Blog, Blog, blog...

[Former_Member]

So everyone is always talking about their blog and how it helped their business... So I finally got my Facebook, twitter, pinterest, and instagram (oh my) together so now I must tackle the BLOG! So what kind of things do you put on your blog? What's your favorite blog? I also need some good ones to follow. Any and all advice and tips related to blogging would be great! Thanks in advance.

[Former_Member]

I simply write whatever I feel like writing about. I have a varied audience and I write for ME and not for anyone else.

My Etsy mini is on my blog so if people want to know more about the shop they can easily find it.

[sunsetshutterbug]

Since I do photography and I've not been very consistent with updating it, I figured I'll post once a week some photos from over the week. I'm not much of a writer either so I figure stick with what I know :) I figured it will give readers/viewers a look into my daily life and how my work evolves :)

[Former_Member]

I personally enjoy fun blurb about the supposed properties of gemstones, meaning of colors, zodiac signs, charms, and such, so I often write posts about those topics. My customers seem to like that too, and searches for things like that show up often in my blog stats.

[Former_Member]

I am always wondering - does all the effort it takes to do a good blog really worth it? Please elucidate me!

[RosyPinkLingerie]

For me, it's just a place I call my own. I can write about what I want. Post pictures of ideas and zoom into my style. Write to my "fans" (If they exist. lol).

I think that in order for a blog to really help your business, it may take months or even years to lay the groundwork for any of it to be useful.

I'd say, don't do it unless you really enjoy it. You may have to work harder at it even if there aren't any viewers.

When I really like an etsy store however, I want to know about them. I like reading their blogs and signing up. It makes it easier for me to love them!

[Davs]

What kind of things to I put in my blog? Whatever I'm thinking about at the moment, and things that I enjoy. I write about my kids, autism, books, nature, food, I feature artists, some of my posts are just cute or funny pictures. I want to target a varied demographic//audience.

[Former_Member]

I just started a blog for my etsy shop a week or so ago and I am starting out by introducing myself, telling my creative story in parts, etc. I wanted a space to write about life as a mom/creative person/whatever.

I love seeing other creatives' blogs, especially when they show their work spaces or how they do what they do...and really just their life in general! Like Rosalinda said, when you find an etsy artist you love, it's really interesting to see their blog and learn more about them!

My all time favorite blog right now is Under The Sycamore at ashleyannphotography.com She has incredible photography and I love her vintage-y style and reading about her kids.

[Former_Member]

I have been blogging for two years now and I love every second of it. I started it because I want to write about my passion (a book worm here, and I blog about book).

If you want to start blogging, make sure it's about something you are passionate about. Think of one thing that you can still write about in the next 3 years, for example. That is your passion.

whether or not your blog will grow and worth the effort depends on why you started it in the first place. People read blogs because they need to learn something new from the content. If you start it only to promote your shop, it is unlikely to grow huge. Think of it as magazine, people won't buy it if ads is the only content of it.

Write a good and useful content, post regularly throw a giveaway or promote your shop once in a while. Of course, put Etsy mini too, it's a good tool to showcase your product without looking too agressive in promoting.

Good luck and happy blogging!

[LadyMaggies]

I've just started my own blog on my website as well, and I'm struggling with this. So far I'm doing the introduction/explanation type posts now but I'm looking at other blogs for inspiration for future posts.

The thing I notice about the blogs I follow is that they all A) have a sense of humor B) educate me (maybe a tutorial, maybe a message - but not preachy!) and C) have lots of photos!

[Former_Member]

Where is the best blog server? I don't have a legit blog yet and I am ready.

[LovesYouCrafts]

I've been thinking about starting a blog myself as well! I've recently started reading a bunch of blogs and I see how it can help me to build my brand, reach out to new people, and further my creativity and passions.

I guess there are quite a few of us working on this particular goal!

[Former_Member]

Blogs are fun! My blog is a personal one but I have links to my shop from my blog. I don't talk about my shop really at all, but I do notice that many people that read my blog click through to my shop. Whatever you decide to write about, keep it about something you love or else blogging will get really old really fast. Good luck and have fun!

[YellowDaisyPaperCo]

I'm a foodie so I use my blog (although very new) to post recipes I make. I also post things that happen in my life... such as getting the courage to leave a job that was miserable.

[BlackCrowCurios]

I find Wordpress to be a good place to start a blog. It's free and quite easy to navigate. I started a blog last year first because I enjoy writing and second because everyone was saying creat a blog and link it to your Etsy site to create more visibility and I am receiving some views from directly from my blog.

If you are considering blogging and you are interested in viewing a Wordpress blog to see how they are laid out visit mine at:

http://blackcrowcurios.wordpress.com/category/tutorials/

[Former_Member]

I've been blogging for a bit under a year now and I recently moved to my own host - blog.lixhewett.com - and started blogging regularly. I post about my life, my goals, my business, my photography, as well as outfit posts, wishlists, link lists and the like. I find it really rewarding.

As far as blogging platforms, if you're visually inclined, I don't really recommend wordpress.com - I was on there for a while and seemingly everything (including customizing your CSS) is a paid add-on. A lot of widgets don't work there either. If you want to start off free, try blogspot. Never used it but I don't think people have the problems I had with wordpress.com there. If you have your own domain, definitely install wordpress.

[Former_Member]

Thank you!

[PithAndRootStudio]

I have a wordpress blog and it is really easy to set up and get started, but everything else you say is true. Now I'm kind of stuck with it, but if I had it to do over again, I'd go with blogspot.

I basically write whatever I feel like writing, but it seems to be mostly a mix of my own process and paintings with other more general art-related topics. I also do a little travel writing because we're living in Europe for three years and I love writing about all the great art and architecture I see (plus the occasional scrumptious-looking meal I order).

My favorite blogs are other blogs by artists like me. I love to see paintings in process or updates about people's inspirations. Make it personal and true!

[Former_Member]

I write about all of the different crafts I do. I use Blogger, which is quite easy to get started with. I have found that there are a lot of online tutorials to read if I'm not sure how something on Blogger works (I needed help getting my Etsy Mini onto my blog, for example).

http://willowbirdstudio.blogspot.ca

[InfinityAmpersand]

I have recently just started my blog as well. Still working on gaining readership and stuff. It is definitely work! I write about anything and everything under the sun.

Good luck with your blog!

[Former_Member]

I definitely suggest joining BlogLovin and taking part in daily blog hops. Blog hops are a great way to gain followers via Bloglovin' and not only do they get your blog exposed, they also help you with twitter and FB too.

Never solely post about your own items. Find people to feature in your posts etc.

I also sell blog templates... Just sayin' :P

[Former_Member]

I get a lot of views from my own blog, which helps to promote Etsy shops. Basically, an Etsy shop owner will pay $3 to have their shop and their social media sites promoted for a whole month and the money they pay goes towards a prize. It's been very successful! Here's the link: http://giveawaycentral21.blogspot.com/

[Former_Member]

I'm so glad I joined this team, so supportive, I have a Blog that I've had for sometime and Thanks to the majority of you I'm convinced that I just need to be me and write about it and that's what I'm going to do.

[KimArt]

oy i really need to resurrect my blog :(

[Former_Member]

I blog about crafts and scrapbooking since that's what my store is all about. But recently I decided to write whatever I have in mind for a change. I don't want to spam my blog with only items in my store.