7 Reasons Why Artists
Should Sell Products
How selling products can help you to make more money as an artist
Many traditional artists resist selling products with their art printed onto them because they are afraid it will devalue their work. The opposite is actually true.
I'm not suggesting that every artwork you ever create should be multiplied onto products as you should keep some level of exclusivity for your higher priced items, however, by selling printed products at cheaper prices you can maximize your exposure, customer base and income... read below for the 7 reasons why artists should be selling products:
1) Your Art May Not Match the Customers Home Decor
Someone might love your artwork, but it doesn’t match their home décor or perhaps even their partner might not share the same taste and so you will loose a sale and they will most likely forget about you. It doesn't mean that they don't want a bit of your art in their life!
For example, if “Jane” sees your painting in a store and loves it, but it doesn’t match her home décor, she will probably continue looking around and will forget your name and that is the end of your potential relationship with her unless she comes across your art again somewhere else.
This doesn’t mean you have to miss out on a sale. If you have cheaper products available for sale with your artwork on it, Jane might decide she is going to buy the bag with the print of your artwork on it. She will then remember your name and might even visit your website and join your mailing list. Not only have you made a sale, but now you have the opportunity to develop a relationship with her and she may end up purchasing more of your products and potentially even an original painting from you eventually.
2) The Customer May Not Be Able to Afford Your Original Artworks Right Now
“Susan” loves your artwork, but she doesn’t have the available budget to buy an original painting at present. Perhaps Susan is starting her own business and all of her funds are going into getting it established. She can’t afford that original painting, but she can afford to buy a new laptop case or mouse mat! It’s even a tax deduction for her! This way she can look at your art everyday and she will remember you. Get your art into your customers hands, homes and hearts right now, and stay in their memory.
Other people might comment on Susan's stylish laptop case and ask her about it and she can tell them about you – the artist. Years later, her business has become successful and she now wants to purchase an artwork to display on her office wall… she has remembered you and all the compliments she has received on her laptop bag, so she now decides it is time to check out your latest paintings and splash out on an original.
3) Build Exposure as an Artist
There are limited places that you can sell original paintings… But there are many more places that will sell home décor items, fashion items and prints. By being able to sell your products in more places, you can expand your ability to earn money and also expand the awareness of your brand (whether that be you or a brand name).
By getting your products stocked in a variety of locations, more people will get eyes on your work, and the more eyeballs on your work, the more opportunities that will come to you and the more potential sales you will make.
As I have said in the examples above, people who purchase products from you are more likely to remember you. If you give them an incentive to engage with you – for example visiting your website and signing up to your mailing list, then you can continue to build a relationship with them.
More exposure brings more opportunities. The more places you are in and the more people who see your work will start to bring opportunities – people who want to work with you, getting featured in the media, other stockists etc. etc.
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4) Create a Passive Income From Your Art
If you only sell original paintings (for example), then your earning ability is limited by the number of paintings you can create with the hours you have, and the price you can get for them. Unless you are able to successfully charge very high amounts for your artworks and/or are a very prolific artist that pumps out paintings faster than the speed of light, and sells your work in your sleep, then you need to find ways to create income from your art that can be multiplied.
Create your artwork once, multiply it onto numerous products that you can sell again and again – potentially for years to come. This multiplies the earning ability of each of your artworks – meaning the earning potential of each artwork you create has just increased.
5) Increase Your Art Customer Base
We all know the world economy hasn’t been the best in the last few years… and predictions of the future don’t give us a lot of hope of improvement. Basically this means that people have less money for luxury items – such as art. There are still plenty of people with money to spend, but on the whole, the middle class has less excess money to play around with.
Artists need to apply their creativity to thinking about how they can overcome this challenge and still grow their income as an artist despite the economic challenges. One way of doing this is to sell a product range including lower price point items that can be easily multiplied and are accessible to more people.
Just because a customer can't afford an original artwork doesn't mean they aren't willing to purchase something from you - if only you have something to offer them!
