As publishers endure sharp decreases in revenue, the number of art galleries going down is growing by the day. The internet market, on the other hand, has been booming. According to Hiscox, online art sales in 2017 totaled $4.22 billion, up from $3.75 billion the previous year.
When everything takes place on a digital platform, the idea of an online gallery emerges, and people begin to establish communities around it. It is more important than ever for artists to establish internet art galleries. Continue reading to learn all you need to know about creating a successful online art gallery.
Decide your artwork
It is important to choose the most crucial objects that reflect your personal style and vision. You won’t have to worry about how effectively virtual art pieces can be viewed in a virtual gallery if you’re simply presenting virtual art pieces. If you’re putting up “hand-made” work, on the other hand, save some of them for galleries or exhibits because they won’t necessarily have the same effect in a virtual setting.
You can, however, provide close-ups of such items. Include the title, dimensions, media, price, and any other information that can assist your readers in making judgments and understanding where to buy art online.
A dedicated website
Each digital platform or website has its own set of standards, so pick one that interests you, sign up, and carefully study the restrictions. Certain online art gallery systems contain management software. You may interact with others and overcome conventional commercial art sale channels as well as geographical restrictions whether you are an art fan, artist, collector, dealer/gallery, or curator. Artists may also use Google Slides or Google Data Studio to construct a virtual art exhibition.
Artists should create their own internet spaces where they can totally control the presentation. To put it another way, they need their own websites dedicated just to their work. If you choose this way, keep in mind that web safety advice is important not only for customers but also for website owners.
Choosing a decent domain name is a crucial element of creating an online art gallery. An excellent name provides the gallery with a distinct identity and makes it easier for lovers of the artist’s work to find him or her. To make it easier to remember, the domain name should be short.
High-resolution images
Photographing art is more difficult than photographing other items. Even a simple lighting arrangement might cause color shifts or glare. An artist should at the very least invest in a high-resolution digital camera with at least 10 megapixels.
You may include a 3d viewer on your website so that customers can see a more detailed depiction of your artwork from a different perspective as if they were experiencing it in person. This can be a fantastic method to boost sales. When shooting bigger artwork or art with 3D features, it’s best to engage a professional photographer. Scanning is also a useful and cost-effective alternative to photographing 2D artwork.
The quality of the images used in an online art gallery will determine its effectiveness. A bad representation of art will not correctly portray an artist’s work. As a result, the artist will have a difficult time selling the piece. Customers can’t feel a product when they visit an online art gallery, so the only way an artist can ensure they get a good feeling of what they’re buying is to display clear, comprehensive photographs.
Marketing strategy
The most significant responsibility an artist will have after creating an online art gallery, aside from updating the site with new goods, is marketing to attract visitors and ease purchases. An art gallery cannot make revenue without attracting new visitors.
You may advertise your virtual art gallery with email newsletters, social media, studio images, blogs, and more once you’ve made it and submitted it to your portfolio. If you don’t want to be represented by a legitimate gallery, you’ll have to manage all of your own advertising. You should make a list of art dealers, collectors, and venues to whom you will extend the initial invitation to visit your virtual art gallery. To cultivate an audience, create social media profiles and sites and link them to your virtual art gallery.
Payment method
No artist wants people to come to their gallery only to appreciate and gaze at their work. As a result, it is critical for artists to make their work easy to buy and pay for by establishing a payment option. Accepting debit or debit cards or registering with payment providers like PayPal and Square will help you do so. The greater the number of payment options available for an artist’s work, the more art the artist will sell.
Sum it up
It takes time to develop a successful online art gallery, so be patient, follow the guidelines above, and use internet marketing tools to draw site visitors, produce sales, and build a sustainable income.