If you’re an artist or creative professional, then it can be hard to market your work. Are you tempted to just throw some photos on your website and hope that your work will speak for itself?
That’s one way to go about it, but it’s not an effective way to sell your artwork.
Along with a well-crafted website, your product descriptions are a key component you’ll need to have nailed down to sell your artwork.
If the idea of writing product descriptions for your work sounds stressful or you don’t know why they’re important, I’m covering all that and more in this article.
What Are Product Descriptions and Why Are They Important?
Simply put a product description is the copy on a website that explains what a specific product is and why it’s worth buying. It should answer common customer questions and explain the value of the product.
A study by Nielsen Norman Group revealed that 20% of unsuccessful online purchases are a result of not having enough product information available.
Product descriptions are important because not only do they provide essential product details that people need to know before they buy something online, but they also inspire the reader to buy.
Why Do Product Descriptions Matter for Artwork?
So now that you have a general understanding of product descriptions, let's dive into why they’re important for artwork more specifically.
Have you ever had someone buy a piece online and then ask to return it because it didn’t arrive as they expected? Maybe you’ve had someone interested in buying a piece but they bombarded you with endless questions about it beforehand? Or you’re just tired of answering the same questions over and over again?
Having informative product descriptions can help avoid these aggravating situations.
Moreover, well-written product descriptions help demonstrate the value of your artwork, engaging customers to buy. Since the product description is usually the last thing someone will read before clicking the “buy” button it can make or break the sale.
What Should I Include in My Artwork Product Descriptions?
Now that you know more about what product descriptions are and why you need them for your artwork, you might be wondering – what information should I include in my artwork product descriptions?
You’ll want to be sure your product descriptions include four types of details.
- Basic Information
- Common Customer Questions
- Unique Artwork Details
- Artwork Benefits
Basic Information
First, you’ll want to have the basic artwork details confirmed. This includes information like:
- Artwork title and year created
- Medium (what the artwork is made of)
- Dimensions (height, width, and depth)
Common Customer Questions
Next, you’ll want to consider common customer questions. Generally, these should be details that customers would like to know before buying artwork online. Think of the most common questions you normally receive from people interested in your work. Some examples include:
- Is it signed?
- How will it be packaged and how will it arrive?
- Are the edges finished?
- Is it framed?
- If not, what type of frame do you recommend?
- Does it even need a frame?
- How do I care for the piece?
- How do I hang or install the piece?
- What are the shipping and delivery details?
- Do you have a return policy?
By addressing these questions, you’ll reduce the need for people to contact you to get this information. You’ll also address any objections that they might have about buying the piece upfront. It also helps manage expectations, so that they know what to expect after the purchase.
Unique Artwork Details
The next component you’ll want to think about is adding more detail about the piece. What makes your work interesting or unique? Some questions to consider are:
- What’s your personal story behind the work?
- What is meaningful to you about the piece?
- What’s your process for creating the piece?
- Is this part of a larger collection of artwork?
- What things inspired you to create this piece?
Often times when people have more insight into a piece of artwork whether that’s how it was made or the inspiration behind the piece, it gives them an added level of appreciation. This can affect how they view your work and give them a better understanding of your approach as an artist.
It reminds your potential customers that your works are unique handmade pieces. They're not mass-produced items they can just get anywhere. Once customers know more about how or why a piece of art was made it makes it all that more special and interesting.
Artwork Benefits
Last but not least you’ll want to consider the artwork benefits.
To take a step back a little, when thinking about traditional product descriptions, they should include the product features and benefits. But, what does that mean?
Product features are what the product does. While benefits are what the customer gains from it, in other words, what problems the product solves for them.
When considering artwork you may be thinking well it doesn’t really have benefits. It’s not like a pair of shoes. But that’s not true. Artwork can have both practical and emotional benefits.
An example of a practical benefit is that it can make your customer's home look nice and more welcoming by filling a black space on their wall. An example of an emotional benefit is how your artwork makes the customer feel.
To figure out some of the practical benefits of your artwork, think about questions like:
- What type of customers buy my artwork?
- Where do my customers typically hang my artwork?
- What challenges do they normally face when buying artwork online that I help with?
To dig into the emotional benefits of your artwork ask yourself questions like:
- What feelings does my work inspire?
- What do my customers tell me about my work and how it makes them feel?
- How do you want them to feel when looking at your work?
Once you have the benefits of your artwork defined, you’ll be better equipped to write more engaging descriptions that appeal to your audience, increasing the likelihood that readers will buy your work.
Other Writing Tips to Keep in Mind
It's not enough to include the information outlined above – your product descriptions should be crafted with the reader in mind. Meaning they should also be easy to read and appealing.
To keep things reader-friendly keep sentences short and to the point. Try to avoid sentences that are too long or with too many embellishments (unless used to evoke emotion).
Format your product descriptions so that they are scannable. Big blocks of text can often be off-putting and you want people to read your descriptions easily.
Don’t forget to think of any keywords your clients might be searching for to incorporate into the description, for example, “oil painting” or “landscape painting”.
Need Professional Help Writing Your Product Descriptions?
If you're still struggling to write your own product descriptions or you simply don’t have the time or interest in writing them yourself, then I can help!
I’ll take care of the writing, so you don’t have to. I’ll make sure your product descriptions are:
- Detailed and informative – So customers stop coming to you with the same basic questions over and over. This will help reduce the risk of a return or cancelation because of unclear customer expectations.
- Written with SEO in mind – I do keyword research with will be sure to include relevant keywords for your artwork, making them more likely to show up in Google search results.
- Engaging and capture attention — Your product descriptions won’t just be informative, but they’ll be written to engage your readers and inspire them to buy.
I’ll take on the headache of writing amazing product descriptions, so you can spend more time creating the work you love.
If you’re ready to learn how I can help you sell more art with expert product descriptions, or you want your online messaging to match the quality of your work – get in touch to talk about your marketing.