*Francesca Saveri’s encaustic painting, beautifully staged. Image courtesy of the artist.*

How One Artist Increased Art Sales By Selling Art Online (It’s Easier Than You Think!)

Learn how to increase your online art sales through your website, social media presence, and even through offering online courses.

Chances are, you’d be pretty happy to see an uptick in the number of original works you’ve been selling lately – especially through your website, which you’ve no doubt spent more time setting up and updating than you’d like. But is your website actually optimized to make sales for you, and are you taking the right steps to see those sales through?

We could use a ton of boring jargon about “closing the sale” and “maximizing profit” but let’s be real, that’s not exactly a fun and inspiring way to think about selling something as personal as your artwork.

Still, there are some easy and intuitive ways to increase your online art sales.

Superfine exhibiting artist Francesca Saveri has taken five super easy steps towards increasing her online art sales – and she’s seeing the results!

*Superfine exhibiting artist Francesca Saveri working in her studio. Image courtesy of the artist.*

It Can Be A Challenge To Sell Your Art Online When You’re Doing Everything Else, Too.

“Since I represent myself, I have to pay attention to my marketing efforts in addition to painting. I’m still learning how to keep that juggle going and realize there are times when I’m just focusing on preparing for shows, doing admin kind of work or needing to take a complete break.“
– Francesca Saveri

Independent artists truly do it all from creation, to relationship management to marketing. If you don’t have a studio assistant, that’s a lot to juggle!

The good news is that having an effective strategy for selling art online can actually take a huge burden off of your plate. When a good system is in place for listing artwork for sale on your website, or a revenue stream is set up with a site like RedBubble or Society6, you’ll know exactly what to do when the time comes to update your offerings so you can sell more art online.

*Paintings by Francesca Saveri in her studio. Image courtesy of the artist.*

Make listing new works on your website as easy as possible by doing the following:

Create a “sales” page on your website that is connected to a point of sales system, like SquareSpace’s built-in e-commerce page or Shopify
Have good quality, professional photos taken of the work by itself and displayed on the wall
Keep a spreadsheet of your available work. List relevant information like title, materials, dimensions, and any notes you’d like to list on your website
Have an inquiry form for commissions on your website
Make it a monthly ritual to update your website with new works. If you plan on always having something new to offer, your collectors will be excited and interested!

5 Ways Francesca Saveri Ramped Up Her Online Art Sales

When the global pandemic started earlier this year, the art world was thrown for a loop – but it also presented a massive opportunities for artists to sell artwork online. Encaustic painter and Superfine exhibitor Francesca Saveri knew she needed to spend more time setting her online presence up for success so that she could increase online art sales. This meant making it easier for people to purchase works from her online through her website.

Francesca took five key steps that helped her sell art online – here’s what she did:

Keeping in touch with collectors

Francesca has been keeping up with writing weekly newsletters and blogs to give collectors greater insight to her studio practice. As for the extra time spent doing so, “I don’t mind that aspect of the business because it’s connecting me to my audience,” Francesca notes. “I write a monthly newsletter where I announce shows, discuss new work, and talk about what’s going on in the studio. I also write a weekly blog where I share what I’m thinking, habits I find useful, discussion of my process; really whatever is going on in my head that week.”

“And people write back to me! Slowly we’re building a little community where we share our ups and downs through words. I’m grateful for the trust they put in me when they write. To know my art and words have made a difference for at least one person makes it worthwhile. You can sign up for my newsletter and blog on my website!”

According to Francesca, the best part about building community through communication is when people schedule a studio visit for the first time.

“The highlight of the business is when people come to the studio for the first time. Truly, their eyes light up and they don’t say anything for a minute or so as they gaze around the room. I love hearing their stories and helping them find solutions for their needs. I’ve had people cry in my arms, discuss how they want to feel when they enter their home and learn new things about each other as they decide which paintings to bring into their homes. I listen for what they’re looking for and try to find a piece that satisfies their desires. I’m a matchmaker I guess!”

