart #workinprogess #studioselfie. Instagram allows you to use up to 30 in each post so have a look at what other artists are using and mix it up a bit.
7. find your people
Use the search feature on instagram to find like minded artists “follow” hashtags in your genre/interests to see what your peers are doing.
8. use linktree
Instagram only allows one link in bio. LinkTree gets around this by effectively creating a menu between your social platform and anything else you want to promote.
9. use paid adverts
Use Paid adverts if you have a special artwork or event you want to promote.
9. your follwing
Your ‘following’ on these platforms is INVALUABLE. You essentially cultivate a long list of people who love your work. This is the best part: you can communicate with them ANY TIME YOU WANT. 19
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use social media Setup your Facebook and Instagram pages
Step 1: create an artist page
1. Most people have as a personal profile on Facebook. From this page you can build your brand. Click the down arrow for options. 2. Click ‘Create Page’ 3. Click on ‘Local Business’ or Artist, Band or Public Figure’ 4. Click ‘Get Started’ Make sure to use images, a profile picture and relevant information. This is a great time to use CANVA to your advantage.
Step 2: get followers
• Create amazing content: post those behind the scenes shots, witty captions and new paintings. Be consistent and post as often as you see fit (though not more than twice a day we recommend). • Engage with people: if people comment, respond. If they message you, message them back. Be friendly and be yourself.
Step 3:promote your artwork
• Post high quality images of your artwork. • Stir up interest – show progress shots. Give your followers a glimpse at the beginning, middle and end of your artwork stages. • Show new artwork as it comes. Hot from the easel! Get people excited about your new work. • Paid ads • Live skills share • Giveaways and challenges etc.
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Step 1: create an artist page
Create your artist dedicated page on Instagram through the app on your phone. Follow the easy steps when you download the app.
Step 2: create your brand
• Be consistent in posting. We suggest each day, or every other day. • Create a strong Instagram bio to sit at the top. Perhaps start with ‘Follow me if you like my Art’ to begin with. • Link your website in your Instagram bio. This will connect your social media presence.
Step 3: build a following
• Use Tags and Hashtags: Add tags and hashtags to your posts: Hashtags are things like #artwork #art #newart. You can add up to 30 for each post. These are used for tagging people and accounts, and are things like @pureartgsoup or @mollieebarnes. Tags and hashtags will make sure more people see your posts, but only tag people if it makes sense in the context of the post. • Engage with your followers in the ‘comments’ • Giveaways and other initiatives: Promote ‘give away’s’ and choose the winners at random from those who like your images. This is a great way to build your brand and encourage sales. • Encourage people to your gallery marketplace, your own website and your other social medias.
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social media What the artists say...
“Make good use of the scheduling tool to plan your posts in advance and go LIVE to your audience whenever you can. People love seeing real people!” - Lesley Samms (Pure MD)
“I’ve had so many opportunities through social media, it’s a great way to ‘meet’ new people who share your interests across the world and I’ve learned so much! Don’t just focus on your artwork, speak about the things that inspire you.” - Louisa Crispin
Create an artist page, build your following and promote your artwork with regular posts! it will Take patience, determination and time. PUREARTSGROUP.CO.UK
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Resources
Watch: influencers and marketing
read: social media marketing plan
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your art life online & off Helpful tips from artist Louisa Crispin
Admin is the bain of all our lives, so we are always looking for simple ways to streamline and make things easier and more efficient. Here Louisa Crispin tells us why she uses Artwork Archive to help manage the business side of her practice. “Back in January, before lockdown happened, I made the decision to approach a new Gallery. A few clicks on my “Artwork Archive” and I was able to create a “Private Room” where the Gallery could view an online curated selection of my work including images, sizes and prices. This provided the basis for an exchange of emails and phone calls before they offered to give me a trial. I believe the professional approach really helped to pave the way. I am often asked how I keep track of all the exhibitions that I am showing in and “Artwork Archive” is an invaluable resource. I upload all my completed artwork as I go along and keep records of the competitions and exhibitions on the system. I can look at any piece of work and see at a glance where it has been previously submitted or is currently being held, using my computer, tablet or phone (provided I have internet).” - Louisa Crispin PUREARTSGROUP.CO.UK
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Louisa’s top time-saving tips
ArtworkArchive.com is a well-catalogued archive, with additional time-saving tools including:
1. flexible reporting
Excellent flexible reporting including the production of delivery notes, complete with thumbnail images. I was introduced to Artwork Archive while working at Artichoke Gallery and was impressed with the efficient paperwork supplied by the artists using the system.
2. weekly remiders
A weekly reminder of important dates - deliveries, collections, openings etc with a click link to the artwork involved.
3. master copies
Master copies of High Res Images which can be downloaded for submissions.
4. public profile
A Public Profile which can be linked to my website - and yes, I have sold work though the system. I don’t have an online shop but I can use the profile to efficiently deal with sales enquiries without overwhelming my website.
5. sales history
A full history of sales and current/past locations of the work.
6. faqs
A comprehensive help system (with how to videos, FAQ’s and a ready personal response if you can’t find the answers elsewhere).
7. new features
New features being developed all the time in response to the artists needs. 25
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special offers A couple discount offers for you...
join artwork archive: discount code But don’t take Louisa’s word for it - there’s a free 30 day trial for you to have a play! Plus if you use this link you’ll get a $10 discount to join!
SIGN UP HERE Louisa recommends, after signing up you have a look at the “Getting Started Videos” PLEASE NOTE: Louisa will also get $10 credit if you sign up and she will be donating half of my referral fees to the AGBI, The Artists’ General Benevolent Institution when her current plan comes up for renewal.
join pure: discount code If you think we might be your tribe – here is a 15% discount code to join Pure today and access our members area jam packed with useful stuff!
Discount code: SAO20 PUREARTSGROUP.CO.UK
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Thank you for downloading this artwork selling guide. I am hoping this will act as an invaluable resource in your art selling journey. The hints, artist tips and first-hand advice we have provided will act as a fantastic launch pad for your selling. Ultimately, during this very challenging time for everyone, even doing one of the things we have spoken about could have a monumental impact. Don’t be too hard on yourselves and rush to do everything. Please all take care of yourselves and do what you are able to during this time. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Mollie E Barnes Curator, Arts Host, Writer and Gallery Advisor mollie@pureartsgroup.co.uk PureArtsGroupUK
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Acknowledgements: Thank you to the artists who have contributed to this magazine, Louisa Crispin and Hildegard Pax Special thanks: Graphic design and production: Kristina Alexander, Super 8 Design Copyright Pure Arts Ltd 2020 All rights reserved. No part of this publication shall be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information retrieval system without the express written permission of Pure Arts Ltd Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this publication, Pure Arts Ltd and its production team assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
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lesley@pureartsgroup.co.uk PureArtsGroupUK
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