As a creative entrepreneur it can feel so helpful to use AI to generate the words for all of your social media posts, blog and newsletters, press releases, website, and more. But there’s one big pitfall that you’ll want to keep in mind when you use this super helpful tool. Keep reading to learn more and see how you can leverage this tool to your advantage.
Posts filed under Website
A Tip to Bring Your Art Plans Into Focus
It's still the height of summer here so naturally October feels like a loooong time away. In fact, the end of October is *only three months* away.
This means I've got some serious decision making to do with my Halloween costume. And more importantly, I know that by the time October closes, it'll feel like the holiday season is in full swing and dragging me down the tinsel-laden street.
Have you ever felt surprised and swept up by how fast the holidays got here?
If yes, I've got a helpful thought for you. In speaking with a few artists recently, I noticed it was helpful for them to think about what they wanted to have done by October. What was calling to them to really get done between now and then, over the course of just three months?
Thinking of it this way brought things into clear focus. Each artist said they wanted to do very specific things like having a show, making more art, start using their mailing list, and making long overdue website updates.
So, let's pretend it's the end of October. --Pumpkins are carved. Candy wrappers are finding their way into your sofa cushions.-- And when that last day of October rolls around on the calendar, what would you like to say you accomplished between now and then?
What's most important to you? What would you like to have done in 3 months?
Let me know in the comments. I'd love to hear what surfaces when you bring your next 3 months into focus.
Cheers,
Kate
How to Show Art Prices on Your Website Without Looking Cheesy
Are you thinking about selling your work? Want to sell it without looking cheesy or desperate? Afterall, you take your art seriously. You don’t want to feel icky when it comes to selling it.
Part of the process of selling your work is to clearly communicate the price of your work and in a way that feels good to you. In the Should You Show Prices On Your Art Website? article, I share reasons for putting your prices on your website and how helpful it can be to a buyer.
If you’re considering adding your prices to your website, figuring out how to do it in a way that looks good can lead to a lot of questions. Starting with, how do I show prices without looking cheesy?
To help with this, I’m sharing a few strategies you can use to help show your art prices on your website in a way that’s professional and looks good, too.
Emphasize the Art
Show a beautiful image of the work. Make the art take up more visual space on your website than the price or text describing it takes up.
De-emphasize the Price
The cost or purchase button doesn’t need to overpower the image. If you feel like the price looks too stark, large or loud, there are a few graphic design tricks that you can employ to help downplay the price.
Make the price an 80% gray color. This is an old graphic designer’s trick where you make a piece of text that's black and dial down the intensity of the color to be about 80% less black which is a dark-ish but still readable gray. Below is an example of how that looks. See how much lighter and de-emphasized the price looks?
Put prices in a smaller font size. Even two font sizes smaller will usually do the trick.
Link the text to purchase instead of using a button. This isn’t exactly about how to show the price but it is part of setting it up so it looks the way you want. If you don’t like the way buttons look, or you don’t want to set up an official shop, you can link text to direct people to contact you to purchase.
Direct people to your gallery. If you have an agreement or a current exhibition with a gallery, talk to the gallery to see if they’re okay with you showing the work on your website. If they are, let viewers know exactly how they can contact the gallery for purchase.
Click on the examples of these four strategies below to see them in better detail.
Change the text of the purchase button. Your template’s button may say, “BUY NOW!” but there are usually ways to edit what the buttons say. Google it and find out how to change it in your software to something softer like, “Add to Cart”, “Purchase” or “Take Me Home”. Bonus points if it’s not in all caps.
Change the color of the purchase button. If your website template requires a button, you may be able to change the color to downplay it. Going from a red button to a black, 80% gray or more neutral colored button will make it much less loud.
Show thumbnail images and purchase options after clicking on the image. Maybe you have a shop or gallery of your available works where your prices show only when someone clicks on a thumbnail to learn more. That way the price isn’t so up front.
