It’s SO great once you start having fans that love your art, and shower you with praise whenever you open your social media apps.
But we have to face a harsh reality here – sweet words don’t pay the bills.
So here are 5 of my best ways to turn fans into paying customers, so you can find success with selling your art online.
1. Understand What They Want
If you placed me in front of one of the world’s top artists that paints supercars, that artist would have no use for me. I would probably shrug and say something super useless and vague like “that’s cool”.
Would I buy? Absolutely not. Why? Is it because the artist isn’t talent? Because the art looks bad?
Not even close. Its because it doesn’t resonate with me. I don’t get it. It’s not for me.
And that is totally okay. Because if you were to then place me in front of some abstract oil paintings with a slightly moody undertone, I’d be shoving my credit card in their paint-covered hands before they could say a word.
Because that art is what resonates with me. It’s what I want.
So do yourself a favor and take a moment to try to understand who would want your artwork. Who would resonate with the subject? The colours? Who wants to infuse their life with more of the mood that your art captures?
2. Get In Front of the Right People
So we now have an idea of WHO wants our art. Time to get in front of them so they can turn those eyes onto our artwork.
Hashtags are the secret weapon you need on Instagram to get more people drooling over your artwork. But not just any old hashtags.
Imagine you paint idyllic beach scenes with watercolours that capture the nostalgic feeling of childhood days at the beach. You might think that using the #beach hashtag will have hoards of fellow beach-lovers running to you to buy your paintings.
But in reality, if you actually search the tag, you see mostly luxury photos and bikini selfies. More likely than not, your art will be skimmed over because that isn’t what people are looking for when they search for that hashtag.
Instead you’ll have a lot more luck with hashtags like #seascapeart or #beachpainting. A quick scroll through those tags show that your artwork would be perfectly at home here instead.
3. Hone Your Message With Gratitude
Running a business, whether it be online or a brick&mortar, can be completely transformed by a unique little thing: mindset.
If you feel guilty about taking payment in exchange for artwork, that will be apparent to your potential customers and more likely than not they will be scared off. If the artist isn’t confident that their artwork is worthy, why should they?
Here’s the thing – your art is desirable. It is worthy of being exchanged for money.
Your art & message makes the world a better place.
And the sooner you realize this, the better. When you truly believe that your artwork will improve the lives of others by being a positive statement in their life, that is when the magic happens. You will attract so many new fans and customers, and beautiful things will bloom.
The other half is showing gratitude for all of these interactions.
Even if the person that asked for how much a painting cost ended up not purchasing, thank them anyway for their time and energy.
They might not buy right now, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t buy ever. They might become one of your biggest fans and boast about your creative work to everyone they know, bringing in new fans and customers.
A little gratitude goes an incredibly long way.
4. Strengthen Your Brand to Instill Confidence
Take a moment and see if you can think of a brand that people obsess over. Bonus points if you can think of one that has a cult-level following, yet still doesn’t really have the quality to match it (yet this still somehow doesn’t matter at all to the fans).
Brands have power. Unified brand images instill confidence, they make the customer sure that they are buying something great. Hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people can’t be wrong, right?
People love brands because they make them feel something. Whether this be feeling like they are ready to take on the world (thanks Apple) or a part of something larger, like a family or movement (lookin’ at you, CrossFit).
Brands stand for something, and this gives customers the confidence to buy.
So consider what you want your artist brand to look like. What colours does it dress itself with? What fonts does it use to share its message with the world? What mood, or impact does it dream of having?
Work on strengthening your brand, and it will reward you time and time again.
5) Give Them All the Info They Need
We’ve already talked about tackling objections with testimonials, but there is another powerful way to blast those objections out of the water.
Give them all of the information they need to make a decision.
Are they worried that the art might look different in person? Then make sure you are proving them with crystal clear photos of the art from all angles. Corners & back too.
Maybe they’re worried that the art won’t stand up to the test of time. Well, talk about how you only use archival materials and oil paints that don’t have compounds in them that turn yellow as years go by.
Perhaps they’ve been bitten in the past with hidden sneaky fees and are a bit timid. Lay out all of the things that cost money on top of the actual artwork, like shipping fees, insurance, and even the cost of framing it (if you offer this option).
Clear communication is key for success in all areas, and this is no different.
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