Marketing: Fine Art America Review, Part 2
April 26th, 2011 | Published in Featured, Marketing | 22 Comments
The custom header I created for my Fine Art America website.
Back around the end of February, I wrote about my experiences getting started with Fine Art America. Two months have gone by, so it’s time for the update I promised in Part One. Certain negative aspects have been corrected, so that’s good news. There remain some things I’d like to see changed, but overall I would highly recommend FAA to artists looking for an online presence, especially if they need a print-on-demand (POD) provider.
For $30 a year, FAA gives you unlimited gallery space on their main site, as well as a distinct website that has no FAA branding. Customers can order framed prints through either venue. However, when customers order through your personal website, the customer sees only that you have a professional ecommerce site, allowing them to order prints, framed and unframed, prints on canvas, and greeting cards.
From a marketing standpoint, this is more impressive than a customized Zazzle or Redbubble gallery, since it appears to be a stand-alone business site. Even better is the ease with which you can create your professional-looking site using FAA’s tools. Customization on other POD sites is difficult, to say the least, and often requires a solid understanding of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). FAA, on the other hand, is very easy to use. I created the customized header (above) in Photoshop, which really helps the site look unique.
Sean Broihier, the owner of FAA, seems to be very focused on the needs of his artist customers, as well as the buying public who visit FAA. Knowing that customers will want to take a close look at artwork before buying, Broihier created a high-resolution zoom tool. This helps increase buyer confidence. The only other place I’ve seen this sort of thing is on a stock photo site. Other POD sites don’t seem to realize the importance of such a tool.
Broihier provides artists with a neat slideshow widget, which you can see over on the right here on my blog. When I add artwork to my gallery, the slideshow automatically picks it up. The slideshow’s movement attract the visitor’s attention, and shows off my work at the same time. I think it’s really useful.
FAA also automatically provides buyers with color swatches based on the main colors in a piece of artwork. Again, I can’t think of a similar site that does that. Along with visitor counts, there are visitor comments. These help build buyer confidence.
When you upload artwork, it appears automatically in the huge gallery on FAA, as well as on your own website. No need to do dual maintenance of two sites.
The buying experience is very professional. I ordered an unframed and a framed print from FAA, in order to check out the printing and framing quality, as well as delivery time and packaging. My order arrived in about ten days, and was packed very securely in a big box. The framed print looked just great. The colors seemed to be an exact match, and the framing quality was excellent. I used to work in a frame shop, and I’ve framed dozens of my own pieces, so I know what to look for. I couldn’t have done a better job myself. The back was covered nicely with kraft paper, and wired ready to hang.
I should step back and mention that the online process for ordering a frame is intelligently designed. You pick a frame color and you’re presented with all frames that match that color. You can then order a mat, and the viewer shows what your work will look like in that frame with that mat. The color of the displayed mat didn’t seem to match the color I picked, always, so that may be a little bug.
As an artist, you determine the minimum and maximum print sizes available for ordering. The site lets you know what the biggest size printable is for your given file, so that’s helpful. Other sites don’t address this sort of thing well, if at all.
Buyers can choose from a range of papers. If you know that your work will not look good on the default matte archival paper, you can’t stop buyers from ordering it, unfortunately. You can, however, add a note in the piece description, recommending the proper paper. The unframed print I ordered was printed on the matte paper, which is the cheapest available. The dark blacks didn’t look as dark as they should have, due to the paper. The Somerset paper I used in the framed print showed accurate and rich colors, though it was a bit more expensive.
Normally, an unframed print comes rolled in a tube. Since I was also ordering a framed print, FAA used a large flat box, and packed the unframed print flat in the box, which was a pleasant surprise. I was quite pleased with my purchasing experience on FAA, and feel confident that my customers will be getting a quality product when they order. FAA also has an unconditional guarantee.
