As I was dropping off another car load of unloved small kitchen appliances, clothing and art supplies I’ll never use at the local donation collection, I felt a tasty word buzzing around my head like a moth.
Minimalism.
The older I get, the more the concept attracts me. Simple, powerful, effective.
So as I purge my life of the excess watercolour sets I’ll never use, or that lilac cardigan that I bought because I “wear too much black”, I like to apply the concept to other areas of my life as well.
How I share information with others, for instance. You come here to learn how to better yourself as an artist and boost your income by sharing your art with buyers around the globe.
And I don’t want you to have to sift through paragraphs of wasted words, building fluff up around the point.
No no no. Let’s trade the excess verbiage for punchy, effective communication.
You game? Let’s go.
Here are 3 things that you can start doing today to increase art sales.
1) Add Value to Your Art with Words To Increase Art Sales
We’ve all been there – looking at a super famous & expensive piece of art with the thought running through our heads: “Really…? How is this so famous, it looks like a 4 year old painted it”.
But once you dig into the intention behind the work, the story…it all changes.
The story behind the art can transform a painting from something that is simply pretty to something that is highly desirable.
Stories give the art dimension and value, they can sway an audience from observing to obsessed.
Stories give each brush stroke and colour choice meaning. Representational subjects can suddenly speak loudly just by sharing the story.
The connections that you will inevitably build with your audience will be fortified and bonded when you start sharing the depth behind the piece.
Share the story behind your art – give your audience a little sneak peek into your mindset with your latest painting.
2) Be Intentional About Social Media To Boost Sales
Social media can be a sticky vortex, a world class time sucker. But it can also be a wonderful tool to get your art out into the world.
The trick is balance (isn’t it always?).
Set yourself a schedule for when you’ll be posting your art to your social media platform of choice, and STICK to it.
Physically write it down, print of a calendar, what have you – just map out your schedule and do everything in your power to stick with it.
Instagram is a common platform of choice since it favours artists, and I post a few times per week.
In fact, I post on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, at 7:15 AM. Sometimes Saturdays if I’m feeling frisky.
I keep stories running every day if I can just to make sure I’m staying top of mind (and feed).
Making sure your hashtag game is on point will also ensure that you’re bringing in hoards of new eyes. Spend some time exploring the “Related Hashtags” function to find some that are relevant to each post while being a size that will still allow you to be found.
3) Be Clear When Your Art Is For Sale
Sometimes dangling the temptation and realization that someone could have that gorgeous painting they are obsessing about in their own home is all that is needed to pull the trigger on the purchase.
Make sure your audience knows when you have art that is looking for a home.
Our job as business owners (and yes, your art is a business) is to tackle objections so your audience makes as simple a transition as possible into the buyer stage. Objections aren’t always known either – they may not actually know that they can buy your art, so by making it easy for them your sales will come easier as well.
Skip the slimy salesman vibes by switching up the “Buy this painting now” with cute phrases instead – “this painting is looking for a new home” is much easier to swallow than that cold salesman sell.
Here are a few swipeable phrases that you can use to let your audience know your new painting is for sale.
“This painting is looking for a new home”
“Where would you put this painting in your home?”
“Ready to add the next painting to your personal collection?”
“This pastel beauty would be the perfect calming addition to your favorite space” (edit features to suit, of course)
See? Much cuter and less icky than “buy this now”.
On that thread, you should also aim to tackle the objection about price – you want to make them aware of what it is.
Whether this be posting the price directly into the caption, instructing them to message you to find out, or by showing them to your online shop – the core message is to make it easy for them to find out the cost.
The more informed they are, the easier it will be for them to make the decision you are hoping for.
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Which of these tricks are you going to implement first?
Want to take an even bigger flying leap towards your (inevitable) success as an artist?
Watch my FREE masterclass training, Scale Your Art Sales.
It’s the online class for beginner artists that are filled with a fiery creative passion, and want to grow an audience online that actually want to BUY their artwork