Online art marketing resources

Next month, I'm going to be a part of a panel discussion at WindyCon (http://www.windycon.org) regarding online marketing for artists and crafters. Since I'll be sharing the following resource list with panel attendees, I thought it might be of interest to my blog readers too:

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I've broken the list entries into their best-defined categories, but as you're browsing, you'll notice that many of the sites linked will overlap categories. Some of the marketplaces will have social media elements, some galleries will allow sales, etc.

Marketplaces

Fees on these sites will vary from a flat dollar rate per month, to a percentage of each sale, to a combination of both. A few are even fee free. All have their pros and cons. A big site may have a lot of traffic, but your work might get lost in a sea of similar items of that genre, whereas your work might shine in a smaller marketplace...but that might not matter if the site has low traffic.

Art By Us http://www.artbyus.com/

Art Garage Sale http://www.artgaragesale.com

ArtFire http://www.artfire.com

Artful Home http://www.artfulhome.com/

Artful Explorer http://artfulexplorer.com/

Artid http://artid.com/

Artist Rising http://www.artistrising.com/

ArtQuid http://www.artquid.com/

Artsefest http://www.artsefest.com

Beetlebird http://www.beetlebird.com/

Big Cartel http://www.bigcartel.com/

BluJay http://blujay.com/
Bonanza http://www.bonanza.com/

Bouf http://www.bouf.com/

Cargoh http://www.cargoh.com/

Copious http://www.copious.com

Coriandr http://www.coriandr.com/

Cosa Verde http://cosaverde.com/

Craigslist http://www.craigslist.org
CraftIsArt http://www.craftisart.com/

D'Art http://www.fine-art.com

Daisy Craft http://daisycraft.com/
DaWanda http://en.dawanda.com/

eBay http://www.ebay.com

eCrater http://www.ecrater.com/

Erayo http://www.erayo.com/

Etsy http://www.etsy.com

Farm Made http://farmmade.com/

Felt http://felt.co.nz/

Felt & Wire http://feltandwireshop.com/

Fiverr http://fiverr.com/
Folksy http://www.folksy.com/

FondeliFair http://fondelifair.com/
Found Myself http://www.foundmyself.com/

Frozen Ember http://www.frozenember.com/

Funky Finds http://funkyfinds.com/

FuzzB http://fuzzb.com/

Handmade Artists Shop http://handmadeartistsshop.com/

Handmade Catalog http://www.handmadecatalog.com/

Hyena Cart http://hyenacart.com/

Icraft http://icraft.ca/

Indie Made http://www.indiemade.com/

Krrb http://krrb.com/

Luulla http://www.luulla.com/

Made It http://www.madeit.com.au/

Made It Myself http://www.madeitmyself.com/

Meylah http://meylah.com/

MISI http://www.misi.co.uk/

My Best Canvas http://www.mybestcanvas.com/

Myriad Galleries http://www.myriadgalleries.com/

PoppyTalk http://www.poppytalkhandmade.com/

Ruby Lane http://www.rubylane.com/

Seesle http://www.seesle.com/

Sell-Arts http://www.sell-arts.com/

Shop Handmade http://www.shophandmade.com/

Shopify http://www.shopify.com/

Shoply http://www.shoply.com

Silk Fair http://www.silkfair.com/

Smashing Darling http://www.smashingdarling.com/

Smashion http://smashion.com/
StoreEnvy http://www.storenvy.com/

Supermarket http://supermarkethq.com

The Craft Shopper http://www.thecraftshopper.com/
TopHatter http://tophatter.com
Trendy Indie http://trendyindie.com/

Trunkt http://www.trunkt.com/

Ugallery http://www.ugallery.com/

Ushops http://www.ushops.com/

Volusion http://www.volusion.com

Yessy http://www.yessy.com/

YokaBoo http://yokaboo.com/

YouCraft http://youcraft.org/
Zatista http://www.zatista.com/

Zhibit http://www.zhibit.org/

Zibbet http://www.zibbet.com/

Fulfillment Sites

These sites enable you to sell your 2-D art images...in print form or applied to other objects (wearables, household items, etc)...as produced by the online retailer. In most cases, the artist receives only a portion of the sale price or a flat payment, but does not have to worry about stock overhead or shipping items.

Cafe Press http://www.cafepress.com

Design By Humans http://www.designbyhumans.com/

Envelop http://www.envelop.eu/

Image Kind http://www.imagekind.com/

Fine Art America http://fineartamerica.com/

FotoMoto http://www.fotomoto.com/

Printfection http://www.printfection.com/

Pure Photo http://www.purephoto.com/

Red Bubble http://www.redbubble.com/

Shirt Woot http://shirt.woot.com/

Society6 http://society6.com/

Spreadshirt http://www.spreadshirt.com/

TeeFury http://www.teefury.com/

The Untapped Source http://www.theuntappedsource.com

Thumbtack Press http://www.thumbtackpress.com

Zazzle http://www.zazzle.com/

Zenfolio http://www.zenfolio.com/

Social Networks

Most...if not all...are free to use. These can be invaluable for driving traffic to your marketplace and as well as providing networking opportunities.

