How to Sell Your Art & Craft Online: Q&A with Alex Antle
Alex Antle at the Indigenous art fair at the Petapan conference, 2019.
In this age of Zoom calls, Skype and social media, we’re spending much of our time living and working online these days. And while it can feel overwhelming at times, for artists and other creatives, this also presents a great opportunity to promote and sell their work (especially while COVID-19 continues to play a role in our lives).
On April 20, we’re bringing back Alex Antle, independent artist and entrepreneur (and the owner of Bunchberry Beadwork), to host one of our most popular Business Workshops for Artists sessions. Presented in partnership with Experience Qalipu, this session will focus on how to sell your art and craft online (via websites and social media), including tips for taking professional quality photos with a cellphone, and managing social media channels effectively. As one of our best attended and most requested workshops from last year, you won’t want to miss this new session, which takes place online via Zoom from 7-8pm - our first evening workshop in the series. (Click here for more information and to register.)
Last year, we were lucky to catch up with Alex in advance of her session to chat about the importance of having a strong social media presence, how to choose an online platform that works for you and more. We’re sharing that Q&A with you here again to give you an idea of what to expect from Alex’s April 20 session. We hope you’ll join us!
Alex Antle at the K’Taqmkuk Mi’kmaw Cultural Historic Museum in St. George’s.
Business & Arts NL: What, in your experience, is one of the biggest challenges for an artist who is trying to sell their work online and how can they overcome this challenge?
Alex Antle: In my experience, the biggest challenge that craftspeople and artists have with selling their work online is getting their name out there. Becoming a known name and pushing traffic to your online platforms are some of the most important and the most challenging parts of selling your work. To overcome this challenge, makers need to be very active on social media and search for opportunities to highlight their work in the media. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a local magazine and ask for a feature! There is not often a fast track to becoming popular; makers need to be consistent with their online messaging, have high quality photos and constantly promote themselves.
Business & Arts NL: For those artists and craftspeople who may not have much of a social media presence, what would you say to them about the importance of putting themselves out there?
AA: If you want to be successful in selling your work online, you need to have a presence on social media! Social media is usually the first place people go to look for a business. If you can’t be found on Facebook, people may think you don’t exist. Social media is also a great tool to drive traffic to your website or in-person events. It takes a bit of work, but being active on social media will definitely benefit your business.
A sample of Alex's beautiful beadwork.
Business & Arts NL: What are a couple of the most important questions that artists/craftspeople should ask themselves when choosing an online platform to sell their work?
AA: When you’re deciding which online platforms to use, you need to ask yourself “Where are my customers?" and “How much time do I have to commit to my online store?" The first thing you should consider is which social media platforms you need to be on. The bare minimum for most people is Facebook and/or Instagram, then you need to ask yourself if you have time to manage any more social media platforms. When selling online, you can use social media as your main platform for sales or you can set up your own website. The most important things to consider when choosing a website platform is user-friendliness and fees.
Business & Arts NL: You yourself are a beadwork artist. Where can people check out more of your work?
AA: My work can be viewed online at bunchberrybeadwork.ca and on Facebook and Instagram @BunchberryBeadwork.
Workshop: How to Sell Your Art & Craft Online
Date/Time: Tuesday, April 20 from 7-8pm
Location: Online via Zoom
Price: Free
Registration:Click here