Back in Part One of this review, I mentioned that you can’t pick your own domain name for your FAA website. What I failed to explain is how easy it is to work around that. If you own your own domain name (such as www.bobnolin.com, you can tell your domain registrar (the company that you pay each year to maintain your URL) to “point” to your FAA site. If you roll your mouse over the slideshow on the right, you’ll notice, down at the bottom of your browser, that it says “www.bobnolin.com.” When you click on it, it takes you to the FAA site, which is really www.bob-nolin.artistwebsites.com. Here’s how you make that happen:
You select “Forward Your Domain” and then tell it where to forward to. Each registrar has a way to do this, I believe. It is free, too. Also, I tell it what title I want to appear up top in the visitor’s browser (”The Art of Bob Nolin”). Choosing “Frame Redirect” causes the URL to say “www.bobnolin.com”, which keeps the visitor from getting confused by seeing www.bob-nolin.artistwebsites.com. I’ve had some questions about how I did this, so forgive me if I got too techie there!
As I mentioned in Part One, the FAA website was not working very well when I was trying to sign up. Sean Broihier assures me this was due to heavy maintenance to the search engine, and that the server should be up all the time now. In two months, I’ve never again experienced a problem. So that’s a relief. Also, FAA employs several full-time customer service people, which was another issue in Part One.
I need to wrap up here, but I do want to mention the community on FAA. My works are frequently commented on by other FAA’ers, and they’re all very nice and supportive. There are groups and an online forum, you can create a blog, an email newsletter, and so forth. These things all add to the feeling of a community, and they’re free. The $30 fee is only if you want to use the POD service and/or have your own website. From what I’ve seen so far, this was $30 well-spent. If you have questions I didn’t answer here, please leave a comment below. Also, I’d love to hear about your own experience with FAA.
Thanks for reading!
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April 27th, 2011 at 12:28 pm (#)
Hello Bob,
Your article is well done. I have only been a member of FAA
since last July and I have found it to be very satisfactory.
I agree with your comments on the quality and the excellence
in the display of our artwork.
Best wishes,
Fred Jinkins – Houston Artist
April 27th, 2011 at 12:31 pm (#)
This is VERY helpful! Thanks so much, I’ve just hooked on to FAA through you via digital magazine. I really appreciate your walk-through on this, and I love your art!
April 27th, 2011 at 1:15 pm (#)
Hi Bob — I agree with your review of FAA. I’ve been a part of it now for just under a year and am very satisfied with it. The only improvement I would like is for a way to be able to contact buyers to thank them for their purchase. I asked about this when I made my first sale, but was told all the information I could get is the location of the buyer. Boo-hoo! I also sell used books and electronics on Amazon, and always make a point of thanking my customers. They appreciate it!
Again, thanks for the article.
Nora
April 27th, 2011 at 2:09 pm (#)
I’ve been a POD member of FAA for 3-4 years. It started as an excellent service and just keeps getting better and better. And I’ve had some sales there, even though my work could be a lot better. FAA is far better than the several other art portals I’ve tried.
April 27th, 2011 at 3:12 pm (#)
Hi Bob,
Thanks for your very informative reviews of FAA. (I really appreciated learning your domain name workaround. When I’m ready for my own website, I have no doubt that FAA will be my choice, but I’ll definitely want my own unique URL.)
I first heard about them through you and have been impressed by everything I’ve seen on their site and by users’ positive comments. Not to mention the price!
To test the waters, a while back I ordered a print of a digital painting of mine on Somerset Velvet paper. I accidentally uploaded a lower-resolution file than I could have, but when I inquired, they told me it would be fine. Frankly, I had my doubts. It was so inexpensive, plus (I thought) too low-res, how could it be be anything but disappointing?
Was I ever surprised when my print arrived a few days later! It is absolutely lovely. I’m a stickler for details and accuracy, and this was flawless. A perfect match for my onscreen image, and I have a very good monitor.
I know this all sounds like I’m an employee or affiliate, but I’m not. Sometimes things that sound too good to be true really are that good.
Are there any tips you can provide on creating an FAA banner in Photoshop? Or is everything we need to know detailed on their site?
April 27th, 2011 at 5:23 pm (#)
How nice to get all these comments! FAA seems to be popular with a lot of people, which is great! I think it’s wonderful.
@Diana- Glad to hear that URL workaround made sense. It is very easy to do, really. As for the custom banner, no it’s not explained other than that you can do it, and what size to create the banner. The rest comes from knowing Photoshop and having a degree in design (which I have). Let me know if you’d like me to design one for you, and I’ll quote you something reasonable.
