60 artistApril 2021 http://www.painters-online.co.ukTAA
sk any art professional how the
market has changed in the last
few years, and they’ll answer one
thing: online sales are rising and
are here to stay. Although the
internet has been around for a while now
most art galleries, artists and collectors have
taken a while to embrace online avenues.
This all changed when the Covid-19 crisis
forced brick-and-mortar galleries to close
their doors and made it impossible not to go
online. Today, collectors expect to be able
to purchase art online – and actively look
for new artists to follow – so, how about
getting your work in front of them? Here
are five ideas you can look into right now to
start selling work online or to up your digital
marketing strategy.Enter open exhibitions
If you’d like to sell your work online and
reach new audiences, look for open
exhibitions that complete their physical
presence with a virtual gallery, or that are
100-per-cent online. A few examples of
successful on and off-line open exhibitions
are Wales Contemporary and Wells Art
Contemporary (usually call for entries until
the summer), the Sunday Times Watercolour
Competition (closes in September) and the
ING Discerning Eye (until early October)
as well as the TALPOpen Competition (see
pages 14-15 for full details). I am a little
biased as we manage most of these shows
at Parker Harris – but these events do drive
thousands of pounds worth of online and
off-line sales each year.How to sell your
work online
Marine Costello’s five top tips will help you to sell
your work online by getting it in front of potential
purchasers
Get your work on
marketplaces
Another avenue to explore is an online
marketplace. Sites such as Artsy and
Saatchi are the major players for visual
arts, but you will also find a marketplace
specialised in any type of artworks you
might sell: prints, multiples, crafts, etc. The
key advantages of online marketplaces are
that a lot of people use them daily, which
means your target audience is most likely
on these sites already, and that they work
like search engines, so buyers can browse
through pieces by keywords, sizes, price –
making it more likely for the right collector
to find the right work: yours.Find the right buyer
It’s important to point out here that
everyone – yes, everyone – is potentially
a buyer. We often hold this idea of an ‘art
collector’ as someone with vast sums of
money, an encyclopaedic knowledge of
visual arts, and a collection worthy of the
MoMA. Those collectors do of course exist
but the majority of people who buy art
do not necessarily fit this mould or have
the same reasons to purchase an artwork.
People may buy a piece from you because
it reminds them of something they love,
it fits with the décor in their living room,
or they want to gift it to someone special.
You need to get your work in front of these
everyday art collectors. So, put yourself in
your buyers’ shoes, think about what might
drive them to take a look at your work, and
use the right key words to attract them- with #hashtags on social media, and
search-engine-optimised text on your site.
Create an online exhibition
Now that you’ve attracted people to
your site, show them the work that is
waiting in your studio. With the help
of the internet (and maybe a couple of
contacts who know how to write and
design a website), you can create your
very own online exhibition. Here are the
first steps you should take: first, curate a
coherent selection of recent pieces, get
high-quality pictures of your art, and writean introduction to this body of work. Then,
start building (or updating) your website
to support not only a virtual gallery but
also online sales. It is crucial to make the
payment process as safe, and the purchase
as seamless, as possible. This entails using
an easy and secure payment method –
there are plenty to choose from, including
PayPal and Stripe, being clear on any
additional costs and timings – namely for
framing and shipping. Do be responsive
when potential buyers email you – you
should have a contact form on your website
and an email address through which
viewers can easily reach you.Harness the power of social
media
An online exhibition has many advantages- not the least being able to reach collectors
from around the world – but it doesn’t
provide you with a buzzy – and sometimes
boozy – private view. You will need to find
new and innovative ways to create events
that draw attention to your show and make
buyers feel like they have to get their hands
on your work now...before it sells out! A
few ideas you can explore are: hosting an
online talk with a curator or fellow artist,
giving select prospects a virtual studio
tour, or granting your email subscribers an
exclusive preview of the upcoming show.
In order to get the most out of your online
exhibition, you will also want to drive
traffic to it through your own social media
pages. Use all the tools in your tool box!
First of all, make a link from your profile to
the most relevant page of your website, ie
where people can look through your works
for sale and purchase them in a couple of
clicks. Secondly, write a call to action in your
bio – the part of your profile that shows up
at the top of your Instagram and Twitter
profiles, and at the top left of your Facebook
page – such as ‘click below to see my online
exhibition’ or ‘follow this link to purchase
my latest works’. It may seem elementary,
but the easier you make it for people to find
your work, the more likely they are to buy
it. Last but not least, schedule regular posts
leading up to and during your exhibition.
Marine Costello,
Communications Officer at Parker Harris
Parker Harris was created by Emma Parker
and Penny Harris in 1990 and it is now one
of the leading visual arts consultancies in
the UK. Parker Harris manage some of the
most important art prizes and exhibitions
in the UK and mentor artists through all
aspects of their careers. To learn more about
their professional development and online
marketing coaching programmes,
email [email protected]. You can
also stay in touch with Parker Harris
on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook at
@ParkerHarrisCo. ARTISTS’ PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: 3RD OF 6