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It’s no secret the holidays are a make it or break it time for art sales. Now is the time to prep your portfolio to help make you more money. By having it ready to sell prints it can complement the efforts you put in at holiday markets, exhibitions, and other seasonal hotspots.
Not to mention bring in sales from digital marketing efforts like SEO, social media, and sms or email campaigns. Here’s some tips you can use to optimize your portfolio and make more money with your photography this holiday season.
In This Post:
Rename Galleries by Theme
You likely already have a gallery named something like “holiday prints” or “seasonal gifts” featuring snow covered or decorated trees, and traditional holiday scenes. This is a great start, and you can build on it.
Think about how to get an art buyer to the right print faster. For example if you use branded and whimsical names vs. something direct, try changing them out for more concise words.
Use specific animals like horse art or reindeer, and themes like snow covered cabins. The consumer is short on time and this helps them find the right gift more easily.
Another option is to take the “holiday art” gallery and build sub galleries for specific holidays, nature scenes, animals, and other popular types of prints. You can also create sub galleries for the person the shopper is shopping for like kids, friends, colleagues, or significant others.
Bonus-tip: If you notice customers purchase one or two shots more than others in the gallery, move them to the top of the gallery so other shoppers can see them too.
Research What to Show First
You didn’t have to sell prints last year to have a starting point on what to list first in your print store. Go to public art marketplaces and click to their holiday art sections. You can also try typing in keywords like “Santa” and “Christmas gifts” into the search bar.
Now sort by “best sellers” or “most popular”. Chances are that holiday shopping has not started yet, and this gallery is optimized for the best sellers last year. Track the characters, types of landscapes, animals, and other images that show up. If you have similar types of art, try naming your galleries after them or featuring your variations at the top.
And if you’re doing this for specific animals like a breed of dogs or specific landmark, pay attention to how many of the dogs there are in the top positions, what they’re doing, and the things top sellers have in common. Landmarks can be time of day, season, and if there are people or it's empty and only the building, park, or cityscape.
Bonus: Check to see how it changes throughout the shopping season, if you notice trends for their best sellers and have similar artwork in your gallery, the trends may carry over to yours too.
Picking the Right Wording and Selling Points
While you’re on the art market places, make another stop at amazon and large brands that sell art. You can do similar searches and see how many people leave reviews with photos in their home.
Click on the reviews to find the words real customers use to describe the art and why they love it. You’ll learn what made them purchase and why they enjoy the art in their homes.
These same comments can become selling points to try and presell how your art will bring the same benefits and happiness to their own and their friends’ homes this holiday. You’re literally speaking their language.
Sending Customers to Your Website With a Code
Lots of people don’t want to shop and carry wall art at a market or festival. If your online print shop is set up, you can let them purchase from a computer at your booth and never miss a sale. They can order on the spot and have the art meet them at home a few days later.
If they’re not quite ready yet, and your store allows for discounts and couponing, offer them a one time use coupon they can redeem within 72 hours, or whatever time frame you choose. This incentivizes them to come to your website and shop later. Make sure to write the code down on the business card with your URL while they’re at your booth.
If you leave spaces to write text on the back of your business card, enter the gallery the print is in so it's easier for them to find. If you use the keywords and naming functionality available with many photography website builders, you can write the name of the photo down so they can go directly to it from a quick search.
Have a Flexible Portfolio Site That Sells Prints
You could be the best marketer or top photographer in the world and not make any money if your website is not user friendly. That’s why I recommend SmugMug.
Click here and try them for 14 days. If you start your trial with my link and purchase, you’ll automatically save 15% on the account, but only if you started with my link.
The reason I like SmugMug is that when you have a Pro account you get:
- To set your own margins and make as much as you want.
- Flexible ecommerce and couponing options to customize bundles and deals.
- Protection from damage with shipping. They cover the cost and work with the customer so you can focus on your business.
- An easy to use interface with no coding needed.
- Apps to make workflow fast so you can keep updating your galleries as you capture new “print worthy” photos.
- Print labs in the US and EU so your customers can ship from a trusted print lab closer to home saving them money.
- And more!
Click here to try SmugMug free and save 15% if you decide to purchase.
The holidays are a big opportunity to make money selling prints. By optimizing your website to show the most in-demand photos first, making it easier for shoppers to navigate, and by having a flexible ecommerce and printing system, you can maximize your earnings this year and each year to come.