"Managed Programs" and That Whole Business of "Selling Your Art Online"
If you've visited these pages before, you might remember that I am always trying to crack that tough nut of actually selling some art online.
Actual experience has suggested that selling Alchemy Stones is great when done in a face-to-face setting — like an art show — but incredibly difficult when brought to the online world.
Part of the problem is undoubtedly that search engines don't log very many search queries for "painted stones" and related topics.
Which leads me to believe that what I work with isn't something that it even occurs to people they might like, until they actually see it and decide... "yeah, I really WANT one of these!"
The is the exact opposite of — for example — a cell phone, where people already know it exists and they want one; need one.
Anyway... as further proof that "they" are always watching us, I have been looking for tips on selling art online, as a result of which I new get served up all sorts of advertising for artists trying to establish themselves.
Art Success in a Box?
Until a few days ago, I wasn't even aware of how many "structured programs" are out there, designed to allegedly help creatives become a commercial success.
I'm not just talking about venues like Etsy or services like Zazzle or FineArtAmerica, I'm talking about tailored web marketing packages for artists.
Whereas these do sound interesting, the first "obstacle" (at least for me) is that they are also prohibitively expensive, and assume that the artist has $1000-$3000+ in spare change laying around, just to get up and running. And then you pay a monthly subscription, on top of that. And then there's a veritable smorgasbord of "add-on services" that'll improve your chances of success, but seem more likely to be ways to just drain your bank account.
The second obstacle is that these services are almost 100% oriented towards people who work in "two-dimensional creativity."
Photographers and traditional painters — maybe even digital artists — would probably benefit because the nature of their work is such it easily adapts to be converted into prints of different sizes, journal covers, coffee mugs and much more.
I suppose you could view a $3,000 up-front outlay as "not that much" in the context of "potentially enjoying sales of $50,000 a year or more," but I can't help but think that promises are always a lot greater than reality!
Of course, I did what I always do: Have a look at reviews, blogs and commentaries offered up by people who are actually involved in these programs and have first-hand experience with them.
And that's basically a pretty mixed bag.
Stuff We Already Know...
The overwhelmingly positive reviews seem to primarily be very "scripted", almost like the people were being given "free stuff" in exchange for a glowing review... what feels like the more honest reviews primarily came from people who said the service was good, but they were unlikely to renew their contracts because they discovered that they were paying a lot of money to have someone do things they already knew how to do.
Which is, perhaps, where we get to the root of what often challenges creatives: We know how, but we lack the time and sometimes motivation to knuckle down and promote ourselves. We'd rather be creating.
So in that sense, "farming out" sales and marketing might be a good idea. Even if you don't renew a subscription service, the year or two you spend as part of it perhaps "gets you into a routine" you can continue to follow, afterwards.
Regardless, this is all speculation at this point as there is no way I have $1,000+ to invest in such a venture... but I am definitely glad I looked into it!
So the search for the "right" form of publicity continues... have a radio interview lined up for later this month; feeling hopeful about that!
I appreciate you coming to visit and please do leave a comment if you feel so inclined!
Thank You!
If you enjoy painted rocks, do check out The Hive Rocks Project and help spread the word about Hive, while also being creative!
Because I am trying to make some semblance of income — a part time living, even — I now add this footer to all my posts, in the hope that someone, somewhere, might decide to take a further look at my work, and perhaps consider supporting independent art.
Thank you, in advance, for your consideration and support!
My Alchemy Stones Patreon appeal
Alchemy Stones web site and blog
Regardless, your upvotes and comments are always appreciated!
Thank you for supporting independent art!
2024.02.10 AS-TXT-196/164