If you are not getting very many sales right now, it’s probably because your marketing sucks and might have little to do with the kid of artwork your making. Even if you are just using Instagram right now to market your store, you could be making some common mistakes preventing your store from getting any traffic from it.
I know I was when I first got started.
So before you go down a rabbit hole of insecurity, read some of these mistakes and if one calls out to you, be sure to read and implement these changes starting now.
1. YOU ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT WHAT YOU OFFER IN YOUR BIO.
You need to talk more about what you offer over what you do. Don’t just tell me you’re an artist and where you’re located but tell me why I should follow you and what you have for sale. Something as simple as saying “Shop apparel, posters, and phone cases” can make all the difference. Don’t make people guess, be obvious as hell.
2. YOUR GRID HAS NO IMAGES OF PRODUCTS ON THEM.
Of course, you should be sharing the final result of all your hard work when making a new piece of artwork. But, what about that art on a product? Hiding any mockups or product photography in a carousel post can help get you more views on Instagram, but it makes your grid look less like a store and more like a personal account.
3. YOUR CAPTIONS DON’T TALK ABOUT YOUR PRODUCTS ENOUGH.
You need to include a very obvious call to action on any post where you are trying to sell something. Tell me where to buy it, how it’s made, where you ship, and how much it costs. Don’t make them go to all the trouble on ging to shop to find this info, make it easy for them to make a purchase decision right there.
4. YOU ONLY TALK ABOUT A PRODUCT ONCE.
You have to repeat yourself a few different times in order to get people’s attention. Show the process behind the piece, the final image, mockups, and product photography throughout your grid. The algorithms only show our artwork to less than 3% of your audience, so you might as well show off your hard work in as many ways as you can.
5. YOU DON’T HAVE A LANDING PAGE FOR SOCIAL MEDIA.
People need to find what they are looking for fast or else you may have just lost a sale. So consider creating a landing page with links to where they might want to go. If you just launched a new product, you need a button that goes directly to it. This is similar to creating your own Linktree, but with the added benefit of already being on your website.
6. YOU ARE USING THE SAME HASHTAGS FOR ALL YOUR CONTENT.
I doubt you post the same kind of product and art every time you post on social media, so why are you not changing up your hashtags more often? When you post a process shot it makes more sense to use art hashtags like #artprocess, but when showing off a new product like a poster then use tags more like #walldecor. The meaning behind the art and what purpose behind the post should change the kind of tags you use.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you fell short reading though these, no beat yourself up. We all start somewhere and I’m so excited to watch you grow from here. From this point, be sure to constantly learn about new marketing tactics for your business and tweak your messaging until you find something that works for you.