Key things to know to sell digital art

Do you want to sell digital art? Doing so allows you to scale your business and sell the same item more than once. The process begins with deciding what type of digital art to sell, choosing a printer, setting prices, and then working on marketing your art. There’s the opportunity to reach buyers all over the world. If you can create a name for yourself and promote your brand effectively, being successful at selling digital art is a likely result.

Turn digital art into art prints

It’s possible to turn what you create online into a physical product using a print-on-demand company. Print-on-demand is the most versatile and hands-off way to sell art online.

You can sell digital art prints nowadays by partnering with a reliable print-on-demand company. That means you can focus on creating your art.

You place an order with the company after a customer orders from you. Upload your artwork, and the company will do the rest. That is, print, package, and deliver to your customer.

A major benefit is that you don’t need to sit with products that don’t sell. Request an art print sample from the company to check out the colors and quality of the printed items they will send directly to your customers.

Sell your products in multiple formats

Selling your artwork in multiple formats gives you more income options. Digital art can be reproduced without losing quality, which is great for creating prints and selling merchandise.

Reproducing work on art prints, t-shirts, mugs, and more means that a single work can keep bringing in income. Having a physical product in their hands is very satisfying for consumers. Customers can also simply download your digital artwork to use in various ways, such as desktop wallpapers.

If you want to sell prints, choose to sell an unlimited number or go for a limited edition model. Having limited edition prints can create a sense of scarcity and be a great marketing strategy. You may make more money selling an unlimited number of prints, but if you limit the number of prints, it adds value to the artwork.

Photograph art clearly and accurately

It is important to photograph complex artwork so customers can get the most accurate idea of what they buy from you. Otherwise, you will have a harder time selling and likely have unhappy customers who want to return to work.

It can be trickier to photograph art than other products, and you don’t want color irregularities or glare. Consider hiring a professional to shoot your artwork. For simple 2-D work, scanning is an affordable alternative.

To sell merchandise, take clear shots from all angles and zoom in to show detail and texture. Print-on-demand companies usually provide mockup images you can use on the product pages.

Choose the right marketplace

It can be hard to find the right online marketplace because there are so many out there. A platform like Etsy is user-friendly, has thousands of visitors, and is a great place to sell products like artwork and handcrafted items. It is easy to set up an Etsy shop and create listings.

You can also choose to set up an online art gallery or sell by putting your portfolio on Instagram. Always read the terms and conditions of different platforms so you know what to expect in advance.

Promote your digital art on social media

Some artists think promoting their art on social media is selling themselves out. But if you want to sell today, promoting on social media is one of the best ways to do it.

If you promote on social media, more people can see your digital art, and they may even want to commission work from you. Create a memorable title for your artwork.

It can be hard work to build relationships with potential customers on social media, reply to comments, etc., but it will be worthwhile because they won’t want to buy from you if they don’t feel they can trust you. As purchasing art is often personal and emotional, your story as an artist could factor into someone buying it, and there’s no better place to share it than on social media.

Also, a website is a must-have for most digital artists these days. Your site is a place to put a portfolio of your works and direct traffic to the online marketplaces where your products are available to buy.