Am I doing it right?

Shop Talk
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Hi fellow Folksy members, I’m curious to know what your experience has been so far, are you making continuous sales or are you disillusioned with the site? I’ve been on Folksy for quite a few years now and though I’ve had some buyers, all of whom have been more than happy with their purchase, I can’t seem to generate continued interest and sales. I think this may be because people have to set up an account before leaving a review? All I do know is they have been very complimentary about my work on email and promise to leave me a good review, and then they don’t. To be honest my enthusiasm for marketing is a bit lack lustre, so I’m to blame too ( I have an instagram account but shun any other social media). I’ve even stopped watercolour painting as there’s really no point of building up my portfolio to no avail?

Can I get some honest feedback please. Is my work deficient in some way; boring, too traditional? Are my photos bad or my pricing too high?

Kind regards

JillDaviesArt

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Hi Jill.
I’ve had my Folksy shop for just under 2 years and have almost 200 sales which I’m happy with. I have learnt so much since I set up my shop, it’s been a huge learning curve and I’m probably only just off the bottom of it! Social media is an alien beast to me but I try as best I can with it! It all takes time but I enjoy it so I think that’s the main thing! You don’t need an account to write a review as far as I’m aware and I get probably a third of buyers who review.

Having looked at your shop and your lovely artwork, what did strike me is that your photos aren’t doing your items justice, some of them are a bit dark and some have the edges cut off on your shop page as this is how Folksy crop the images. I would suggest that your first image is square with the picture central then it will look better on the first page.
Also think about how a customer would search for your items, for example you have a painting with the title beach huts, I would add something like beach hut water colour, wall art, painting, original art if you use all of these you’re more likely to show up in searches. I would then echo this in your description, so for example start this with An original watercolour featuring beach huts at Bournemouth beach for wall mounting from Jill Davies Art. This unique artwork will add a touch of fun to your home or make a perfect gift etc. or something along these lines. There’s lots of advice on Folksy about writing listings so you get found, I’ll have a look to see if I can find it and pop it on here for you.

I hope this advice is useful and I wish you luck going forward.

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Hi @JillDaviesArt Your work is fantastic! I notice you have a lot of different options in there possibly create collections, post on Talk Folksy, highlight your work through colours of the day etc…, I hope you stay and engage as your pieces are wonderful! I agree about the reviews I’ve had some fabulous support from Folksy fellow sellers but outside people want to leave a review but don’t or can’t set up an account. Sam

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Here you go

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This is really helpful thank you x

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Your work is lovely Jill :heart_eyes: Love your shop fronts in particular and the way you create the shadows and soften the architecture with greenery - really pulls your eye in.

Although I’ve found the last few years very slow everwhere, I sell much more on the other side than here, although I am getting some sales here occassionally. I’ve got quite a few things in the gift guides now but things still don’t seem to be speeding up for me. I do feel like the audience here is pretty small, so it’s probably tough for everyone to get found. This is borne out by the fact that I’ve never come across your pieces before although I often window shop for art (even if I can rarely afford to buy pieces other than ACEOs!) and your work is certainly to my taste, so I’m sure I would have noticed it.

Hilary’s already given you some great advice and I see that you’re a Plus member so I wonder if you’ve taken a look at the events that are available to you about writing listings, getting found in search etc.? One thing that I’ve just been trying out is re-writing descriptions with ChatGPT, which is ‘interesting’! What I’ve started doing this year is writing my descriptions from scratch when I create my Folksy listing and then when I go to list that item on the other side, I re-write using ChatGPT. You absolutely do have to edit what ChatGPT gives you, but it gives you lots of ideas I’m finding - another way to describe or organise things. For example… This lovely landscape of yours: Tintagel Beach - Original Watercolour Painting - Folksy I went to ChatGPT and typed in:

please revise and rewrite this description of an original watercolour art piece in an engaging and professional style: Watercolour painting of the gorgeous beach in Tintagel, Cornwall. Such beautiful scenery. The piece measures 297mm x 420mm without mount. Price includes the mount but not a frame. (hilarious that I preface with “please” - LOL!)

This is what it produced:

Original Watercolour Painting: Tintagel Beach, Cornwall

Experience the breathtaking beauty of Tintagel Beach, Cornwall, captured in this original watercolour painting. This piece brings to life the stunning scenery of the rugged coastline and tranquil waters, making it a perfect addition to your art collection or home decor.

  • Dimensions: 297mm x 420mm (unmounted).
  • Included: The price includes a premium mount to enhance the artwork’s presentation (frame not included).

Let this exquisite piece transport you to the serene charm of Cornwall’s iconic beach.

Are some bits overblown and need editing? Yes! However, it has created a nice layout of the information you wanted to include that might look more engaging to a buyer? I’m also learning with it that if you phrase your instructions in different ways, it can give you some interesting results - you can just play about with it. After this ‘interaction’ I then said to it: “can you make this decription more artistic” and it came up with:

Original Watercolour Painting: Tintagel Beach, Cornwall

Immerse yourself in the ethereal beauty of Tintagel Beach, Cornwall, through the delicate strokes and vibrant hues of this original watercolour painting. Capturing the timeless allure of rugged cliffs meeting shimmering waters, this piece evokes a sense of serenity and wonder, transporting you to the heart of this iconic coastal haven.

  • Dimensions: 297mm x 420mm (unmounted).
  • Details: Presented with a carefully selected mount to complement the artwork’s elegance (frame not included).

Bring the essence of Cornwall’s enchanting shoreline into your space, where nature’s beauty meets artistic expression.

I’ve also asked it to give me a list of 20 character long product tags from the descriptions it’s written - really useful when you’re having one of those blank writing days. Again, they’re not perfect, but I usually find that they give me a bit of inspiration, if nothing else.

