What is the best time to upload to Artfinder?
One of the most frequently asked questions of the Artfinder Support Team is this: what is the best time to upload to Artfinder to ensure that my artworks are seen?
The answer in short: there is no answer.
However, there are many factors that you may consider when experimenting with uploads:
1. Number of artworks to upload
New Artists
If you are new to Artfinder, upload as many works as possible, as soon as possible! Not only are you 100% more likely to sell than with an empty shop, a shop with at least 8 artworks looks a lot more professional and full and lends credibility to you as an artist.
Once established, how frequently do you create new works?
This is an important consideration - if you create works frequently, you may wish to upload a few artworks on a regular basis to ensure that you regularly show up on Artfinder's Latest Page. However if your works take a little longer to create, you may wish to take a strategic approach to uploading your artworks to ensure higher visibility as detailed below.
2. Demographic
It's handy to bear in mind the general demographic of Artfinder users as a whole and your followers in general. The more people who are online and looking through artworks, the more likely your artwork is to catch their eye and generate interest in your artworks and your shop!
Artfinder Users
Where are most of Artfinder's customers located?
As an increasingly global marketplace for art, you can be guaranteed that regardless of when you upload your artworks, an Artfinder user somewhere in the world will see it! It is important to note, however, that the leaderboard for Artfinder users by country is as follows:
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Australia
- Canada
- France
You may therefore wish to upload according to prime-time in these countries. (For advice on timing, see below.)
Your Followers
Where are most of your followers located? You can find this information in your Dashboard.
This may well be in line with Artfinder's rankings, or it may be completely different as per the example given above. You may therefore like to shift your artwork uploads to a time of high traffic in the countries or continents where you are most followed e.g. local time in Europe.
3. Timing
Timing can be an important factor to consider when uploading a piece of work: not only the time of day, the time of week, month or indeed year! Consider your own online habits when thinking about when to upload - are you likely to surf the web after you've set down your paintbrush for the day or during your lunch break? Chances are that the same is the case for your potential customers!
Bear in mind, however, that your habits may fall in line with those of many other people and so uploading at a time of high traffic does not necessarily mean that your artwork is more likely to be seen - especially in a sea of noise!
Time of Day
What time of day is it where your target audience is located? Are they likely to still be at work, or perhaps on their lunch break? Or is it the middle of the night, when they are most likely to be asleep?
Time of Week
Is it a weekday or the weekend your target audience is? Are they likely to be searching through Artfinder for new works to purchase or out and about at work? Or are they perhaps just too tired after a long day at work?
Time of Month
Is it nearing the end of the (i.e. payday)? Or are your potential customers likely to be a bit cash-strapped?
Time of Year
Is it about time to start thinking about presents? Of course birthdays happen throughout the year, but there are some fixed events such as Christmas, Graduation, Black Friday, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day... put the dates in your diary!
4. Your Data
It's all very well basing ideas on speculation and empirical experience, but data is where it's at! Use the statistics available on your Dashboard, Social Media or even Google Analytics platformsto make more informed decisions about when to get the most traction.
Your Stats
The Artfinder Dashboard provides a wealth of information about your shop. Not only does it show where most of your followers reside (see above), it also allows you to toggle by month or week to see when your shop gets the most hits. Armed with this information, you can narrow down the best times to upload to your shop to ensure that your artworks are seen!
Do bear in mind other factors though - if you are lucky enough to have been featured on Artfinder (whether in an email, as Art of the Day, or on our social media channels) it is possible that your page views may spike as Artfinder users flock to your store to check out what you have on offer.
Social Media Metrics
In addition to the Artfinder Dashboard, there are plenty of other sources for data. If you have a Facebook or Twitter page for your business, you may wish to look into their insights to see how the stats measure up in line with your Artfinder dashboard. You may then wish to act according to any trends that you may see e.g. a lot of views or new likes or followers at 1am on a Saturday.
Google also offers a powerful Analytics engine that can track data and traffic on your own personal website.
Even if you don't have access to all of the above statistics generators, just observing other peoples' behaviour on your own personal social media pages can help! On Facebook, for instance, when do you see most of your friends online? When do you get the most retweets on Twitter?
5. The Bottom Line...
- Experiment! Play around with what works and what you think could work and see what results in the best out come
- Learn from experience - if you find a magic formula that works for you, replicate your success!
- Prime time for your followers and may also be prime time for other uploads - so experiment away and work out what works for you!
- Artfinder sends out emails to your followers whenever you upload an artwork, so even if you don't nail the perfect upload time, you can be guaranteed that they will be updated with the latest from your shop.
- Your diary is your friend!