@Jim – Your name sounds familiar. Actually, I was just admiring your work yesterday, I believe. Great to hear that you’re making sales. I have sold one little postcard so far (25 cents profit!), but I have just started. See you around the site!
@Nora – you make a very good point: you SHOULD be able to send a thank you, through some automated form. That way, FAA doesn’t have to compromise on privacy, and you can still personalize the sale. I will send that suggestion to Sean Broihier, the owner. I’m glad to hear you’re happy with FAA.
@Fred – Thanks for the comment! I’m glad to hear it’s working for you! It looks like FAA is only going to get better, too. Their traffic has increased from 500,000 to 750,000 per month, in just two months! They’re going gangbusters!
Thanks again, everyone!
-Bob
April 27th, 2011 at 5:51 pm (#)
Thanks, Bob. I’ve actually been a graphic designer for many years and should have no problem creating my own banner in Photoshop — other than narrowing down to a final design concept! I was really just wondering if there was anything specific to FAA that I should know. If not, the dimensions should be all I need.
May 16th, 2011 at 10:03 pm (#)
For some time ive been considering the POD services at FAA because im finding it harder and harder to market/sell myself as an artist and administrate as well, plus handle photography and music ministry/careers. I already have an FAA page but have avoided the POD services at this point. Currently, when someone orders a print or commissions a painting, im thrilled, but the steps it takes me to fulfill the order is overwhelming…
I received an email from FAA today about POD services. Im reading here about reviews from current users and it sounds positive for the most part. So im seriously considering signing up.
I DO have questions…
1. I paint using the new high end wide range RGB color
spectrum so i can pick up brighter more vivid colors,
including some neons and spot, or index colors. What
spectrum does FAA use for their giclee prints? If its
CMYK only, the vivids go dull and the work looses its
full expression.
2. What is the guaranteed life span of the giclee prints
for the customer?
3. How do i get my large high-res RGB 300 dpi files to Fine
Art America, safely? I have 75 or more large size pieces
of art and another 30 large high res photographs. I am
extremely picky and want my customers to get ONLY the
best possible quality of my work.
4. Is there a contract to assure me in writing that FAA only
use my files as a fullfillment company on my behalf?
5. This may be a silly question, but doesn’t my signature
need to be right on the files that are to be printed?
6. Does FAA work with print certificates of authenticity?
What about numbering of prints and keeping up with
limited edition quantities?
7. How do i differentiate my presentation of an artpiece on
the website as an original or a print?
8. Currently i have separate galleries for my different
genres of art and a separate one for my photography.
With the POD website service, does it also separate the
different genres and mediums of work?
May 17th, 2011 at 1:40 pm (#)
Todd – Here is the response I got from Sean Broihier, the owner of Fine Art America:
“Here are the answers to your questions. Before I begin, I’m not sure if
you’re aware of this or not – Fine Art America is partnered with Graphik
Dimensions (http://pictureframes.com). Graphik Dimensions is one the largest,
most-respected printing and framing companies in the world. FAA has a
dedicated team of printers and framers on staff at Graphik Dimensions who
process our orders all day every day.
Simply put – our quality can not be beat. Graphik Dimensions has been in the
printing and framing business for 45+ years. They print and frame the prints
that you see in museums, high-end art galleries, and luckily for us – FAA.
1. We produce our prints using professional-grade Epson printers and can
accept files in sRGB, Adobe RGB, and CMYK. Any of those color profiles will work.
2. Our archival inks are guaranteed to last 75 years.
3. You can upload your high-resolution files directly to FAA. There is
nothing that you need to do to prepare them. Just make sure that they’re
saved on your computer as JPEG or PNG files, and then start uploading.
4. There isn’t a physical contract that anyone signs. When you upload your
images to FAA, you’re granting us the temporarily, fully-revocable right to
print your images on your behalf for the purpose of fulfilling your orders and
then pay you according to your specified asking prices.
5. If you want your signature to appear on your prints, then you need to make
sure that your signature appears on the images that you upload to FAA.
6. We do not offer limited edition prints or certificates of authenticity.
7. When you upload an image to FAA, you get to chose whether or not you want
to offer it for sale as an original, print, or both.