A Singular Creation http://www.asingularcreation.com/

Art Chain http://www.artchain.com/

Art Cloud http://www.artcloud.com

Art Fair Insiders http://www.artfairinsiders.com/

Art Rise http://www.artrise.com/

Art Slant http://www.artslant.com/

Art Span http://www.artspan.com

Art Wanted http://www.artwanted.com

Artaculous http://artaculous.com/

Artisans/Jewelry Designers http://artisanjewelrydesigners.ning.com/

Artist a Day http://www.artistaday.com/

Artist Search http://www.artistsearch.net

Artists.me http://www.artists.me/

Artition http://www.artition.com/

ArtsCollab http://www.artscollab.com
Artselector http://www.artselector.com/

Artween http://www.artween.com/

Attack of The Craft http://www.attackofthecraft.com

Behance http://www.behance.net/

Blue Canvas http://www.bluecanvas.com/

Brass Goggles http://brassgoggles.co.uk
Café Handmade http://cafehandmade.ning.com/

Craft Forum http://www.craftforum.com

Craft Haus http://crafthaus.ning.com/

Craft Juice http://www.craftjuice.com/
Craftplace http://www.craftplace.org
Craftster http://www.craftster.org/

Craftzine http://craftzine.com
Create Culture http://www.createculture.org/

Creating The Hive http://creatingthehive.com/
Cut Out And Keep http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/
Designs To Love http://www.designstolove.com/
Deviant Art http://www.deviantart.com/

Do You Etsy http://www.doyouetsy.com/

EBSQ http://www.ebsqart.com/

Elfwood http://www.elfwood.com/

Etsy Love http://etsylove.ning.com/
Etsyprenuer http://www.etsypreneur.com

Everything Etsy Directory http://directory.everythingetsy.com/

Facebook http://www.facebook.com

Get Crafty http://www.getcrafty.com/

Google+ http://plus.google.com/

Gothise http://www.gothise.com
Handmade Spark http://www.handmadespark.com
Humble Voice http://www.humblevoice.com/

Indiepublic http://www.indiepublic.com/

Jewelry Geeks http://www.jewelrygeeks.com/

LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/

Meetup http://www.meetup.com

Milliande Art Community http://milliande.ning.com
My Art Plot http://www.myartplot.com/

My Art Space http://www.myartspace.com/

My Craft http://www.mycraft.com/

My Craft Corner http://www.mycraftcorner.com/

My Handmade Registry http://www.myhandmaderegistry.com/

MySpace http://www.myspace.com/

Pearl Trees http://www.pearltrees.com/
Pintrest http://pinterest.com/

Plum Drop http://plumdrop.com/

Ravelry http://www.ravelry.com

Renderosity http://www.renderosity.com/

Ryze http://www.ryze.com/
Sheezy Art http://sheezyart.com/

Squidoo http://www.squidoo.com/

StumbleUpon http://www.stumbleupon.com/

TalTopia http://www.taltopia.com/

The Art Source http://www.theartsource.com

The Find http://www.thefind.com/
The Handmade Cafe http://thehandmadecafe.com/
The Steampunk Empire http://www.thesteampunkempire.com/

Things People Make http://www.thingspeoplemake.com/
Twitter http://twitter.com

Unanimous Craft http://www.unanimouscraft.com/
Unthink http://unthink.com

Wanelo http://www.wanelo.com

Wet Canvas http://www.wetcanvas.com/

Virtual Galleries

Online portfolios are great for showing your range and a convenient way to showcase your art. Many of the previously mentioned social network spaces and marketplaces also offer gallery spaces, but those below focus primarily on this function.

Absolute Arts http://www.absolutearts.com/

Art 3000 http://www.art-3000.com/

Art Bistro http://artbistro.monster.com/

Art Bracket http://www.artbracket.com/

Art Break http://www.artbreak.com/

Art Online http://www.buy-and-sell-art.com/

Art Wall Online http://www.artwallonline.com/

Artabus http://www.artabus.com/

ArTatoO http://www.artatoo.com

ArtFolios http://www.artfolios.org/

Artist Portfolio http://www.artistportfolio.net/

Artist Sites http://www.artistsites.org/

Artlog http://artlog.com/

ArtMajeur http://www.artmajeur.com/

ArtQ http://www.artq.net

Blue Zeppelin http://bluezeppelin.com/

Concept Art http://www.conceptart.org

Creativestem http://www.creativestem.com/

Digital Consciousness http://digitalconsciousness.com/

Epilogue http://www.epilogue.net

Fanart Central http://www.fanart-central.net/

Fantasy Artists http://www.fantasyartists.org/

Flickr http://www.flickr.com

Free Crafty Links http://www.freecraftylinks.com
Galleries Online http://www.galleries-online.co.uk/

