Well, it's been tons of work & I'm about half way there. I don't see much of an improvement in hits to my website, or sales on eBay, yet. My auction pages do load fast & look very clean, so that's good.
But I'm not convinced it will make a big difference yet. Maybe after search engines index a few times they will pick up more images. A Google or Yahoo search of images, using the keywords - modern original abstract art- is starting to look pretty good. Especially on Yahoo, where my Flicker images dominate. But, I want images from my website & from my auction listings to show up more.
So, time will tell. It's kind of hard to judge right now because sales seem down everywhere. You would think that my stuff would sell rather steady with the average cost under 30 bucks each. But such is the nature of selling original art. It's not a product most people actively search out.
I have a bunch of new stuff listed. I'll post pics in my next blog.
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Monday, May 4, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Musings on the ups & downs of selling Original art on the internet. Part 1
I want to seperate selling art online with selling other items. Art is a unique animal in that nobody needs it like they need a new cell phone cover. Not many people crave it like they do a new iPod, and you can't really eat it.
So the trick is finding people who appreciate original works of art & don't mind spending their hard earned dollars on it. Not easy. How do you target art buyers? Not many people go around shouting "I like art" or "I'm into original paintings". It's kind of a hidden society unless you frequent sites and discussion boards dedicated to it.
So, you need to use all the tools at your disposal and use them often. Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Websites, youTube, flickr, picassa, and on and on and on. It can be quite daunting to try to cover all the bases all the time. But the only way to hit a few art buyers is to aim the shotgun all over the place and keep pulling the trigger. You might get lucky.
[Side note:For the most part artists will buy from each other, so don't hestate to shoot a few arrows (no shotguns) in their dirrection from time to time.]
I had a great sale from someone who first saw my work on Flickr. That was very nice. She also owns a website dedicated to promoting eco friendly artists & I will be the Artist of the Month this April or May.
No matter what, it is an up & down, draining experience, selling original art. Not only because of what you put into each piece, but because sales can come and go as fast and as often Major leage teams trade your favorite ball players.
Three weeks ago I did great. Over 1200 in sales. I was feeling pretty good about myself.
Had I arrived?
Is all the marketing paying off?
Will it continue??
No, yes, and NO. Since then I have had a whopping 34.00 in sales. Yes, from 1200 to 34. Big drop. But I don't think I would have had the sales without all the hours sitting in front of my laptop.
I'll be the first to admit that when this happens I lose all hope, no longer feel like scanning new paintings & optimizing the images for listings. I no longer have the fire to promote by blogging, twittering, and so on. Art is a fickle lover and you need to always look forward. The only time to look back is to remind yourself that sales DO happen, even if at the moment you are falling all over the paintings piling up in your studio.
:>
So the trick is finding people who appreciate original works of art & don't mind spending their hard earned dollars on it. Not easy. How do you target art buyers? Not many people go around shouting "I like art" or "I'm into original paintings". It's kind of a hidden society unless you frequent sites and discussion boards dedicated to it.
So, you need to use all the tools at your disposal and use them often. Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Websites, youTube, flickr, picassa, and on and on and on. It can be quite daunting to try to cover all the bases all the time. But the only way to hit a few art buyers is to aim the shotgun all over the place and keep pulling the trigger. You might get lucky.
[Side note:For the most part artists will buy from each other, so don't hestate to shoot a few arrows (no shotguns) in their dirrection from time to time.]
I had a great sale from someone who first saw my work on Flickr. That was very nice. She also owns a website dedicated to promoting eco friendly artists & I will be the Artist of the Month this April or May.
No matter what, it is an up & down, draining experience, selling original art. Not only because of what you put into each piece, but because sales can come and go as fast and as often Major leage teams trade your favorite ball players.
Three weeks ago I did great. Over 1200 in sales. I was feeling pretty good about myself.
Had I arrived?
Is all the marketing paying off?
Will it continue??
No, yes, and NO. Since then I have had a whopping 34.00 in sales. Yes, from 1200 to 34. Big drop. But I don't think I would have had the sales without all the hours sitting in front of my laptop.
I'll be the first to admit that when this happens I lose all hope, no longer feel like scanning new paintings & optimizing the images for listings. I no longer have the fire to promote by blogging, twittering, and so on. Art is a fickle lover and you need to always look forward. The only time to look back is to remind yourself that sales DO happen, even if at the moment you are falling all over the paintings piling up in your studio.
:>
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