Artists, you’ll be amazed at how far a little communication will take you and your art business, especially when it comes to finding the right collectors online for your artwork. Have you started a newsletter or blog yet? Let us know how it’s going in the comments!

2. Setting up an e-commerce option

If there’s one thing we know for certain, it’s that people are still shopping – in particular, they’re buying home goods and artwork more than ever before, which is great for artists who are selling art online. Set up an ecommerce page on your website for people to easily shop your products anytime. Francesca chose to create a Shopify page for her artwork.

“With all my shows, studio visits and open studios either cancelled or put online I’ve had time to review how I’m doing business. Knowing that commerce was now happening mostly online I needed to try some new approaches.”

“I created a Shopify site where people can purchase my small paintings. I posted a Stripes Forever series painted during the early months of our shelter at home. I needed a composition I could easily drop into day after day. Focusing on stripes and color seemed to work. They’re small, robust and delightful paintings.”

*Encaustic paints in Francesca Saveri’s studio. Image courtesy of the artist.*

3. Developing courses and other content that you can sell online

You may have taught your craft in-person before, but have you considered meeting your students online?

“I’m developing my encaustic workshops into online courses. I’ve got the content and now it’s a matter of figuring out the video part. After teaching encaustic for a number of years I see there’s a lot of confusion out there and a basic foundation could help people move along in their practice. I’ll also share some tips and art concepts along the way. I love teaching so this will be especially fun to see how it turns out.”

There are many ways to host a workshop online, from pre-recorded videos to livestreams on Zoom. Not sure where to start? Speak with some of your friends and colleagues to see what they’re doing – and stay on the lookout for a Superfine guide, coming soon!

4. Batching out time for specific tasks, like creating art and social media

“I love editing in all forms; clothes, furniture, shoes, routines and strategies,” Francesca says. “It’s easy to become busy yet realize nothing is moving forward. So, I refined my day down to the essentials; really simplified what I do.”

It’s no fun looking at the clock only to wonder where all the time went, especially if you feel that you haven’t checked off nearly enough on your day’s to-do list. Time batching is a tried and true solution for nipping this problem in the bud!

“I’ve a new morning routine, reduced my time on technology and social media and focused more on enjoying the journey. My day is broken into 3 sections: me time/studio and biz time/creative time. If I’m not loving what I’m doing I don’t do it. Simple.”

Like your artwork, time management is an ongoing process that evolves just as frequently and unpredictably as your responsibilities as an artist entrepreneur do. Take it from Francesca, who views her art practice as a business and thinks about it accordingly, especially when it comes to social media:

“The art is a business; though I see it more as relationship building and helping people live a brighter and bigger life. Lately, I was getting distracted by social media and decided to stay off Instagram for a month. I didn't realize what a toll that addiction was taking on my mind, practice and outlook. I know the socials are important for the business so I now limit myself to engage twice a week. I do what is necessary and then get off. I’m feeling alive and have a better focus in and out of the studio. I think it’s a personal call about how to use the socials. For now, this strategy is working.”

5. Start a blog on your website

Blogging and otherwise sharing content about your art practice lets collectors know that there’s a relatable human behind the canvas. Give it a shot on your own website – you’ll be surprised at how your efforts add up and and up attracting online art sales you may not have gotten before.

Learn more about maximizing your content game on our podcast, The Artist Business Plan.

“I’ve been blogging weekly now for almost 5 years and I’ve never printed or saved files of my writing. I’m really a pen and paper person and I wanted a hard copy of my entries. I searched for an app that would capture and print all of my blog entries. I ended up choosing Pixxi because I didn’t need to format or design anything and it came as a hardbound book. I simply entered my blog URL and they did the rest. Easy!”

“I got the book in the mail a few weeks ago and I love it! It’s just what I wanted and proof of how tiny continuous steps add up. I’m very proud of my persistence.”

Proud of your artwork and art business accomplishments? Memorialize it! Whether digitally or physically, keep a record of the little things that make you proud. After all, your journey is part of your artwork. Share it with others.

This is also a great way to show collectors an “archive” of your work and process, which both dedicated art lovers and new collectors will love.