The Role of Education in Online Art Sales

Education and art sales go hand-in-hand. Why? Education is a powerful way for your gallery to grow its client base, earn trust and increase sales.

Education is also an opportunity for your gallery to engage people who may never have thought of themselves as art collectors. In doing so, you'll expand your pool of potential buyers and bring beautiful art to more people.

Why education should be part of your sales and marketing strategy

Before you make a large purchase, what's the first thing you do? If you're like most people, you do some research, whether that's searching for information on the Internet or talking to a friend.

People feel more confident making a large purchase when they've learned how and why to make that purchase.

By incorporating education into your sales and marketing strategy, you serve as a resource for your clients and prospects, providing them with the information they need to feel comfortable and confident purchasing a work of art.

Take the time to teach your prospects and clients about buying art, and in doing so, you'll earn their trust — and eventually their business. Even if someone's not ready right now, if they're curious about buying art, most likely they will get to a point where they are ready. When that time comes, they'll first turn to a trusted source: you.

How education can bring in new clients

If you're looking to grow your client list, you're almost certainly targeting Millennials, a generation now reaching a point in life where they have more disposable income and can afford to purchase and invest in art.

There's also a lot of them. Recent studies from the Pew Research Center show that Millennials will soon be "the nation's largest living adult generation"— all the more reason to get them buying art.

Millennials, many of whom are tech-savvy, generally prefer to go straight to the Internet when thinking about making a purchase or investment of any kind, seeking out various resources and tips.

By incorporating educational content on your website, you give those art-curious Millennial consumers something to discover during their online search. Provide them with high quality, informative content about buying art, and they'll begin to develop a (virtual) relationship with your gallery. When they're ready to buy, there's a much greater chance that they'll seek you out.

Millennials (and younger generations) are very open to developing relationships online, so even if they don't live anywhere near your gallery, that won't stop them from buying your art.

Great examples of online education

Think of your website as a virtual art consultant, available 24/7 to dispense advice. Here are a few examples of ways you can educate people with helpful, useful content.

Design and decorating

Let's face it — most of us are not designers, and many people feel hesitant to invest in a piece of art if they're unsure how to effectively incorporate it into their homes or offices. By giving your site visitors design ideas and examples, you can start getting their wheels turning about how they might bring art into their own spaces.

Example: "Top 5 ways to add dimension to your space using sculpture"
(Ann Korologos Gallery)

This piece is great because it's a) short and easy to read and b) very visual. When giving design tips and advice, be sure to include lots of high quality images of gallery art placed in homes and offices.

The value of buying art

If one of your goals is to grow your client base, provide information about why people should buy art in the first place. Very few galleries give their website visitors any information about the value of buying art — and they're missing out on an opportunity to convert an art-curious consumer into a collector.

Example: "The art of buying art"
(Agora Gallery)

This piece provides a good overview of collecting art, but it could be broken down into several posts on different topics. Be sure to provide a variety of broad and specific educational topics on your website.