I hope that you’ll manage to make a plan to move forward with Folksy and I would really encourage you to be active on Instagram - even if you don’t feel like posting for yourself, liking and commenting on the posts of people you follow will give you a bit of a leg up on the algorithm and maybe get you more traffic there, which really does lead to traffic to your shops, in my experience. There are also some very useful Instagram events on the Folksy Plus section that you might find helpful.

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Hi Hilary

Thank you so much for your feed back, it’s really helpful to see my suspicions confirmed, as I wondered if the photos were letting me down. I also get your point about descriptions and keywords. I sit for ages trying to think of words that will attract a potential buyer in their search and really struggle to think of 15!

In short I’d given up on making any sales and currently treat my Folksy subscription akin to a gym membership to a gym I never attend!

I needed some words of constructive criticism and encouragement and you have supplied these. I’ll use your advice to hopefully improve sales going forward.

Thank you again

Warmest regards

Jill

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Hi Debbie, thank you so much for your response which is really useful! I didn’t know I could source better descriptions through ChatGPT (didn’t know it existed), and the one you’ve listed for my Tintagel watercolour is 100% better than mine!

I think the bottom line for me is that I just want to paint and I find the marketing side of things excruciating and soul bearing, but realise it must be done. I’m not even looking to make a living from my art I just want it hanging in people’s homes. Hence, I find too high a price and the average person can’t afford it, too low and they think what’s the catch?

Thank you again for your advice and support and I’ll definitely be re-writing my descriptions and re-booting my Instagram presence. However, having fellow Folksy members out there willing to take time to encourage and help me is so heart warming I feel better about my Folksy page already and definitely feel renewed to carry on!

Thank you again

Jill

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I’m so glad you feel motivated to continue, your work is beautiful and you just need to make sure it’s found then people will buy it. I find the whole marketing thing a nightmare and way out of my comfort zone, I was invented donkeys years before social media so a lot of it remains a mystery but I just keep plugging away :joy:.
Good luck x

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Hi Samantha, so happy you like my work, I was beginning to think people only wanted abstracts, oils or acrylic artwork!

I can see from the responses I’ve received that I need to fully immerse myself in the Folksy guidance and marketing. It will be painful for me, as I’m not a natural at that side of things, but I’ll do it! :rofl:.

Thank you for your support

Jill

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Thank you Hilary :smiling_face:

Jill

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I wouldn’t compare my performance with other shops’…others might be doing smaller items, at lower prices, selling at discounts, might have lots of family and friends as buyers…so much to consider!

Your work is lovely! I personally like the soft colours. But I would say…try to have the photos more centered and focused with similar size of border around them and background, if possible. The last row of your items looks a little ‘abandonded’ and not quite belonging to the rest of your beautiful paintings.

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Thank you for your really useful feedback and I’m so happy you like my work.

I agree with you that my photos are lacking in finesse, clarity and placement, especially the later ones. For a creative person I’m really rubbish at photography! And I have to confess I’ve adopted a more lackadaisical attitude lately that isn’t helping my cause.

Watch this space, I’ll step up! :rofl:

Warmest regards

Jill

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I love your work. It’s light and eclectic. You are not doing anything wrong as far as I can see regarding your work :heart_eyes:

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Hi Jill…as a fellow artist I fully understand where you are coming from. For paintings , people need wall space to hang them and so even if they love your work…which is beautiful, they will only buy if they have somewhere to hang it.
That is why I sell loads of hand painted greetings cards and keep my prices at rock bottom.
Not everyone will like that but it keeps the wheels turning for me and I am fast approaching 1900 sales.
Because I am a prolific painter ( sometimes 5 items a day) I am able to take part on the folksy challenge group where we show a new item a day for a month and like each other’s work, which helps to get us on the Folksy home page…and get noticed.
You need to get people’s attention. They won’t find you unless you say "Here I am "…
Show your work on as many of the folksy forums as you can, so that people see your name and get to know you…I am on loads of facebook groups as well and spend a good hour every morning showing my art of the day.
Yes it takes a lot of work but is worth it…
Keep going and join in with as many things as you can xxx

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Thank you Melanie

I really appreciate your feedback that my work is good enough to sell as I had started to doubt myself. I think I just need to re-think my marketing strategy and get more involved with the Folksy platform to hopefully improve my sales.

Kindest regards

Jill

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Hi Brenda

Thank you for your advice, a common sense approach to my situation. I agree with you that although people may like my artwork, the price and size is maybe holding them back from buying. I can print my artwork on to greetings cards and see if that improves my sales, as I’m not keen on painting in small scale, A4 is my limit. I also take your point that I need to invest more time on the Folksy platform and try the challenges.

Thank you again for your advice and support.

Warmest regards

Jill

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Well, I’ve had my shop for about 3 months and not sold a thing. I’m not great at social media advertising, which is my downfall, and also the ‘business’ if you want to call it that, is young and dosent have a lot of stock. I don’t expect miracles overnight anyway, but I too sometimes get disheartened. The reality is that with Folksy, and quite a few other platforms that have sprung up in recent times, all you are paying for is a shop front, just an opportunity for people to see your work, but you have to entice them ‘into’ it and then somehow entice them to buy - it’s not easy, despite what people lead you to belive. That’s how I view it anyway, so in my opinion it’s nothing to do with work being ‘not good enough’, it’s just that not enough people who are looking for it are seeing it. You must belive in yourself.

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I’m not a photographer myself…you really don’t want to see my first photos from years ago! I try to pretend I never took them. Since I started my Crafts business, I’ve worked on my photos several, several times! It’s really worth the effort going through this time consuming process.

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Your photos are great! I’m going to make effort into making my products look classier with better photos :+1:

Jill

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