Gallery Box http://www.gallerybox.com/

isendyouthis http://www.isendyouthis.com

Masters of The Arts http://www.mastersofthearts.com/

No Bull Art http://www.nobullart.com/

Papernstitch http://papernstitch.com/

Photobucket http://www.photobucket.com/

Seeking Designers http://www.seekingdesigners.com/

Shadowness http://shadowness.com/

Showoff Art http://www.showoffart.com/

The Art Box http://www.theartbox.com.au/

Viewbook http://www.viewbook.com

Voodoo Chilli http://www.voodoochilli.net/

Blogging

Whether you're writing in your own blog or contributing to a larger collective blog space, the key to getting noticed is to pique the interest of your readership. Talking up your own work is fine, but ad copy can get tedious after a while. Tutorials, stories, useful tools (er...you know...like a list of resources...) and other nifty bits keep people reading and SHARING, which in turn gets you and your art more exposure. Some examples of blogging spaces include:

Blog http://www.blog.com

Blogetry http://blogetery.com/

Blogger http://www.blogger.com

Blogsome http://www.blogsome.com/

CraftGawker http://craftgawker.com/

CraftGossip http://craftgossip.com/

Craft Stylish http://www.craftstylish.com/

Creativity Portal http://www.creativity-portal.com/

Geek Crafts http://geekcrafts.com/
Heart Handmade http://www.hearthandmadeblog.com
Indie Fixx http://indiefixx.com/
LiveJournal http://www.livejournal.com

Tumblr http://www.tumblr.com/

TypePad http://www.typepad.com/

WordPress http://www.wordpress.org

Xanga http://www.xanga.com

Simply Paid Advertising

While this can be costly, a well-placed ad can send a ton of potential buyers your way. Many of the marketplaces, galleries, social networks, and such above offer ad space, but research and choose carefully. Make sure you're not throwing money into an ultimately fruitless shotgun spray approach. The sites below offer numerous options that can be targeted to the audience you wish to reach and your budget, but there are obviously countless other avenues all over the web that offer paid ad space.

BlogAds http://web.blogads.com/

Craft Cult http://www.craftcult.com/

Craftopolis http://craftopolis.com
Handmade Craft Show http://handmadecraftshow.com/

Indie Collective http://www.indiecollective.net/

Indie Designer Labels http://www.indiedesignerlabels.com/

Project Wonderful http://www.projectwonderful.com/

The Handmade Directory http://thehandmadedirectory.com   
Unique Indie Shops http://www.uniqueindieshops.com/

Coupons/Discount Sites

Personally, I have mixed feelings about marketing via coupons and discount programs being applied to handmade goods and art. I think that a lot of consumers have been conditioned by large retail outlets to EXPECT everything to be discounted in some way as a part of our mass-produced disposable culture. IMHO, this devalues handcrafted goods to judge them on the same pricing standard of big box retail stock (and yes...technically...the sweatshop-made goods that are found at MegaSavLoMacroMart are oft handcrafted too.). That said...coupons and discount sites DO exist for the handmade market and some artisans have found benefit using such tools.

Etsy Coupon Code http://etsycouponcode.com/

Etsy Secrets http://etsysecrets.blogspot.com/

Heartsy http://www.heartsy.me

Kewtsy http://kewtsy.com/

Quite Unique http://www.quiteunique.com

Thrifty Seeker http://www.thriftyseeker.com

Other Ideas

-Donate a piece of your work to an online charitable event such as a website-based silent auction fundraiser. Most charities are more than happy to include a link to the donor's online shop/site in the donation description. Not only does this get your work/name in front of people who might not otherwise encounter your work, you're helping a cause you believe in/the donation is tax-deductable.

-Post video or text tutorials on Instuctables (http://www.instructables.com/), craft websites (ex: http://www.craftytips.com), YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/), etc. Obviously, you don't want to explain how to copy your work, but as an artist, you likely have a lot of nifty skills that you can show off and help others in the process. Know how to seamlessly blend Copic marker coloring in illustrations? Be the reference that others link to!

-Utilize Amazon wish list (http://www.amazon.com/wishlist/vendor-button) and other wish list site links on your gallery/marketplace listings.

-Offer gift certificates via emailed PDF for last minute shoppers (Keep track of numbers on certificates to ensure that they are only redeemed once.)

-Banner swapping with other blogs/online shops

-Get involved in the online presence of local/regional community-based craft groups/art collectives/maker spaces (websites, blogs, etc)

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Obviously, the above isn't meant to serve as a comprehensive list and I anticipate that there will be further additions after the convention panel. If you'd like to contribute your own links and ideas to this post, please do!