Tag: business

How to Sell Your Art Online in 5 Steps

5 steps to sell your art online
~ Julie ~ 11 Comments
5 steps to sell your art online

Are you an artist wanting to sell art online to make some extra income? You’ve come to the right place!

Selling your art online is an easy and low cost way to start your art business today. Below you will find out how to get started broken down into 5 easy steps.

How to Sell Your Art Online in 5 Steps

1. Build your portfolio.

In order to start selling your art online, you should have a decent sized portfolio for potential customers to choose from. Aim for 10-25 artworks.

You can either make a bunch of new artwork, or dig up some old pieces that could work digitally or physically to sell and repurpose them.

photo of woman in front of painting

2: Decide where to sell your art

Next, you’ll have to decide where to sell your art and that will depend on your medium, style, and goals as an artist.

Identify your audience and how you want to sell your art.

  • Are you going to sell primarily prints? (many avenues)
  • Are you going to sell physical work, such as paintings? (Etsy, or Fine Art America)
  • Do you create sculptures, jewelry or something else tangible? (Etsy)
  • Are you interested in designing t-shirts and/or home decor products? (Society6, Zazzle or Redbubble)

Check out my blog post about Where to Sell Your Art Online to help you decide.

I have also written some more in depth posts about the different platforms.

how to sell your art online infographic

3. Optimize your art for sale

You’ll have to optimize your art digitally, or take a nice photo of it in order to sell it online.

  • Scan or photograph your artwork in high resolution.
  • Try to get sharp lines and true colors by using a tripod and good lighting.
  • Post process in a program like Photoshop to fix colors, or clean up scans.

4: Upload and enable as many products as possible

Upload your art to your chosen platform.

If you are going the Print On Demand route,  only add to products that look good and work with the design. You may need to customize the design for different products, like having a version with a transparent background for stickers and t-shirts.

mermaid cell phone case example

5: Market your products

This is where a lot of artists struggle because we’re not necessarily business or marketing professionals!

  • Share your products and artwork on social media. Create an Instagram, Twitter, and/or Facebook page dedicated to your art. Ideally, choose one you use frequently so it’s not a burden to learn or use daily. Check out my post on 25+ Instagram Post Ideas for Artists for some inspiration.
  • You may also consider building a website, which can be a hub if you sell on multiple platforms. It could be a blog or just a portfolio of your work.
  • Learn basic marketing skills. To dive deeper into marketing, watch tutorials on YouTube or Skillshare to hone your business skills or even artistic skills as your business grows.

There is a lot to learn on the business side, but don’t neglect your art!

Consistently create new designs so you can figure out what works and what doesn’t, then make more of what resonates with your audience.

Consistency is key!

You may also be interested in these posts:

I hope you’ve found this guide to selling your art online useful.  Feel free to leave any additional tips or questions for me in the comments below!


Cheers,

julie signing off

15 Tips to Increase Your Sales on Print on Demand Websites

increase sales on ecommerce websites
~ Julie ~ 11 Comments
how to increase sales on print on demand websites 15 tips

Are you looking for ways to increase your print on demand sales? If so, you’re in the right place! In this article, I’ll be sharing with you 15 tips to will help you maximize your print on demand sales, whether you sell through your own website or a marketplace like Redbubble or Etsy.

If you’re just getting started, you may want to check out these posts first:

There are a few things you can do to maximize your print on demand (POD) sales. POD is a great way to get your work out there, and it can be a great supplemental income stream. But like with anything, there are ways to optimize your POD sales and make the most out of this opportunity. By following these tips, you can give yourself a better chance at success.

