Using Instagram To Actually Make Art Sales
Let’s be real – Instagram is a pretty amazing free platform for artists. It focuses on gorgeous visuals, and puts a strong emphasis on value-packed captions and engagements.
All amazing and powerful stuff – more points in the artist column!
But can it be used to sell more artwork?
Yes! Yes, it can!
Let’s dig into some ways that you can give your Instagram experience a boost to sell more art to your adoring fans.
Get Into The Habit Of Selling
Did you just cringe a little? I definitely used to.
Here’s a couple of facts.
- Selling and marketing are essential skills for successful artists
- Selling and marketing are learnable skills that will get easier and more effective with time and practice
Selling and marketing doesn’t usually come naturally to artists, but this is only a temporary phase. It does get easier with time and practice, so do yourself a favor and start now.
Selling also doesn’t have to feel slimy and gross – in fact it can be a beautiful experience for both the artist and the customers.
There’s another angle to this that deserves some exploring.
We need to gently condition our audiences to the fact that we are selling our artwork (we are running an art business after all!).
Once your audience starts to get used to the idea that you are actually offering a product for sale, it’ll not only condition them to expect this going forward but it also adds that “want” element.
Make Your Art Easily Buyable
This is a general rule for any business that sells, well, pretty much anything.
Make it as easy as possible for your customers to buy.
These days, especially with online purchases, our attention spans are less than that of a goldfish. With the sheer amount of content we see each minute we can’t exactly be blamed either.
That means that with each extra step a potential customer has to jump through (even one more little click), the chance that they will actually make it to the final “Buy Now” button shrinks.
So it’s incredibly important that we try to remove as many barriers as possible from the experience.
Asking your followers to direct message you on Instagram for the price of your artwork is going to stop a lot of people from even taking that first step of inquiring.
When you think about it, taking that action is putting themselves in a vulnerable position. Subconsciously they are likely thinking that if they ask then they will be pressured to make the purchase, AND they also set themselves up for that uncomfortable inner “I can’t afford that” conversation.
Leading to cricket chirps in your DMs.
(I’ve also heard some people report that not publicly posting prices can make it seem like the artist is hiding something. Though this is super unlikely, it definitely adds another hurdle for those potential customers to leap over.)
Clarity is key, in so many different ways, and selling your artwork is no different.
The best way to use Instagram to sell your artwork is to have a direct link to where customers can purchase your artwork on their own time, whether this be a self-hosted website with an ecommerce function or a marketplace site like Etsy.
Another important thing – put yourself in your customer’s shoes.
Walk through your entire sales process from their perspective with a critical eye. Where are things confusing? Is it easy to find all of the relevant information? Where might they get hung up and leave because the process isn’t streamlined?
This little exercise can do WONDERS for making the buying experience a pleasurable breeze for your customers, and have them eager to come back for more.
Show the Value Of Your Art
The value of your artwork is a tapestry of different factors, woven together to create something that is strong and irresistible to the right person.
Here are some ways that you can show off the value of your artwork.
Quality Of Your Materials
Art supplies are actually pretty beautiful, so don’t be scared to regularly snap a pic of your weapons of choice (bonus points if your current masterpiece-in-progress is in the photo).
Talk about why you work with the supplies that you do, and how you ensure that you provide your customers with a timeless piece of artwork that is made with high-quality materials.
Why you use certain types of supplies can contribute to the value of your artwork, and also can add a little spark of that artist magic to the mix.
The Story & Message Behind The Art
Art is SO much more than just a pretty thing – the message and story is a powerful mover.
Stories invoke emotion, and emotions make people buy things. This is true about a lot of products, but you’d better bet that it rings especially true for artists & their creations.
This is such an easy thing for artists to embrace, yet I see so few artists truly taking advantage of those stories to sell their artwork.
Share Your Past Wins
I’m a firm believer that we should all be the President of our own fan clubs, so don’t be afraid to let your radiance shine!
Maybe you have a degree or went to art school – this can give you a perceived edge in some niches so don’t be afraid to own it.
Perhaps you have even trained under a well-known artist – share the lessons you learned and embrace that experience.
Even things like gallery exhibitions can help to add value to your artwork because it helps to validate your success.
Share testimonials from past customers and clients to give your fans the confidence to buy.
Maybe you’ve even won competitions, or have some well-known clients that you have created custom work for.
The bottom line is to brag about yourself! You are WORTH it!
Ready to start boosting your art sales through Instagram? Leave a comment with the first thing you are going to add to your art marketing experience!
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