How to Market Your Art on the Internet©
Posted: Friday, August 19, 2011
by Arlene Wright-Correll
http://www.learn-america.com
This week’s “Art Only Spoken Here” question asks, “I would like to know if you have any other tips on how I can market my art on the internet? I need to do it in very low budget way, but reach buyers beyond my local marketplace.”
Just about anyone and everyone can get a web page very inexpensively on the internet today and that is the good news. Setting up your on-line gallery is one of the most important things you can do. Either set up your own through some server or find an existing art gallery where they allow you to set up your own gallery within theirs and make sure they allow you to put up pictures, creates links and put in your web page site in the event you have one. I make sure they have and I make use of their Face Book, twitter and other links. If you want stuff on the internet, make sure it is the stuff you want on the internet.
Whenever I finish a work of art I create an artist signed and numbered Certificate of Authenticity, an artist bio and that is incased in a glassine folder along with my business card that has not only my picture on it, but my complete information on the front and complete driving directions to my studio on the back. This is now attached to the back of my work of art. Also when I advertise my art work I make sure that I tell any potential buyer about the artwork, my inspiration for it, I mention it comes with an artist signed and numbered Certificate of Authenticity and an artist bio. This creates the start of provenance, from the French provenir, "to come from", refers to the chronology of the ownership or location of an historical object including art. If you research other selling artists work you will rarely see something like this mentioned and I feel it makes me stand out above the crowd.
Whenever I do a commission piece for anyone I take a photo of it and create at least 4 postcards of the painting with the backs of the cards blank except for the standard post card information and include them with the work when I mail it to the buyer along with a note of thanks for their business. The note also states the post cards are included in the event they want to tell their friends and family about their latest acquisition. On the front of the post card and under the picture I also put a small text box that states, “Another commission work of art created by award winning International artist, Arlene Wright-Correll and my phone number and email”. Once those cards are mailed out I have created free advertisement for myself. You will be surprised how this will make your stand out above the crowd.
I like to make cards and post cards and I find that they are easy and inexpensive to do nowadays with home computers and printers. I also like to do cartoons and sketches using the national holidays other than Christmas. The front of the cards have my drawing or sketch, the insides are blank and the back of them have a textbox saying what I want to say such as the title, my name, email, telephone number, website, and anything I may want to say here. They also include an envelope. These can be used to send to my favorite customers, sold, or included as a gift when I ship something off to a buyer of an internet sale thus creating another free advertisement when used and I find that this makes me stand out above the crowd.
When you sell something on the internet, try giving free shipping or a free gift. Further investigation of sellers marketing something similar to your artwork may not be doing that and you will stand out among them. Just add the estimated price of shipping into your sale price. Make sure you say free shipping within the USAsimply because shipping goes sky high outside the USA. If you are offering free shipping put a time on it stating free shipping until whatever the end of the month is or during the month of ?????. What could the free gift be? Perhaps a dozen post cards, a half dozen note cards with envelopes or even something you may have received free yourself in a buy one get one free deal. Make sure you put a note in your package saying the free gift is a thank you for being your customer.
Another tip is to put your art into as many on-line galleries as you can. Make sure they allow you to delete your offering the minute it sells either from your own gallery or another. Keep on top of this as they get upset if you cannot deliver when they sell one of your pieces of art.
The important thing to remember here is it takes time to get results especially in a recession economy like we are experiencing right now as art buying is not everyone’s priority. It is also the time to forge ahead creatively while everyone else is cutting back. The 2nd important thing is patience. It is a lot of extra work and you may not get results right away. You also need to be habitual and to do whatever you chose to do to make yourself stand out above the crowd constantly.
May the Creative Force be With You….
Arlene Wright-Correll
If your birthday falls between August 1st, & August 31st stop in for a visit at Avalon Stained Glass School & Creativity Center during our business hours and pick up your free birthday gift. There is nothing to buy and these birthday gifts will range from $10.00 to $150.00 so it might be your lucky day. Questions? Just email me at askarlene@scrtc.com
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