Making a profit from your artwork is essential to your success as an artist. But it can be tricky to do, especially when you’re starting and don’t have a lot of name recognition or established sales channels. This article will explore tips for increasing your profit margins in your online art sales.
Start by Pricing Your Artwork Correctly
If you’re unsure how to price your artwork, start by researching similar artists and their prices. Look at galleries and auction houses to see what they charge for similar work. Once you have a good idea of the going rate, you can adjust your prices accordingly. Remember, your goal is to make a profit, so don’t underprice your work just to make a sale.
One way to ensure you’re making a profit is to calculate your cost of goods sold (COGS). This includes materials, shipping, and other expenses related to getting your artwork from your studio to the buyer. Once you know your COGS, you can add a markup to ensure you’re making a profit. For example, if your COGS are $100 and you want to make a 20% profit margin, you would price your artwork at $120.
If you’re selling through a third-party platform like Etsy charges a 3.5% transaction fee and a $0.20 listing fee, so you’ll need to account for that in your pricing.
Create Unique, Eye-catching Product Listings
When you’re selling online, your product listing is your chance to make a good first impression on potential buyers. So take the time to create clear, concise, and eye-catching listings. Use high-quality photos of your artwork, and include all the important details like dimensions, medium, and price.
If you’re selling on a platform like Etsy , you can also take advantage of their optimization tool to help you create keyword-rich titles and descriptions that will help your listings rank higher in search results.
Use Social Media To Promote Your Artwork
Social media is a great way to reach potential customers and promote your artwork. Create accounts on popular platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and start sharing your work with the world. Use hashtags and keywords so people can easily find your listings.
You can also use social media to run promotional campaigns and offer discounts on your artwork. For example, you could run a contest or giveaway on Instagram or offer a discount code for Facebook fans.
Invest in Some Good Quality Packaging
Shipping can be one of your biggest expenses when selling art online. So it’s important to invest in good quality packaging to make sure your artwork arrives safely at its destination. For smaller items, you can use padded envelopes or bubble wrap. You’ll need to invest in a good quality box and packing material for larger pieces. You can also purchase shipping insurance to protect your artwork if it’s damaged in transit.
You can also save by investing in lightweight cardboard packaging. This will reduce the overall weight of the package and help save on shipping charges. You can look for cardboard manufacturers in your locality or on the internet to find someone with expertise in low-weight packaging supplies. These manufacturers can help reduce the box size by eliminating the air space in the box, resulting in less corrugated use and reduced prices.
Build an Email List and Stay in Touch With Your Customers
An email list is a valuable asset for any business and can be especially helpful for artists selling online. Use an email marketing service like MailChimp or Constant Contact to collect email addresses from your website, social media followers, and past customers. Then you can stay in touch with your list by sending out periodic newsletters, announcements, and special offers.
Email is also a great way to build relationships with your customers. When someone buys a piece of your artwork, follow up with an email to thank them for their purchase. You could even include a photo of the artwork in their home or office to show them how it looks in its new setting.
Following the tips in this article can increase your profit margins when selling art online. You can boost your sales and make more money from your art business by creating eye-catching listings, using social media to promote your work, and staying in touch with your customers. So don’t be afraid to sell art online—it can be a great way to reach a wider audience and make some extra cash.