It’s no secret that Instagram is one of the most popular platforms for people to make a career out of. So much so that just about every person has an idea of what an Instagrammer is. Whether it’s the world of modelling, art, music, or anything for that matter, there is a place for it on Instagram, causing many to venture onto the platform to grow their specific niche.
Art happens to be immensely popular on Instagram, where users utilize Instagram as a personal gallery of their art. Not only does this help grow a person’s following, but it can also actually generate art sales right from the page. It’s pretty remarkable what a platform like Instagram can do for someone’s passion.
First and foremost, you should build brand loyalty to drive sales. Obviously, the customers’ loyalty and trust in your online business get heavily depends on follower count and engagement statistics generated on your account. In short, the more people a page has following it, the more sales that page can potentially get because of the social proof effect that your followers count create. People rely on the majority’s opinion, which is especially clearly manifested in the spheres of culture and art. Regardless, down below will take an in-depth look at how to market and sell art on Instagram!
1. Prove Credibility
The biggest hurdle a new art page has to jump over has to do with proving credibility. Most people are turned off by a page that doesn’t have a large following. It’s not so much that people don’t want to support smaller-time artists; it just has to do with the trust attached to a page that hasn’t proven its credibility.
No person wants to spend money on a product just to eventually find out they’ve been scammed or the artist doesn’t deliver what they promise. A good way around this is to have a few friends or family members purchase art to show sales have already been made.
2. Demonstrate the Process
Besides having friends or family purchase art to help prove credibility, Instagram does an excellent job at allowing users to demonstrate their process. Instagram stories are there for a reason, and artists can undoubtedly utilize them to show what they’re working on, as well as future plans.
There’s a lot that can fall under the demonstrate the process area, but try to get creative. Even if it’s as elementary as showing off where the art is made, people will appreciate that and be more trustworthy of the art being offered. Unfortunately, too many people are scammers, so take the proper precautions to get around that issue.
3. Show Work
A successful art page is nothing without the proper work and art to back it up. As great as it is to demonstrate the process of actually making the art, there’s the part showing the final product. This is typically the most vital part of having an art page on Instagram since it’s what people will see to entice them along.
Although some people specialize in mystery art, there is absolutely no way to begin an Instagram page with this method. Mystery art is only done by artists that already have an established name. Basically, showcase the art and take it from there.
4. Easy Access to Purchase Art
Another essential makeup of an Instagram art page is how easy it is for people to actually purchase art. As great as a page can look and appear on someone’s feed, none of it matters if people aren’t enticed to purchase the art. Plus, that enticement should be done as efficiently as possible.
A good rule to follow is to have a simple link in the bio that goes directly to where people can purchase the art. Instagram for business also allows users to set up Instagram shopping, a way for people to shop right on a page instead of venturing to another site. Of course, there are pros and cons to both methods, but either will work great.
5. Have Some Personal Flair
A significant issue of Instagram art pages has to do with people’s inability to separate themselves from others. Thus, people need to have some personal flair on their page. Even if having that unique flare isn’t for everyone, it’s better to have a style than to be as broad as possible.
For example, if the art on a page is gothic-inspired, the bio and website attached to the art should have a similar theme. Obviously, it’s a challenge to be totally unique in today’s society, but trying in this realm will suffice enough. Just don’t copy another page since that’ll never work out beneficially.
Photo by Edu Lauton on Unsplash
6. What is Inspiration?
The notion of inspiration makes for an exciting discussion in the art scene, especially when it comes to a public manner on Instagram. However, not only should inspiration to analysed in the sense of what an artist hopes to accomplish on Instagram, but as a way for that person to show their audience who they’re influenced by.
The truth is just about every person in the world has been inspired by someone before. Inspiration is critical in the art world, and showcasing what inspires you can go a long way on an Instagram page; this can especially happen when followers of that Instagram page share an everyday inspiration.
7. Instagram Highlights
Instagram is an extraordinary unique platform in the sense of how much it offers to every user. For starters, Instagram highlights are an excellent way for people to save a story that’s worthwhile for people to check out at any time. For example, if an artist draws a few different animals, the highlights can be categorized for each animal.
