How to sell your art online

by Damien Troy Damien Troy is a Great Author

The internet has become valuable tools for artists looking to do what they love for a living. While not everyone is capable of starting a business online and making it work, there are a lot of artists and creatives out there that are making the most of the tools available to them and living the dream. If you have ever thought of selling your art online, there are a few tips you might want to take on board to ensure your business is a success.

Utilise social media and sharing platforms

If you want to sell your art online, you first need to showcase it properly. With a high quality camera or scanner – depending on your artistic medium and materials – you can document your art and advertise it. Instagram in particular can be a great place to show off your work and generate a following of fans and potential customers .As well as showing artwork that is up for sale and including links, engage your followers by telling them a bit about yourself and showing them your work in progress. Social media isn’t just for selling, after all – it’s about building conversation between you and your customers. So, avoid being a social media salesman and just be sincere.

Be prepared for theft

One of the tragedies of being an artist online is that if you’re good but not well known, there is a very good chance that someone will take your artwork to try and pass it off as their own. If you want to protect your work then rather than watermarking all of your images and spoiling them, try to subtly include your signature in your artwork or in the photograph. Try to avoid placing your signature in the corner of the image as this can be easily cropped out. Instead, place it somewhere where it cannot be easily be removed to ensure that if your image is shared, your signature is there to tell people exactly who created it. You might even want to add your website URL instead of your signature so that people can find more of your work to browse and, hopefully, buy.

However, one thing to know is that stolen artwork isn’t always a travesty. Sometimes, you can use this in your favour. If you find an instance of someone displaying your artwork and telling others that they created it, use the audience that they have collect them and redirect them to your online channels. While you should be careful about protecting your work, if it does get stolen you should avoid overreacting and banning anyone from sharing your images, otherwise how will customers find your work?

Have your artwork delivered properly

If your artwork needs to be delivered to a customer, don’t just shove it in a box and ship it off willy-nilly. What’s the point in buying a broken sculpture, after all? – or a torn painting? Take care when you have your artwork sent to your customers. Make sure your artwork is properly protected in its packaging and sealed securely. When you label your package, label it as ‘Glass’ rather than ‘Fragile’ to ensure that it is handled carefully. Otherwise,if you are based in sussex consider hiring a Freight Forwarder Gatwick. The difference with this is that when you hire a premium delivery service, you are not only ensuring that your artwork is delivered safely, but also making a good impression on the customer. These types of services are special because if you have a large piece of artwork, they will delivery it and install it where the customer wants it and can delivery in as little as 24 hours. Whatever service you use, you just need to make sure that the artwork arrives in one piece, because artwork isn’t a sort of product that can be replaced so easily.