With the digital landscape constantly evolving, the best ways to sell your artwork online are, too. And while each year may bring more hurdles to jump through, they’re also accompanied by loads more stepstools to help you reach new heights along the way. 

Here are our top art sales tips for 2023:

1. Know Your Options

In today’s world, there are a plethora of opportunities to earn some pocket money or more online as a digital artist. It’s not only new digital presences like NFTs—other creative endeavors, where digital artists can play a significant role, are beginning to disrupt the market. 

More conventional CG artist roles aside, here are a few out-of-the-box ventures for digital artists to consider:

Digital Art Collectors and Online Galleries

With the internet becoming its own universe, there are new forms of art collections cropping up that span across the world. Not only can you make some extra cash, but you can also join a community of like-minded creatives with new inspiration.

Whether it’s through a competition, recruitment, or general submission, having the opportunity to join a collective of other digital artists doing new and exciting things can help you excel in the long run. 

Branding Packages for Startups or Social Media Brands

It’s no secret—nowadays, the user interface of any business can make or break its success. And more often than not, companies are outsourcing this job to graphic design freelancers.

This is a great opportunity to infuse your own artistic and graphic style within a business’s vision. Even if it’s an existing company looking to rebrand, it’s the perfect chance to exercise your creative liberty.

Customized AR Filters for Social Media Platforms

This one may sound unconventional, and maybe even a bit random, but hear us out. Customized filters encourage users to advertise a company’s brand for them without even having to be asked, increasing engagement, impressions, and ultimately business.

Creating immersive augmented reality experiences that are accessible through worldwide platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat is one of the up-and-coming marketing strategies—and digital artists are already beginning to sell these services for hundreds of dollars.

2. Know Your Worth

Regardless of what you’re selling, you should never undersell yourself. Of course, you don’t want to overprice your products and discourage sales, but as tempting as it might be, don’t price products lower just so that they will sell. Remember, if you don’t value your business, your customers won’t either. 

This also means using quality marketing that does justice to all the time and effort involved in creating the product itself. If you spend endless hours creating an asset to then present it poorly, it’s unlikely it will sell. 

Whether you’re selling an asset, tool, or final product, be sure that the product image is high-resolution and clearly describes not only what is being sold but also what the customer themselves can achieve by purchasing it.

3. Know Your Business

Authenticity is a key ingredient in the success of any business, and selling digital art is no different. While it’s possible to have a single solid product and get a handful of purchases, if you’re searching for ongoing success, repeat customers are your new best friend. For high retention rates, your shop has to stand out. And with such a saturated market, customers are looking for brands to not only trust but also believe in. 

No matter how established you are, you’re never just selling lifeless products—you’re also selling your business values and philosophy. Whether you’re working for a specific cause, toward a specific goal, or simply want to share how you got where you are, all of these give your customers more to invest in than just your digital products and makes for an infinitely stronger case for returning to your shop.

4. Know Your Rights

It’s important to know your rights as a digital artist. While the increased accessibility of digital art generally means a huge win for digital artists, unfortunately, with every new innovation comes an unprecedented way of undermining the system. That’s why it’s so crucial to learn how to protect your artwork from theft, in whatever form your digital art takes. 

Whether or not you’re selling your art through established platforms, such as Cubebrush, that can help you take the appropriate security measures, there are steps you can take to secure your digital art, such as:

• When selling on established platforms: Create a personalized watermark based on the platform you’re using.
• When selling off of established platforms: Create a Certificate of Authenticity (CoA), a receipt you as the seller give the customer at the point of sale, which proves authentication to the customer, but also allows you to keep a professional record of each transaction.
• When selling anywhere: Shrinkwrap your images, adding a transparent layer that prevents unauthorized downloads of the original

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