Five Tips for Selling Your Art on Social Media

I’ve used each of these tips to help sell my artwork online and I think they can help you, too!

Have you ever tried to sell something online? If you have, then you’ll understand me when I say that trying to build a successful business selling my artwork online has been one of the most harrowing experiences of my artistic life. 

There have been many ups, like shipping my first painting overseas, and a lot of lows — mostly centered around rejection, failure, and self-doubt. 

But I’ve stuck with it for nearly a decade and have learned a lot about how to create, market, and grow an art business through online engagement. 

Now I want to teach you how to grow your own art business using Instagram and TikTok!

Here are five things you should absolutely be doing:

1. Show Your Process

A lot of artists and creators are afraid of posting their creative process online. Some believe that revealing the secret to their success could end up crippling their business; however, I am not one of those creators. 

I often receive messages from other artists questioning my sanity, asking how I could show the world exactly how I make my mop paintings. But sharing your work online isn’t a zero-sum game. There is plenty of room for everyone at the top, and you don’t need to hide what you’re doing in order to find success. 

I guess you could say I subscribe to an “abundance mindset” mentality. I honestly do believe that when you stop thinking in terms of scarcity — and start to think in terms of abundance — you will start to open up to your online audience, and that’s when the magic happens . People start to ask questions, doors start to open, and success begins to flow your way.

I know because it happened to me. Showing my process on Instagram, and then TikTok, opened up a world of opportunity for growth.

2. Connecting To Your Audience

Once you have reached that abundance mindset, and you’re comfortable displaying your creative process online, you’re going to start getting a lot of messages with questions from other artists and your followers. 

My advice is to answer every single one of them! Because you never know what opportunity might blossom from taking the time to thank someone for their comment, or from agreeing to allow someone to repost your work on their social media page. Here’s a great example of this that happened to me recently.

I was recently asked by a fan of my work if they could repost that work on their Instagram profile. I gave my consent and then completely forgot about it. A few weeks later that individual ended up posting one of my performance art mop painting videos on their account and it went viral. 

The page was very popular in Spain and hundreds of thousands of people saw my work, which led to an increase in orders and commissions in Spain — and more importantly — even more exposure to a new market. 

That single interaction resulted in several additional sales of my mop paintings, and all I did was say “thank you for asking, of course you can repost my work!”

Always remember, however, that while big reposts can be wonderful for extending your reach, every single repost or share on someone’s social media profile can bring you extra exposure. 

It is very important to interact with people no matter how big or small their accounts. You never know who’s following might just lead to your next boost in sales.

3. Build A Community of Other Artists

You shouldn’t just focus on your fans. Engaging with other artists and building a community of like-minded individuals is the best way to grow the viability of the online artwork market and market yourself. 

Over the last few months I have been connecting with other artists online through a series on TikTok I call “Artist Supporting Artists” where I showcase the artwork of my favorite artists that I will use to fill the walls of my new art studio. 

Every time I post the art I’ve purchased, I’m not only helping other artists, but I’m also marketing myself and my artwork. It all comes back to that abundance mentality. 

When you engage with other artists, answer their questions, reply to their comments, and support each other’s artwork — you build a robust global community through social media that works together to increase the size of the online art market pie while also marketing each other to new audiences that might not otherwise see your artwork. 

The more you market other artists and help them get to the top, the more your own work will reach new audiences that could become potential clients.

4. Enter Contests, Join Online Challenges, and Enquire With Galleries.

I talked about this last week, but getting your work viewed by as many people as possible is the most important part of becoming successful, so you should be entering contests, joining social media challenges, and applying to show your work to galleries. 

One of the easiest ways I grew my audience online and got people interested in my work was by winning challenges and contests like Instagram’s “The Weekend Hashtag Project” and the IPPA awards.

But applying to have your work shown in galleries is just as important. Many brick-and-mortar and online art galleries have ways to pay for portfolio reviews, this can both help you refine your skills and get you in front of people who will keep you in mind for upcoming group exhibitions where your work can be exposed to new audiences.

5. Showcasing your art in your clients home.

This one is really important, and it’s been a game changer for me.

I honestly started to see real traction in my art business when I began posting images of my work actually in my clients’ homes. 

By showcasing my art in a client's home, I allowed my audience to see the finished product within the context with which it was designed. 

Showing your art in a client's home to your audience can do the same thing. It will allow potential buyers to see how they can fit your work into a room, and will allow your prospective clients to begin contemplating how your artwork would fit into their world.