These Art Collectors Found The Perfect Piece Online Through Instagram
* Updated December 2024
When Looking For New Art For Their Homes, These Art Collectors Turned To Instagram
Marketing yourself online often falls to the bottom of a working artist’s priorities list, but there’s enough evidence out there to make one thing pretty clear: Instagram is one of the most effective sales tools for selling art online.
If you find yourself wondering where to find art collectors more frequently these days, we’re happy to say that there are many options for you to choose from!
Whether in-person or on the internet, it’s important to remember that cultivating relationships is integral to selling art online. Here at Superfine, much of our marketing and storytelling centers the artists who exhibit with us and their stories, because we know that at the end of the day art collectors want to feel seen and experienced by the artwork they buy.
In English, that means collectors want to feel special when they look at their art collections. They want to know that the people who made the work have views, goals, and values that align with their own.
Happy art collectors with their new piece at Superfine D.C. in 2019.
One of the biggest obstacles art collectors run into when purchasing artwork online or in-person is transparency and accessibility. This was one of the first and foremost pain-points of art collecting that was on our minds when we first started Superfine! The barrier that exists between artists and art collectors is more substantial than just a price tag. Purchasing art can be confusing and straight up intimidating!
This can be detrimental for both collectors and artists, so when we were building our solutions, we made sure that our in-person art fairs are backed by extensive online marketing through Instagram, Facebook and more with the intent of reaching art collectors who may have never bought an original work of art before.
By providing transparency in pricing as well as accessibility to our art fairs and artists, Superfine puts the interests of our exhibiting artists and young, new art collectors first. Even online!
Selling Art Online Breaks Down Many Barriers
Social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest provide artists with countless opportunities to connect with art lovers and potential art collectors, many of whom have never purchased art before. This may be because of budget, experience, or timidity – but by showing up and making your art available, you are leaving the door open for them to make a purchase and support you!
We spoke to 3 new art collectors who purchased works for the first time ever from artists they got to know and love over Instagram, proving that yes, it is possible for artists to sell art on Instagram!
Your Online Personality Has A Lot To Do With Attracting The Right Art Collectors
Be yourself online – don’t get caught up in how your grid “should” look or how your tone of voice comes across. People connect with authenticity online, and they’ll be able to see that through your social media profile. Many art collectors end up purchasing works from artists because of their personalities – in fact, a major percentage of Superfine Art Fair attendees say that their favorite part of our in-person art fairs is meeting the artist.
Pro tip: Think of your online marketing through social media as an extended conversation with many potential collectors at once.
Suset Laboy Perez purchased a piece from Instagram sensation Ashley Longshore after months of following the artist on the platform. "I learned to love her on Instagram. I can't afford her big pieces but got one of her smaller pieces a few years ago. This was just a few months before she blew up and was everywhere."
"I love the piece. It did not disappoint. I had to fall in love with the artist first, but to be fair, this is no different from how I generally buy art. I don't only buy art; I buy its story, its context.”
How are you showing up online for your followers and collectors? We know that creating content and posting on social media can be tough for independent artists who are quite literally doing it all for this business. Social media marketing can be a lot easier than it seems.
Give Followers And Collectors Exclusive Access
Everyone likes to feel special. Give collectors a feeling of exclusivity by sending them personalized communications through text or email marketing, which is easy to do if you are collecting emails through your website.
Reminiscing on her recent purchase from Sarah Bahbah, collector Hannah notes how simple it is for her to know when a new series by the artist will be released. “I subscribe to her 'texting' account for marketing and get notifications when stuff is opening up before it's open to the public.”
This type of outreach is easy to do, especially when using a CRM (customer relationship management) tool like Nutshell (that’s what we use here at Superfine!).
Make Purchasing Art Online Easy For Art Collectors
Artists who offer small works and prints will often list them for sale on their online shop page. This makes it easy and less intimidating for people who find you online through Instagram who may have never purchased art before. By making your work accessible, you are opening up possibilities to sell your work to new people.
Collector Hayley has purchased numerous prints online that she found through searching on Pinterest. The fact that she had never experienced the artist’s work in-person didn’t even phase her – actually, she “never thought about not seeing the art in person!”
When the artist Hayley purchased from ran into an issue with her online store, her sense of clienteling really saved the day. “She had an issue with her store and didn’t see the order, and to make up for it she actually sent two prints.”
This just goes to show you that a little bit goes a long way. Depending on your capabilities and production process, think about how you’ll handle any potential issues that arise with selling your art online. It might just make for a repeat customer!
Do you have an online store set up on your website yet? There’s no better time than now to get the process going!
It’s time to quit struggling with where to find art collectors – they’re at your fingertips thanks to social media platforms like Instagram! Make it easy for your followers and collectors to purchase art online by creating an online store through your website, engaging with them authentically on social media, and showing up online in a meaningful way.
There are many ways for independent artists to reach the right art collectors with Superfine. We have opportunities for artists nationwide.