photo of a woman thinking about how to increase print on demand sales

Tips to Increase your Sales on Print on Demand Websites

  1. Try to complete at least one task per day related to your print on demand business. For example: post one tweet, one Instagram post, create one new design, one update to your website etc. If you can do more than one task that’s great, but even just one thing a day will help your business grow over time.
  2. Connect with other artists on social media (Facebook groups for example) or forums where available (Zazzle). Ask for feedback from them if you feel comfortable doing so!
  3. Upload as much high quality work as possible. The more designs you have, the more chances you have of making a sale.
  4. Research the latest trends and use them as inspiration to create new designs in your own style. You can use Pinterest or check the top selling designs on your chosen POD platform.
  5. Update your social media pages, even just one or two and focus on them. Instagram and Twitter great for artists. On Facebook it’s challenging to get likes on your page, but it could get your real life friends interested. Try using new tools like Facebook or Instagram stories, or even Snapchat if you are adventurous.
  6. Post new designs and products consistently. Try to stay somewhat active and consistent in all of your POD shops (uploading new work, commenting/following etc.) I’ve definitely noticed an increase in sales/activity when I’m active. If you have too many stores to stay active, maybe pare it down to the few that you have been most successful on.
  7. Don’t stretch yourself too thin.  Going off the point above, if you have too many stores you might feel overwhelmed or too lazy to upload work to all of them, so I suggest deleting those ones you don’t like or don’t have much success with.
  8. Research your target audience and find out what they like to see and buy on products.
  9. Make new colorways of popular designs that are well received. Different colour variations of a popular design or rework an element of that piece so it can have more mass appeal.
  10. Have a website or blog external to your social media, like this one! It helps with your visibility and to show up in Google searches.
  11. Tell your family, friends and coworkers about your stores and they might support you! You could even gift them stuff from your own stores for Christmas and birthdays etc. to get them excited about your work.
  12. Go back through your old designs and either delete ones that aren’t working for your brand or update titles, keywords, descriptions, etc.
  13. Use keyword-rich titles and descriptions (SEO). When buyers are searching for products on a print on demand marketplace, they will often use keywords to find what they are looking for. Make sure that your product descriptions include relevant keywords that buyers are likely to use, in order to increase the chances of your products being found.
  14. Always keep learning.  There are lots of great sources online for marketing your brand or honing and learning new skills.  Check out Skillshare for some free or paid courses in marketing, design and many other skills.
  15. Subscribe to my blog!  I’m always posting new content on selling your art on POD websites so make sure you don’t miss out.

By following the tips above, you can make the most of your print on demand stores and ensure that your products are selling as well as they can. With a little bit of effort and some creativity, you can take your print on demand business to the next level and make it a success.

Thanks for reading and I hope you’ve found this blog post helpful.  Let me know if you have any other tips to add in the comments below! Also check out the resources section of my website for even more print on demand tips.

Cheers,

julie signing off

Check out these other posts for more information on selling your art on POD websites:

How to Sell your Art on Redbubble

sell art on redbubble
~ Julie ~ 3 Comments
selling art on redbubble

Hello fellow artists!  Today I’m sharing some info about how to sell your art on Redbubble, a well known Print on Demand website.

In this post I will be giving a review of my experiences with Redbubble where I have been selling my art for a few years now.

Read on to learn more about how to sell your art on Redbubble!

You can also watch this video I created about the pros and cons of selling your art on Redbubble and other Print on Demand websites.

Store Front

My first impressions of Rebubble is that they are artist focused, cater to a young and trendy audience and have a sense of humour.

Their website layout is sleek and easy to navigate. On the home page there are rotating featured artists and art works that are updated daily.

You can easily customize your store front with a header, profile photo, bio, collections and a featured collection which shows at the top.  Your art is displayed on a variety of products in order of the most popular or most recently purchased.

You can also “like” other people’s designs and “follow” other artists, and leave comments on their work.

Products

In terms of products, the range is similar to Society6,which includes apparel, various electronics cases, and home décor items. The prices are about the same as other POD’s and they often offer 20% off or other promotions.

Redbubble has some unique products that are not on other POD’s such as mini skirts, dresses and scarves. Below is a scarf I purchased featuring my Blue and Gold Mandala Pattern.

sell your art on redbubble - scarf

I love this scarf, the print turned out beautiful and the fabric is and soft and silky. I find it is well made.

I’ve also purchased a hoody, t-shirt and stickers with my own designs.  All are good quality and I’ve had no issues, however I did find the t-shirt ran a bit large.

One really popular product on Redbubble are stickers. I usually sell a few of these daily. So optimizing your designs for stickers is a great way to sell your art on Redbubble. Below is a picture of several of my sticker designs. They are super cute, and affordable too!

redbubble stickers

I also created a Youtube video showing all of the products I’ve bought from Redbubble over the years, if you want to see them in real life:

Ease of Upload

Redbubble’s uploading tool is by far my favourite out of all the POD sites I’ve tried.

I find it efficient because you can upload one image of your main design and adjust it straight in the browser for each product.  There are also tiling options, or you can replace the image entirely if neither of those options work.

You can also change the background colour which can be very handy when working with transparent designs.

You can also copy existing settings from another design, making uploading similar designs a breeze!

Earnings and Payment

It took about a month after opening my store before I saw any sales, but since then I have been getting consistent earnings every month. (I should note here that I was lucky enough to have a design featured on the front page which boosted my sales a lot.)

It’s not going to replace my day job any time soon, but any amount of extra cash is always welcome!

You can adjust the markup for individual products (in Account Settings), but it is automatically set to 20%.

Earnings are paid out automatically around the 15th of every month (to Paypal, or direct deposit), and there is a $20 minimum threshold.

Marketing

Redbubble has their own marketing team who are pros at driving traffic to their website, so it’s just a matter of getting your own designs on the website and seen by then.

Check out my post on Social Media Marketing Tips for Artists to learn more.

