Nevertheless, without a considerate strategy and plan for marketing and selling your art prints, you won’t be able to be successful. You might upload your images for sale on an open platform like Pixels.com for example. But just imagine how many other photographers do exactly the same thing. That is why your promotion strategy is vitally important to let you stand out from the crowd.

In this article, we would like to advise you on where to start and how to market and sell your fine art photography for the most benefit possible.

USEFUL STEPS FOR MARKETING & SELLING YOUR DIGITAL FINE ART PRINTS

You do not need to get an academic degree or even take a photography course to start doing this part of your business. You need to join the community of photographers who sell their photos online or develop your own recognizable website. Defining your personal style is also a good place to start before you get your prints seen and bought.

Let’s have a more thorough look at how to do your fine art photography sales and make them as beneficial as possible.

START MARKETING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY VIA SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media sites like Facebook and Instagram are great options for starting your marketing campaigns, even if you do not have your personal website or blog yet. Get accounts established there, remembering that all your followers are your potential buyers. Use the different advertising options provided by these platforms to make your edited photos recognizable and increase your exposure.

Ask your friends and colleagues to like or follow your page and share it with their acquaintances. Let everybody know that you are selling your fine art prints and word of mouth together with the ads in the social media will quickly spread. You can also start interacting with people who are potential fine art photography buyers interested in your work. Answer their questions or write short photography-related posts informing your potential customers that you have created a new piece of artwork. This can be a bit time-consuming, but it can result in positive outcomes.

HOW TO MARKET PHOTOGRAPHY VIA YOUR PERSONAL WEBSITE OR BLOG

It’s not a secret that, if you have your own website, you get more control over the interactions with potential customers. Of course, it will take more time and effort, but it will be beneficial in the long run. You can either utilize your own domain name to establish a store or create an online store on such reputable platforms as BigCommerce or Shopify. These platforms require small fees while others, such as Wix, provide free templates to get started. Choose your templates, which will integrate payment processing and order forms. You can buy a domain as well to introduce a paid service for more selling options.

If you cannot develop your website yourself, you can hire a development company to create a photography website according to your needs. The developer can also teach you some basics on how to maintain the website, integrate the keywords for search engines and keep your website optimized.

You can also create your personal blog where you will be able to show your fine art stock photography and write some interesting articles on photography. Your potential customers will be able to email you and ask for more information or shipping details if they need them. Such a convenient payment service as PayPal is appropriate for receiving payments. 

CREATE EMAIL LISTS AND MARKETING CAMPAIGNS

As you gain blog followers, you can start creating email lists for further communication. It does not matter much whether you have your own website or use social media or other websites to introduce your images. You just need a place where you can communicate with your potential buyers. A place where you can receive emails from them and send them newsletters and notifications about your new pieces of fine art photography.

You do not have to share all the new pieces with your followers, of course. Give them just enough to stay in touch and get interested in what you are doing. People should see you as a real person and like you and everything you do.  If you have a blog, keep them informed about your new ideas and let them see you behind your art.

You can also collect the email addresses via a giveaway or raffle, by using Facebook or local contests, everywhere you can to make people remember you. These small marketing campaigns are sure to boost your sales and provide you with a lot of benefits.

USE LOCAL OPTIONS

To find the new market for photography, you can also develop an interest in what you are doing at the local level. You can offer to hang your artwork at the local coffee shop. You can also go to art galleries and ask them if they can accept your photos as exhibits.

You can offer your prints to local businesses that can use your business cards with fine art images for further promotion. A local restaurant or retail outlet may want to have your photos on their walls. They obtain free artwork and you get a free advertising option. Or go to the local libraries and offer to make a display of your photos on a monthly basis.

The option of placing your fine art photos for sale in local fine art stores should also be considered. Such shops will charge you some fees only if your artwork is sold. Leave your business cards so buyers can refer to you directly if they are interested.

You can expose your fine art prints at an art fair. That is the place where you can network with different enthusiasts of fine art photography and your colleagues. Start by finding out how selling your photography at the fair works, the terms of such cooperation, and possible fees at art fairs in your area. Bring some of your prints with you and let them be sold immediately. You can also leave your business cards and flyers to the organizers. This is also a great chance to get email addresses and other contacts of your potential buyers. Offer people to sign up for a raffle to win your print.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Do you really want to start selling fine art photography? Then there is a lot of hard and interesting work in front of you. We think you’ll find it is a rewarding experience.

Communicate with your potential clients as much as possible. Let them know you and what you are doing. Get noticed via small marketing campaigns. Focus on the sources and means which you can manage easily.

Of course, you will need to invest a lot of time and effort in all this. Don’t rely on selling fine art photographs as the only means of living. Take it up as a hobby first and then you will see that you will start selling your work both online and offline and your business will grow. You will be delighted knowing that your pieces of art decorate people’s homes and offices. It’s a great feeling of success — so get busy and try it now.

