Experienced bloggers needed

[Former_Member]

I've been thinking about starting a blog and could use any words of wisdom.
How much time do you spend on your blog? Do you post daily? How do you gain followers? Do you think it has brought more customers to your shop?
Thanks for your feedback! ~Meg

[Former_Member]

Hello! I am not sure if I am an 'experienced' blogger, as I have started mine this past fall, but if you are going back and forth, DEF start one! Mine is on Tumblr www.kingsoleil.tumblr.com if you wanted to check it out, and it has MOST definitely brought more traffic to my site.

I have used it most when I blog about how-to's and then submit those to other online blogs and magazines. (Be aware that some want un-published pieces). It has gotten me exposure, and it is SUPER fun. I don't have advertisers or sponsors on mine (I choose to keep it simple) so I can't quite help with that, but if you need any help with ideas or setting it up, I am more than happy to help! Good luck!

[Former_Member]

Hi.
I'm not an experienced blogger but I've been doing a little bit of research, coz I'm intending to start my own too.
From what I've been told it's important to blog regularly, not necessarily every day, but at regular intervals - say every Tuesday, every other Wednesday, etc. - if you intend to blog everyday then you HAVE to do it everyday, because that's what your followers would expect.

It also good to plan your blog 5-10posts in advance, so that a you don't sit down on blog day with writers block, and also it covers you if you're busy as you have something on stand by that you just need to upload.

I can't say how long it would take, other than it depends how long your posts are. But as you get into the swing it should become easier, and therefore faster, to knock your posts out.

I don't know about traffic to your shop, but if there's traffic to your blog and links from your blog to your shop then presumably it will increase traffic levels. The more interesting your blog is, and the more original content on there, the more followers you'll get drifting through.

Here's a good article about blogging you can read, that is a how-not-to approach:
http://www.yourlifeyourway.net/2011/08/09/9-reasons-your-blogsite-isnt-bringing-you-clients/

Marie.

[Former_Member]

Great info Morgan & Marie! Thanks.

[Emariecreations]

I'm not really an experienced blogger, but I do have almost 700 followers, and most of those came last year when I was more faithful in posting.

I find that having giveaways brings in quite a few new followers, especially when the mandatory entry is that you follow the blog. I advertise all of my giveaways on byhandgiveaways.com and etsygiveaways.com, and both places have LOTS of followers, which usually means more followers for me each time I post on there.

Posting frequently (at least once a week, more if possible) is essential to blogging. You need to supply your readers with fun new posts weekly, or else they will get bored with your blog and go elsewhere.

My blog:
http://thefrostedbuttonhandmade.blogspot.com/

[Former_Member]

I usually submit my blog posts to http://craftgawker.com/ and so far, all submissions have been accepted, this helps my blog have ton of views (each post I make has about 300-500 views)

Post frequently
Use really good images, make it visually appealing
And blogs, like everywhere else online, are not an island: communicate with other bloggers whose blogs interest you

I haven't done giveaways, however, I do have features in which I interview fellow etsians and that always attracts a nice crowd, plus it is instant traffic for the shop I interview

http://lemondear.blogspot.com

cheers and good luck with your blog

[dreadnought]

Photos are definitely important. I've found that my blog entries tend to get twice as many hits when they have images. Photos can be a quick way to show something interesting without having to write a novel to explain your ideas. I love blogs that show a delicious meal and post a simple recipe, or show a work in progress and then follow up with a short blurb about spending all day in the studio. Sometimes it's interesting to read a long blog post, but if you have short, picture-heavy ones once in a while it's a good way to catch the attention of the casual link-surfer.

Also, I link my blog to my twitter feed and Facebook fan page. That way when I post a new blog entry, I automatically tweet the link and make a Facebook page of it so people know about it.

[Former_Member]

I'm definitely not an experienced blogger and with my english as second language it takes extra time to write.

Last year, I put a lot of effort to look my blog professional and to hide my language barrier as much as possible. I've even had my bilingual friend translated the last few entries into English. However, as you could imagine, blogging has become such a heavy task for me. On top of that, I didn't have much viewers because I write like a robot.

After almost two years of blog experience, I've finally realized that I have to enjoy what I do. So this year, I decided to blog not only for updating my business but also for sharing my everyday life, kind of like my personal diary! Besides my knitwear creations, I have other subjects that I am very much interested in and I would really love to include these subjects to my blog. In order to do that, I have to be free spirit, getting rid of my online virtual image, which means I should not be afraid of making english mistake anymore. And yes, I think posting at least once a week is essential. Also, it is important to visit other bloggers page and leave a comment so that he/she may likely come visit your blog as well. It might be a small step but if you do these small tasks daily, I am sure you will slowly but surely bring traffic to your blog!!

Good luck everyone!!

http://momohanakobo.blogspot.com/

[Former_Member]

I'll admit first off I didn't read the other posts. But, my response to this question is this: I'm also an author and have a fairly active blog. I choose to only post when I have something relevant to say. That can mean several times a week, or once a week. Some people choose to have a set schedule with specific topics on certain days. You can choose to have guest posts if you don't find yourself having something to say on one of your scheduled days (always a fail safe, lol).

Hope this helps...

[Former_Member]

I think a great first step would be to join the Etsy Blog Team

http://www.etsy.com/teams/7789/etsy-blog-team

They are very helpful with advice, especially to new bloggers and they offer a lot of tips on the team's own blog.

[Former_Member]

Just started a blog too!
http://illuminatedearth.tumblr.com/

I think it's a great way to reach out to an additional viewers that may not initially be searching on Etsy. I plan on posting several times a week. Hopefully once a day!

Thanks Marilyn for the blog team link! :)