Obviously, that’s a very elementary approach, but highlights are very beneficial in so many ways. It’s up to the artist what they want to use the highlights for. As long as they try to develop a creative way of using them, it’ll undoubtedly be a good thing for the person’s page.
8. Instagram Stories
Similar to highlights, stories are a prevalent feature of Instagram. In fact, stories are so popular on Instagram that it’s more common for people to view a story than to actually see a post. Thus, it becomes a matter of discussion of how someone should use Instagram stories to their own benefit.
Most artists will utilize Instagram stories to show off their progress, reveal new art, and any updates regarding their page. Of course, these aren’t the only examples a person can use for their page, but the possibilities are truly endless in this respect. Plus, Instagram stories are easy to use on a day-to-day basis.
9. Instagram Posts
From a barebones perspective, Instagram posts are immensely popular for the pure sake that it was the first way to post anything on Instagram. Posts operate in a reasonably straightforward capacity, but there are some rules attached to posting on Instagram. Those rules have to do with how much a page posts and when they should post.
First, the time a page can post can vary depending on the niche. Most utilize the middle to end of the week for big reveal posts. Secondly, how much a page posts can vary as well. An unwritten rule to remember is to have at least one daily post that every follower can look forward to. Posting too much can be a great hindrance to someone’s page.
10. Utilize Instagram as a Gallery
Although more people are tech-savvy than ever before, many artists have a challenging time understanding what Instagram is meant to do. A good way around this potential issue is to think of Instagram as a gallery. Just like people visit local art galleries to see art and buy a piece if it attracts them, the same thing can be said for Instagram pages.
Obviously, the specifics tied to a virtual art gallery are much more complicated than a straightforward Instagram page. Still, as brutal as this journey might be, using a page to showcase art can do wonders for making sales in that world. After all, so many people love art.
11. Making Great Art
As excellent as it is to have the proper steps associated with having a solid Instagram presence, there comes another part of actually making great art. Frequently, people hyper-focus on having a great set-up instead of delivering a solid product that people are interested in.
There’s a happy mix between the two. Still, obviously, the product at hand (art) is the most crucial part before anything else. No one is going to have any interest in an Instagram page if the art is terrible. Thus, while working on the page to ensure it attracts followers, also be constantly working on the craft of art.
12. Having an Excellent Profile Set-Up
As broad as it might sound, having an excellent profile appearance can do wonders for any art page. As touched upon earlier, art is clearly a driving force behind the success of a page, but having a great look at the page itself is exceptionally beneficial to highlight.
Some broad points to consider with the profile have to do with the profile picture, bio, and the content below. Although there is a lot to the driving force of a page, having a solid profile picture, bio, and content will do wonders for the success and longevity of the specific page.
13. Photography and Editing Skills
No matter what someone’s journey is on Instagram, there is another point to highlight with photography and editing skills. So even if someone feels they can totally avoid these two topics, you can’t help but discuss the importance of the two areas when it comes to Instagram.
With art, having a high-quality camera and a scanner can do wonders for the content at hand. Also, be sure to know some basic editing skills for any content that requires it. Getting a basic understanding of both subjects is a lot more beneficial than most people realize.
14. Understand Instagram Culture
Like so many other social media platforms, Instagram has a unique culture surrounding it that differs significantly from any other platform. As a result, artists looking to showcase and sell their art on it need to understand what Instagram culture is and how they can use it to their advantage.
The cult of Instagram has to do with posting and captions, bios, commenting, sharing, etc. Basically, everything that makes Instagram the platform that it is should be fully understood by people that are tied to the platform and hope to make the most out of it.
15. Build a Following
Besides selling and marketing art on Instagram, there should be a heavy focus on actually building a following on the platform. Once a following is developed, that following can be branched out to so many different avenues. That’s why so many people with large followings on the platform have so many avenues for people to check out.
As challenging as it can be to build a following, having that goal in mind can lead the artist to experiment with what they can do to build the page. Ignoring it and solely focusing on sales is the wrong approach. Both are equally vital to the longevity of an artist’s page.
Track Progress
The last point to highlight has to do with tracking progress. Rather than just upload content and hope for the best, every artist on Instagram should look for analytics to see how their page is doing. In short, every month should show better results than the previous month. Having a mindset like this will prove much more valuable in the long term.