Author Bio: James Baxter is a professional ghostwriter, online marketer at photo retouching company, and blogger, who loves sharing his experience and knowledge with readers. His hobby is photography and traveling, so he has already been to 35 countries.

The post How to Market and Sell Your Fine Art Photography appeared first on Art Business News.

Q: Tell us a little about yourself and why fine art photography is your path?

A: Being an architect and a very visual person, I found my artistic expression in photography. Since my college time in Europe, I started exploring black and white photography and participated in many National Geographic competitions. During my exchange year in Marseille, I got inspired by the magical light in the south of France and spent hours in the darkroom developing my black and white photos. In 2014, I moved to New York City, where I attended several photography classes at the International Center of Photography to deepen my knowledge and experiment with photography. In April 2015, I had my first exhibition Street Photography and Urban Landscape at Columbia University. Last year, when New York City became the epicenter of the pandemic, I started my photography project on Instagram called S.O.S – Save our Spirit with the message that while the virus is strong, our New York spirit is stronger.

Q: Why did you do this project?

A: There were few reasons to create this project. First, I wanted to avoid depression while being alone during the pandemic. Second, I wanted to capture this unique moment in history. Third, I wanted to share my photography with the world.

Q: How long did this project take?

A: I started my project on March 1, 2020, when the first Coronavirus case was detected in New York City. It’s a visual diary of the Pandemic where I matched the news of the day with a relevant photo, mostly in a symbolic way. I have been posting one picture per day for 16 months now. This project became my main occupation during the pandemic and kept me busy and creative during these difficult times.

Q: What are the sizes of the images?

A: All my pictures were taken with my iPhone and their sizes are between 2-6 MB.

Q: What is the purpose of the project?

A: The purpose of the project was to document the pandemic time. When New York City became the epicenter of the pandemic, life suddenly disappeared. I was out every day capturing this surreal situation. It gave me very mixed emotions — I felt happy and sad at the same time. The City of Silence was beautiful from an artistic point of view, but it was painful to see my favorite city so empty and deserted.

Q: What do you hope to accomplish by doing this?

A: Besides the artistic aspect of my project, I wanted to keep up our spirit and support New Yorkers during this time of crisis. I felt the need to share my photography with others, while spreading the good energy and keeping up the New York spirit. We were all in this together, and everyone contributed in one way or another. I used my photography skills and my passion to deliver uplifting messages every day and show how strong and resilient New Yorkers are.

Q: Which photographers influence you and how did they influence your thinking and photographing?

A: I was always inspired by the big masters from Europe, such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Doisneau. I loved their black and white street photography in Paris and the unique moments they captured with their cameras. During my classes at ICP in New York, I also discovered Vivian Maier who was a secret street photographer. I started seeing the city life in frames and was looking for those special moments which make every picture unique.

Q: What motivates you to continue taking pictures economically, politically, intellectually, or emotionally?

A: For me, photography is about capturing the moment and showing the Magic of the World. New York City is a magical place, and it changes constantly. I love the energy of this city; it drives me and inspires me every day. I’m looking for magical moments to show our diversity. My photos are mostly emotional, with a very esthetic component.

But last year I also delivered a strong message for equality and justice. I documented the City of Silence during the lockdown and participated in ten bike protests for Black Lives Matter, called Justice Rides. This difficult pandemic year was a breakthrough for me as a photographer. As a result of my hard work, I was honored to show my photography in three exhibitions in New York. Two pictures from Black Lives Matter bike protests have been featured at the Museum of the City of New York and at the Women Street Photographers group exhibition. The third picture from the Lockdown was selected for a virtual exhibition about the Quiet City at the Sembrich Museum in Lake George.

Q: Which image of the series is your favorite and why?

A: I chose a selection of my 7 favorite photos to show the diversity of the covered subjects and the development of the turbulent times during the pandemic and BLM protests. My absolute favorite picture is Hope is in the Air which was featured in one of the exhibitions. It shows the empty Ghost City covered in fog and a stop sign at the light as a symbol of a forbidden zone. The famous HOPE sculpture delivers a message of hope, but the mood of the picture is very mysterious. The lost bike stands for loneliness and confusion, while the Chase signs remind us about not giving up and chasing our dreams. It is the perfect picture to express the isolation during the pandemic time.

About Anna: Anna Jast is an architect by education and photographer by passion. She grew up in Vienna, where she graduated in Architecture at the Vienna University of Technology. In 2009 she moved to Zurich, Switzerland, where she discovered her talent for organizing shows and worked for Baselworld, the famous Jewelry and Watch Show. Anna has over ten years of international experience in event management on various interior design and exhibition projects. She strongly supports the arts and culture, while volunteering for various art shows and cultural institutions. Due to her multicultural background, Anna is fluent in four languages.

Instagram: @SaveOurSpirit_NYC

Email: annajast@yahoo.com

The post Save Our Spirit: An Interview With Anna Jast appeared first on Art Business News.