Another Zazzler has asked me where to find customers for their artwork.
While there is no perfect formula that will help you find customers for your artwork on Zazzle and other Print on Demand platforms, here’s my formula for finding customers:
1. Keep talking about your artwork, sharing it with friends and family.
Talk about what inspires you to create it, what techniques you’ve used, ask for honest feedback, and be grateful when they give it to you (even if it’s not particularly what you want to hear). Getting good feedback lets you know where to improve your artwork to make it desirable to a wider audience.
BIG TIP: Ask them if they have a need for a particular piece of artwork. Talk to them about how you can help them give customized gifts to their friends and family.
2. You won’t get a lot of sales from friends or family, but you can get some.
Try not to have unreasonable expectations of your family when you’re trying to find customers for your artwork. They will think that because they know you, then they should get a special deal. You’ll have to address that misconception (it isn’t always possible to give them the deal that they want), but if you are able to be gracious and understanding, you may still convert them into loyal supporters of your artwork.
Most of your sales will come from complete strangers.
3. Put your best artwork out there, but be sure to mark it as yours.
I add a copyright notice to almost all of my artwork, and sign and…
date my paintings. Use the most relevant titles, descriptions, and tags for your artwork. Again, in the description, talk about what inspired you to create that piece of artwork, allow your passion to shine through. Follow Zazzle’s rules for search engine optimization (they have videos on Youtube about how to write good descriptions, how not to tag, etc).
I add my own name and even the name of my shop in the tags when I create products on Zazzle. This way, if someone searches on my shop or my name, my products come up every time.
4. Diversify. Put your artwork on a wide range of products that are relevant to that artwork.
Ex: sports-themed games and toys, tees, coolers, etc.
Don’t just post your artwork on Zazzle either. Make changes it to that allow it to fit the formats on Spoonflower, Society6, and other POD websites. You don’t have to post to all the websites out there, but don’t get hung up on just Zazzle.
Experiment, find the website that works for you.
Another big tip: On Zazzle, always put your artwork in collections of at least 6 products, and add title, tags, and description to the collection, and link it to your store/s. This helps shoppers find more of your artwork. This also works on Spoonflower and Society6.
5. Share your artwork on social media, write blog posts, share those.
Don’t just put it up on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. Tumblr’s a good place to share arts and crafts, and neat photos, also look for platforms that compete with the biggies, like MeWe and Gab.
Check out Fashmates and its competitors that have replaced Polyvore. Fashion sites are a great place to find customers.
6. Buy your own artwork when it’s on sale, and use it. Take it with you when you go out in public.
I carry around a tote bag or two that I created on Society6 (they’re smaller than what Zazzle offers). I get compliments on the artwork and hand out business cards with links.
I also buy my own wrapping paper designs, Mom likes and buys my card designs, pillows, mugs.
Word of mouth is one of the best ways to find customers for your artwork.
One final tip: It’s useful to know the quality of what your customers are ordering. There have been products that I have removed from my store because the quality wasn’t up to my standards, and I didn’t want people buying that and thinking I had such low standards. The before-Christmas sales are an excellent time to order your own designs. 75% off on greeting cards is an insanely good deal! Put the link address for your store on the back of your cards and send them to everyone you know.