How to Make Art Blogs Profitable

This is a guest post by Cory Huff from The Abundant Artist.

An artist who is well known in my local community recently came to me for help with his website. He wanted it be more profitable for him. He knew that he needed a website. He was even blogging too, but neither the blog, nor the website, were helping him get the clients that he wanted to get.

This is an issue that a lot of artists have. I’m happy to report, however, that you can easily learn the basics of blogging and marketing.

You see, the thing about making your art blog profitable, is that you need to look at it as a platform to springboard your art sales, not as a way to directly derive money. Let me explain what I mean.

Build an Email List

Yes, having readers, fans, and followers is fun and encouraging, but email newsletter subscribers is how your business will live and die.

I’m not exaggerating. If you can get someone onto your email newsletter, then they are ten times more likely to buy something from you than if they weren’t. That’s my experience anyway.

You can easily get people to opt into your list by signing up for a service like Mailchimp, which is free for small lists and has an easy form builder you can use to embed a sign-up form on your website.

Sell Your Art On Your Blog

If you’re not adverse to selling prints, then sign up for Imagekind. They print, frame, and ship your images for you, and you collect the full sale price.  They also offer a really neat widget that lets you embed your whole Imagekind store on your website.

If you are adverse to selling prints or you want a little more control over the look of your online store, then add a shopping cart to your own site and sell your originals or offer commissions.

Every piece of art that shows up on your site should have a “Buy Now” button next to it.

Merge Your Blog and Your Website

Easy blogging services like Blogger have done a great job of encouraging thousands of people to start their own blogs. Artists who don’t know better will pay to have some sort of templated website created, then they’ll start a Blogger page and think that they’re doing it right.

The problem with this approach is that you’re going to get the most visitors on your blog, not your website, and then those visitors aren’t going to see most of your art because it’s not on your blog.

You need to combine the two so that the traffic meets the store.

Be Your Own Online Gallery

People like going to art galleries not only so that they can see the art, but so that they can mingle with other people, meet the artists, and be seen by the right people.

Your blog can be the same thing. Host art discussions on your site. Make videos of you doing your work and post them.

You could even try doing a live-streaming session using Ustream.com where you chat with your fans while you paint.

Artists Have an Unfair Advantage in Business

Marketing & business can be broken down into just a few basic principles, and much of that can be automated. The last couple of centuries have shown a steady march toward efficiency and cost control.

This century, however, is when people are moving away from mass-manufactured, cookie cutter products. People want beauty, creativity, and fun in their lives. The cost-centric nature of automation is driving simple jobs overseas.

Artists have the unique ability to handle those parts of business that cannot be outsourced. Your creativity is your unfair advantage. While I can tell you to build an email list, sell your art online, and be your own gallery, only you can put that original artistic flair on these activities – and that’s what will make your blog profitable.

Cory Huff is an actor, director and internet marketing troublemaker. He teaches artists how to sell art online at TheAbundantArtist.com.  Follow Cory on Twitter at @agoodhusband.

Image Credit: Flickr