In all of these appraoches, notice what is more clear and easy to read. Notice what is emphasized or de-emphasized. The goal is to make your art shine. And when it resonates with your viewer, they have what they need when they decide to purchase it.
As an artist, you’ve got opinions about how something should look. And these aesthetic opinions extend to how your prices are shown, too. Take a look at these examples and find other examples that you like. Then make adjustments to how you show prices for your art on your website.
Let me know if you find any of these strategies helpful when it comes to showing your prices on your website in the comments. I’d love to hear your thoughts about it!
Cheers,
Kate
Should You Show Prices On Your Art Website?
Have you wondered if you should show your art prices on your website? For some artists, they make their work and showing prices can feel out of alignment with the conversation they want their work to have. Or maybe showing prices doesn’t feel as relevant as getting the work seen.
For many of us, there’s a deep-seeded thought that showing our prices will cheapen the work. We’re afraid it might make us look like sell-outs or desperate. No one that I know wants to compromise their creative integrity just to sell some work. And almost everyone I know wants to sell their work to feel valued, recognized, seen and pay the rent along the way.
Have you decided what’s right for you when it comes to listing your prices on your website? If you’ve ever struggled with that decision, keep reading.
The first step to figure this out is to get clear on your goals. Do you want to sell your art to collectors, designers, shops, art consultants or agents? How much of it do you want to sell? Will you sell directly to patrons or only through galleries?
If you want to sell your art directly, a key piece in making that happen is making the price known and having a process for buying work. In other words, buyers must know what the price is because it’s part of the shopping process.
You can ask buyers or collectors to inquire about prices and availability or let them know in the description of a piece what it costs and if it’s for sale. Which is easier for the person shopping? Emailing or calling you to ask if a piece is available and how much it is? Or seeing that information right there so you can decide if buying is really right for you?
I think it’s easier to buy art when I know the price. I hate to bother people with asking if there’s a chance I may not buy it after all. The same feeling is true for shopping at a store. If a piece of clothing isn’t priced, I’m not as likely to buy it because I may not have time to hunt down the price or feel like talking to a store associate.
Listing your prices reduces the friction of the buying process. It makes it much easier for a potential buyer to know if your work fits into their budget. Asking someone to email or call you for a price is asking them to make an extra effort. And instead of getting them closer to buying your work, you slow down the process by not giving a buyer what they need, when they need it.
Showing prices on your website makes the most sense when...
You’re not only selling through a gallery
You’re selling directly to designers, buyers and collectors
You’re in the middle of a pandemic where collectors going to galleries and visiting exhibitions is difficult
You want to make the buying process as easy as possible for those that are serious about buying
“If you’ve got to ask the price, you can’t afford it” is a sentiment that’s been heard often. If a person can afford the art, not showing the price might make them think that it's out of their price range even though it is within their budget. That would be a missed sale.
There are some instances when showing prices online may not be an exact fit. For example, when it’s a really expensive piece of art, like over $10k. People don’t always want others to know how much they might have spent on a piece when it gets in that territory. So out of respect for your buyer’s privacy, you may not want to list those prices online.
If it makes you feel like your art is too product-y, showing your prices may not be a fit. Even if you know that it’s helpful to speed up the buying process, if in your gut it doesn’t feel right, don’t show prices. I hope you change your mind but I understand that you may not, or that you may want to sit with the idea of adding prices to your website. If you can bring yourself to show prices in a way that feels good to you, can you let collectors know that prices are readily available via email or something similar? Can you look for ways to make it as easy as possible for someone to purchase your art if they want to?
It also may be a wrench-fit to show prices on your website if you’re selling through a gallery. If this is the case for some or all of your work, have a conversation with your gallerist about what they're comfortable with and about what will support selling the work. You can always show the work on your website, include the price and direct buyers to go through your gallery. Provide contact information if you go this route.
The upshot here is that if you want to sell your art, even just a little bit, you can help your buyers and yourself by showing your prices on your website. Read the next article that talks about how to show your prices on your website without looking cheesy.
Do you show prices on your website? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.
Cheers,
Kate