8. Yes – you can create as many galleries as you want to on FAA and organize
your images accordingly.
Regards,
Sean Broihier”
May 31st, 2011 at 6:12 pm (#)
Hi Bob,
First of all I really appreciate getting the DIM. Your attention to detail is great and have been following this FAA information from you as well as comments left. Which is a bit overwhelming.
Your website at FAA looks so professional and well put together as of course the art you create.
My question may be broad at this point but how are you still feeling about FAA. Are you ok with uploading such big files? Do you feel that leaves you at risk? I’ve sold pieces personally on my own and have had a printer print the canvas but would also like to incorporate cards and such. Will you be planning another followup in the future?
Thanks so much for your time in answering these questions as well as creating such a wonderful digital magazine.
Andrea Auletta
June 1st, 2011 at 6:42 am (#)
Hi Andrea –
I think I was hesitant about FAA at first, but no longer. Now I feel very comfortable there. I’m very pleased with the look of my website, and I’ve been making a few sales. I don’t think there’s a risk at all. If I were selling like hotcakes, then I might be a little paranoid. But my sales are quite low (three post cards and a print so far).
I wasn’t planning a follow-up, since there’s not much to say at this point. I may do another article once I’ve gotten a good number of works up on the site. Right now, I have far too few works for sale. Once that gets up to 50-100, I should be selling much better.
To summarize – no, I’m not in the least worried about image theft, and yes, I love FAA.
Hope that helps!
Bob
June 1st, 2011 at 3:17 pm (#)
Bob, I enjoyed both articles on FAA. For the price, I sounds like a good deal.
As good as the site is the major problem with artist selling on the net has been and will be matching the customer to the work.
Art is still hard to sell on the net. FAA has all the tools in place(mostly), we as artist, have close the sale.
How many art shows have you either attended or been in where someone was asleep at their booth and across the way someone was selling like crazy.
Good review, Wyndham
June 1st, 2011 at 5:12 pm (#)
Wyndham –
Thanks for the kind words.
One thing FAA does (that no other POD site does) is this: when you visit looking for art, the site shows you art from artists located near you physically! It’s pretty amazing. This way, you can interact on a more personal level, and build your local customer base.
On the other end of things, I’d say that sites like this are just the opposite of the typical arts show. There, the number of visitors may be in the thousands on a good weekend. But with the internet, your audience is potentially millions. You may want to read Chris Anderson’s book called “The Long Tail” for more on how this marketing model works.
good luck!
June 16th, 2011 at 1:50 am (#)
I’m happy to add, after my two years now with FineArtAmerica, that on an almost daily occurrence there is an improvement made by Sean, the owner; and if needs be one has to contact admin in NYC, one’s email is answered by none other than himself, Sean. It is as if he tireless, without sleep, is ever-present for our needs and totally tuned into the beautiful, reliable presentation of our artworks, at every level offered for sale. The Social Area moderator, Beth Edwards, does an amazing job liasing with Sean and/or each of us as needed when we ask, and, she provides FAQ for gaining market share of our Art, and how-to’s on meeting the high standard for print in the PrintOnDemand program…all done courteously. The members are numerous now, over 45K, but there is always help for each of us. Thank you FineArt America for two fine happy years of being somewhere I trust with my images and friendships. Vivian Anderson, Sydney Australia
August 1st, 2011 at 1:51 pm (#)
I also find the site very professional and easy to use. I also have a fair number of comments on my paintings but seem to get more from Artwanted site.
The only issue I have so far is no sales!!I think it’s a bit of a lottery. However it would be really helpful to be able to exclude other members of FAM from the statistics so you could see if potential customers are actually finding your work/viewing your site.
On the whole I am very impressed and happy with Fine Art America. I will try to get help to see what I can do to get more exposure as I am an IT Ludite.
August 8th, 2011 at 1:37 pm (#)
Bob,
What an incredibly interesting and informative thread! I actually went looking for information on Sean, himself this afternoon as I had a question, emailed him directly, and got a response within minutes. I was so impressed, I thought maybe I’d do a blog post on him, and when I googled him, your site came right up.