If you’re lucky and get featured on their front page, then you’re good to go for a long time. You can also find some nice promotional tools on the Redbubble blog. For example, fun marketing templates like this one:

throw pillow mock up template

Shipping

Redbubble has headquarters located in San Francisco (U.S.) and Melbourne (Australia). Products are shipped from suppliers in one of those areas depending on your location.

I have found they offer reasonable shipping costs to Canada, and even more reasonable within the U.S.  The shipping is generally pretty quick, and you can choose a faster shipping method if required.

Also, you get a free sticker with every purchase! 

Summary of How to Sell your Art on Redbubble

In sum, I highly recommend Redbubble for selling your art online!

I hope you’ve found some useful information here about how to sell your art on Redbubble. If you have any questions, or want to share your own experiences with Redbubble, feel free to leave a comment below! Also check out the Artists Resources section of this website for even more print on demand tips.

Have a great week!

Cheers,

julie signing off

Social Media Marketing Tips For Artists

social media marketing tips for artists
~ Julie ~ 8 Comments
social media marketing tips for artists

Are you an artist trying to figure out how to market yourself on social media? I was too, just a few years ago! In this post I’m sharing some of my top social media tips for artists.

Please note: I’m not an expert on this matter, but I have managed to triple my stats on a few key social networks over the past year, and slowly but surely grown my online presence since creating the Julie Erin Designs brand.

As you may also do, I work a full time job and have many other life commitments outside of my art business, so I can only dedicate a few hours per week to creating and marketing my designs on social media.

This leads me into my first tip which is: 

Dedicate just 5-10 minutes a day to social media

  • Start by taking on just one task per day on one of your social accounts.
  • Some examples include: Tweet an image of your latest work (don’t forget to include relevant hashtags). Like and/or follow some new users on Instagram.
  • Don’t get overwhelmed.  You should be able to do this during your coffee or lunch break, on the way home from work on the bus, after dinner, or whenever you have an idle moment.

Focus on a few key social media platforms

Try out different platforms but then hone it down to just a few, and then focus on content and growing your followers there. My top 3 at the moment are Tiktok, Instagram and Facebook. I dabble on others but I get the most engagement for my time on those 3.

social media for artists

Set up a social media calendar

  • Don’t overwhelm yourself with an over-loaded calendar.  Start with just one task per day that can be completed within a few minutes.
  • Create a visual calendar using your computer, a planner, or you can find lots of downloadable worksheets online. I also have a Notion template with a social media calendar included.
  • Do what works for you and your schedule.
  • Learn the etiquette for your chosen social media app.  On Twitter you can share multiple times per day, but on Facebook you may only want to share something every few days.

Posting schedule example: Example: Monday: Tweet about your latest design, tweet 2 sold items. Tuesday: Share a new design on Instagram.  Wednesday: Blog post about new design, and post to Facebook page.  Friday: Tweet new blog post

Start a blog

  • Use it to showcase your art work, items for sale, share art tips, supplies you use, your sketchbook, whatever you can think of. You can even sell your art directly through your website.
  • Connect with other art bloggers. Follow/like/comment on their posts.
  • Pro tip: Don’t forget to link to your blog from your social media profiles.

Use apps to make your life easier

  • Scheduling apps: Buffer or Hootsuite.  Use one of these apps (or something similar) to schedule a few posts to your social media accounts for the day. This could even be your one task of the day, if that’s all you have time for.
  • Follower tracking apps: Crowdfire or similar apps which help you track followers and unfollowers.  You can also search for people who follow similar accounts and then like/follow them.
  • Photo editing apps such as Canva and Photogrid. There are several out there, so find one that you like. Use it to create and edit images of your designs and products right on your phone.  While you could also just make these images in Photoshop on your PC, being able to make promo images on the go makes it so much easier to get it done when you have a spare moment.
social media tips for artists
Instagram post example created with the Photogrid app.

Keep a list of content ideas

  • Keep a list on your phone or somewhere else, so you never run out of ideas for fresh content!
  • Examples: Sold items, new designs, WIP’s and sketchbook shots.
  • Check out my list of over 25 Instagram post ideas for artists.

Make use of hashtags and SEO (search engine optimization)

  • Use relevant hashtags so that people can find your work.
  • Don’t overdo it. Figure out what works on which platforms.
  • Monitor those hashtags and like/follow others who are posting to that hashtag.
  • Add key words in your description and add alt tags to your posts when possible.

Make use of tagging

  • Sometimes, when appropriate, you may want to actually tag another user (such as Zazzle or Redbubble for example) on Twitter or Instagram, if you are showcasing their product. You may get lucky and they might even re-tweet or feature your product!
  • Go through their tagged feeds to find similar users to like and follow.

Engage with similar users

Connect with other bloggers, and other artists on your chosen social media platforms.