6) Develop a Value Ladder for Your Art
You might be wondering what a Value Ladder is… I’ll get to that in a second. But first, imagine this – You have a $10,000 painting available for sale. “Simone” sees this artwork and has never heard of you before. She likes it very much, but thinks “What!?!? $10,000 for a painting!??”.
Now, Simone sees a coffee mug for $30 with a gorgeous artwork printed on it… she really likes it, so she lashes out and buys it. Simone takes it to her work office and uses it at work. Other people comment on Simone’s favorite mug, so she decides to check out your website and look at what other products you have available… now Simone decides to buy a silk scarf for $85, which she wears and loves. Simone receive lots of compliments on the scarf and happily explains about the artist behind the artwork, since she is now familiar with you and your work.
Now, she is decorating her home and decides to check out your website again and finds a print of your artwork that she loves for $350 and purchases it for her bedroom. Fast forward and she is now upgrading her home and decides it is time to get a special artwork for her office, so this time she buys a modest size original painting for $2,000.
She has been following you for a while now and noticed that the prices of your paintings are going up and you are getting more public recognition. Now she has more money to spend and can see your artwork as an investment and something she will cherish. She is now willing to buy a $10,000 large original painting for you, which she will feature in a prominent position in her home. This is a value ladder.
You ascend customers up your value ladder, having things to offer them from free (or very cheap), up to more expensive, more valuable items. The customer gets to know you, like you and trust you over this journey and having felt more engaged and connected to you, they are willing to spend more money, as they are aware of the value they are getting.
It's much harder to sell a $10,000 original artwork (especially as an unknown artist), but much easier to sell a $20 product. By capturing customers at the lower end you can ascend them up your value ladder to eventually purchase your higher ticketed artworks - the exclusive luxury item that everyone aspires to have!
7) Opportunity to Engage with Your Customers
By having products available for sale at smaller price points gives you an opportunity to engage and build relationships with your target audience. By finding ways to entice your customers for your cheaper items to follow you on social media, visit your website and join your mailing list, you can build a lasting relationship with them which, as I have given examples of above, can ascend the customer through your value ladder to purchasing your original artwork.
But building relationships with your customers can have other added benefits. By engaging with the audience that loves your artwork, you will learn what these customers want and like and be able to create more things that they want. The more your customer feels connected to you, the more they will want to buy your work. They will have a story to tell – they can explain to their friends all about who you are, what work you do, your inspiration, their favorite pieces of yours and how they found out about you etc. This makes your work special for them and makes them feel proud of having your artwork hang in their home.
The more more people talking about your art and aware of you, the more demand you create for your art.
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So get your art out into the world, in whatever form you can! I know I love purchasing different artists products and I look forward to seeing more artists sharing their work in various forms. I hope this has helped you - please leave a comment if you have any questions or suggestions.
Tracy xx
So what should you do now?
If you are an artist looking to increase your income and build your brand you need to start with identifying who your target audience is. This will help you determine the type of products your customer would like, where they would buy them etc. to develop your product mix. You might like to read our article on Creating Winning Print Designs for a guide to the considerations when putting your artwork onto a product.
To learn more about how to develop a product range from your artworks, my course Paint Art That Sells will take you through the steps for creating an art business that you love.
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In my program, we take you step by step through building your art skills from simple techniques that you can use right away, building up to more advanced techniques and artworks. I not only cover the art techniques and tricks to creating artworks and print designs that stand out, but also how to market and sell your work too.
It’s time for you to feel the joy of a new direction with loads of stimulation, and inspirational new techniques that will motivate your artistic talent. Develop your art skills, create your own unique style and learn how you can create product ranges from your art that you can market and sell.
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How selling products can help you to make more money as an artist and help you to build your following. Plus get your free checklist on creating a successful art business!
Find out why artists need a value ladder, what one is and how to create one to grow your art business!
Follow the 9 steps to creating a successful art business with our ultimate checklist for creating a successful art business free download.