First, I want to tell you that this article is extremely well written and I got so much out of it. I have been with FAA for some time, but only half heartedly. Recently, I decided to jump back in and give it another shot, as I’ve been unbelievably impressed with Sean and the level of customer service is beyond outstanding.
Second, I am off to buy your eBook because now I am beyond curious about Digital Painting and think it might be something I really love. I know nothing about it so I hope you will be a good place to start! Thank you for such a great great post.
Roni´s last blog ..In His Eyes
August 8th, 2011 at 5:01 pm (#)
Thanks for the kind word, Roni – so nice to hear you’re finding the article helpful. I appreciate your giving the eBook a try, too! Enjoy!
August 29th, 2011 at 2:07 pm (#)
Hi Bob, I just wanted to share this with you and your visitors.I wanted to share with you something that was fun.
I do business cards for friends and neighbors and also for some of my business contacts. My neighbor asked me to do a card for her and she posed for a photograph with her Pomeranian dog.
It was a very successful card and she liked it so much that the asked me to do one for ”Tripper” by herself. The dog posed very nicely and it was a fun card for me to do. I discovered that there is a demand for cards of peoples pets and I am off on a new venture with my photography. I do quality photography and quality printing. I worked as a printer for several years and I know how to print business cards! I use heavy duty premium glossy photo paper to print on. It lasts much longer and looks much better than card stock.
I also do many cards with card stock for general business cards. Often when they see my paintings they are interested in my art work also.
The way I got this business is by showing my own business cards that I made.
I hope this gives you a way to make a little extra money. I would enjoy your comments.
Fred Jinkins – The Happy Old Artist
http://fred-jinkins.artistwebsites.com/
http://1stangel.co.uk/members/fredjenkins/
http://www.angelfire.com/tx4/fredhapyom/
Fred Jinkins – The Happy Old Artist´s last blog ..Young Bull by Fred Jinkins
September 12th, 2011 at 1:45 am (#)
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with all of us! I am looking for a place to start selling my work, and came across FAA. I have read many reviews and really haven’t read anything bad.
But it all seems just too good to be true. I still have the same concern though as it has not been touched up on. My fear is that when I upload my art, it can be reproduced and sold without my knowledge. A fellow artist had voiced his concern that without the control of making our own prints and selling it ourselves, that someone else could very well use our work as they please.
So, my biggest question is “is it secure?” Thing is, if it is so that work is reproduced and sold without the knwledge of the artist, then there would not be any knwledge of such and know one really knows right?
Thanks FAA artist community.
September 17th, 2011 at 12:39 am (#)
Thanks so much for the wonderful write-ups about FAA. I just came across their site, and wanted to learn more about it, before making any commitment. The many positive comments from the members is very encouraging, as is your article. I think I can join with confidence.
October 6th, 2011 at 8:50 am (#)
I have been downloading my paintings to this site for some while now but my initial expectation has not been reached. I seem to receive a fair amount of really positive comments from other artists on work posted which is great and very motivating, but the important audience, paying customers is sadly, very hard to find. If you join, don’t expect to sell anything, then if you do you won’t be disappointed. I find traffic and sales on other commercial sites I use far more effective in selling work so far. My view is there are just far too many images on the site for your work to be found it is a real lottery.
October 13th, 2011 at 1:44 am (#)
So far FAA sounds like where I might go next when I upgrade the amount of work I do. I’m not sure yet about when the tipping point is, 25 prints yields small result, 100 works yields more. . .
But apparently the problems with having one person, in the last case Bob, answer 9or not answer) so many questions is resolved and the owner (I thought that was Bob) is now doing an excellent job.
So my question is, is there now someone who can give artists (and photographers) technical help when needed? Not everyone comes out of a print graphics background. In other words, now that there is more staff is the customer support much more improved in that area when problems arise?
Bob, your first and second articles have helped. One was investigative and the second was solution based. It almost comes full circle except you DID say you had some things that you’d like to see improved. Can you expand on that a little?
And forgive this question, I’m late in the game. Please explain briefly where digital art can be sold. Can it be sold on FAA? And do you think its superior to art done with pigments on paper, canvas or wood/lino cuts? This is so I can decide if I should get more details on it from your book or not. I’m intrigued.
Lynne