I sell my art work on POD websites such as Zazzle, Redbubble and Society6, so I try to engage with others who sell on those sites as well.  I do this by either liking their work directly on those sites, on social media, through forums or Facebook groups.

To learn more about selling your art through print on demand websites, check out my Skillshare class!

Post to shopping websites

If this is appropriate to your style of art work, you may consider posting your products on shopping websites such as Pinterest and Wanelo.

Additional Resources

If you have the opportunity to do so, it can be really helpful to take a social media marketing course at your local college or university. Or even online. I took a short course which was very informative and turned me on to some new apps and strategies. Think of it as an investment in your business.

Also check out the Artist Resources section of my website and blog for even more social media tips for artists.

You may also enjoy these posts

I hope you have found some useful information here about social media for artists!


Feel free to share some of your own social media marketing tips below.

Cheers,

julie signing off

Why You Should Start Blogging for your Art Business

how to blog for your art business
~ Julie ~ 3 Comments
blogging for your art business

So, you’re an artist (or some sort of creative), and you want to start selling your work online. Where do you start? Do you already have a website but struggle to get traffic to it? What do you do now? Well I  think the answer is… blogging for your art business!

Why start blogging for your art business?

Why shouldn’t you? What’s the worst that can happen? It’s one of the easiest ways to get your artwork out there and seen by potential fans and buyers.

I’m not the most popular blogger ever, but way more people have seen my artwork now than if I had never started blogging.  Now that I have a few years of experience, I can share that experience with you!

Why should you blog for your art business? To build a community of supporters and like-minded individuals.  I think this is the main point of starting a blog for your art business (or any business), besides just getting your images out there and seen by as many people as possible.

As time goes by and people start following your blog you will find fans of your work. You will also connect with other bloggers to create a supportive community for your art business!  Not only does this drive traffic to your blog but it will boost your confidence and allow you to blossom into the creative entrepreneur you want to be!

betta fish canvas art print
Show your artwork to the world on your blog!

How to start blogging for your art business?

First of all you need to choose a platform that works for you.  I like WordPress because it comes with a built-in audience. If you tag your post with the word “art” then it will show up on anyone’s reader feed who follows the “art” tag.

Since art blogs are not as popular as blogs about, say, blogging, recipes, or health/beauty for example, I think it’s important to take advantage of this potential readership.

You could also consider blogging on Tumblr, Blogger, or another blogging platform of your choice. You can even self-host your site if you have the knowledge and funds to set it up.

Since you are showing off your artwork, when you are writing your posts you want to use pictures, NICE pictures. Art is a visual communication and, especially if your work is a hand made drawing or painting, you want the image to reflect your work as truly as possible. Try to make it true to colour, and as clear as possible.  Show off your best work!

  • Write a little bit about your art – what inspired this particular piece?  How did you make it?  What materials did you use?  What exactly is it?  You don’t have to write a super long essay since you want the main focus to be your art, but just a couple of paragraphs will do.
  • Use alt tags when uploading your images – keywords describing your art piece – so it will show up on Google image search!  This is very important and could be a key driver of traffic to your art blog.  When you add an image to your post there should be a section to add alt tags. Search for “how to add alt tags on (your blogging platform here)” if you are having trouble finding it.
  • Connect with other bloggers.  Follow the “art” tab and other tabs that interest you and start liking, following and reading other blogs!  Eventually some of them will come check out yours too.  You might even find other artists to collaborate with on future projects!
ladybug mandala instagram

Share Your Blog Posts to Social Media

Now that you’ve written a blog post about your art, what do you do next? Share it! If you don’t already have a business Facebook page, Twitter, and/or Instagram account, start one now!  Share your art and blog posts to each of these, and any others you enjoy using.

Pinterest – Pinterest is an image-based sharing website, which is great for artists, and can be a big driver of traffic to your blog. Pin to your own boards and try to join group boards for even more potential readers.

Add your social media and blog addresses to your social media profiles, and any other websites where you post your art.

Monetize your Blog: Sell your artwork online!

If you’re an artist then one of yours goals is probably to sell your artwork. Get started by checking out my post Selling Art Online for Beginners. Then you can show off all your products on your sparkly new blog!

I currently sell my work on the following Print on Demand websites:

Start with the sites listed above and see what works for you. There are also other ways to make money from your artwork and you can use your blog to promote these endeavors! Take a look at the Artist Resources section of my website for even more tips on how to monetize your art online.

Also, don’t sleep on collecting e-mail addresses. Encourage people to sign up to your e-mail list for first dips on your new art, products, and latest blog posts.

Conclusion

I hope this blog post has convinced you of the benefits of starting a blog for your art business, and given you some tips to get started!

Feel free to add any other benefits of blogging for your business that I might have missed. You can also ask any questions or post any comments in the section below.


Cheers,

julie signing off

Further reading and resources: