By
Nina Alvarez

You’ve found your niche online and have interested readers filtering into your website through forums and social networks. How do you get them to make a purchase?

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Know your competition.
Study the work of other online artists with work truly comparable (popularity, experience, subject, style, size) and note their prices. Take a hard look at what they’re offering and for how much. Then undersell them. People shop online because they are looking for good deals. Give them one.

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Know your audience
. Try posting a friendly, anonymous survey up on your site, asking your reader some basic questions: where they live, age range, gender, and their art-buying price range. If they already like your art, they will be happy to help you out. If they don’t, then you don’t need their demographic information anyway. Use your findings to think strategically about where you promote your website and how much you sell your work for. (Note: Many blog servers like Blogger and WordPress offer survey widgets which will also do the trick.)

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Write Like a Pro
. Pull out your best writing skills to describe the pieces you want to sell. Include a bio and artist statement on your site. Often, a timid buyer will be reassured by this professional touch.

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Make buying REALLY easy
. Allow your potential buyers to become actual buyers. Next to each image of your art keep its price, shipping costs, and a “Buy Now” button (use Paypal if you don’t have a shopping cart). Don’t force them to go through the rigmarole of sending you a query email and awaiting your response. More likely than not, you’ll lose the sale.

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Give them a reason to come back
. Just because someone leaves your site without buying doesn’t mean they won’t be back. Collect email addresses with a newsletter sign-up on your webpage. Promise it’ll be a good read and deliver. Once you have their email address, follow through at least once a month with a newsletter that is sharp, witty, informational, and full of your art.

Nina Alvarez, Chief Editor of
http://www.Artspan.com
– an online artists community, and writer of the Artspan blog on art marketing. She also created the Philthy Art blog offering encouragement to writers and artists, and the popular poetry blog NinaAlvarez.net. Nina has an master’s degree in English and is

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