How to mix Etsy with personal blog stuff?

[Former_Member]

I have a personal blog that I haven't updated since Feb. 1st when I announced that I was back on Etsy. I used to blog a lot until a traumatic event in 2010 caused me to stop all fun stuff and concentrate on that. Since then I haven't been able to get back into it and I blog pretty infrequently.

I'd like to get back to blogging but I don't want to annoy readers with a lot of Etsy stuff. I like to put myself in the readers shoes and think "would I want to read about Etsy everyday?" Probably not. It's the same with twitter and FB. I don't mind sprinkles here and there but don't bombard me with it.

Anyway, for those of you with personal blogs, how do you incorporate your Etsy news with everything else you blog about? I have no plans to start a second blog just for Etsy - it's enough to keep up with everything else without throwing even more into the mix.

[Former_Member]

Perhaps you can blog about local events near you, or something cultural that is interesting to people who are not from your culture. Japanese culture influences my work a lot, so I like to blog about festivals or events like hina matsuri so that my followers can be informed and learn something new.

[Former_Member]

Judy, I totally understand the ups and downs of blogging frequently - sometimes life just doesn't allow it. But it is still fun to get on there when you can!

I incorporated just a tiny bit of Etsy stuff into my blog by taking pics of my projects, saying 'this is what I am working on' without following it up with 'check it out on my Etsy page'. I also have given some tutorials (actually recipes, for things like teas and body scrubs), and had some posts about the ingredients I use, sources to buy quality supplies, that sort of thing. Never once have I mentioned the word Etsy.

Maybe you have some unique techniques, favorite supplies, a special bead that has a story, or even some nice photos of your work you are really proud of that would be easy to share on your blog? There are ways to marry the two with grace.

I want to do a series about where I find inspiration, or pics of the plants growing in my neighborhood, or even what my work space looks like or me creating.

The line between spamy and promoting is fine. Again, I wasn't like, 'here is the awesome lip balm I make on Etsy!' but rather, 'here is some lip balm I made'. I am actually uncomfortable with promoting myself (who would've thought?), and part of the reason is that I get annoyed with other herbalists posting constantly on FB and holding promotions for their products, and I don't want to be that way. Half the time they are just preaching to the choir, anyways.

What is your blog? Good luck!

[MadebyJadeB]

Kyra, I like your advice, about where you find inspiration.... I am sure it is a fine line between "spam... and promotion..." as you point out.

I admire reading other people's FB pages when they sound so GREAT ... and blogs, too... you can't help but fall in love with the blog & the writer... then you know their stuff must be great, too!

Hard to replicate for oneself!!

[MadebyJadeB]

KyraBotanica- beautiful shop BTW!

[MythOfTheWild]

I have a personal blog, and I've learnt that people really aren't interested in hearing about your shop all day. You have to be a real person and blog about life, your problems, your excitement - anything that readers would find interesting about you, that's what a blog is afterall.
As for your shop, it's fine to mention it every now and then. If it's going well, or even going badly, you can use your blog to vent eloquently. If you're having a sale/coupon code, or you've just created and listed some fresh new items, that's a great time to create a post about it.
I get lots of views to my shop from my blog, and I do this by simply having a mini etsy box at the top of my sidebar. It's easily visable, so if people are interested, they can easily wander over.

www.ablackbirdsepiphany.co.uk

Hope this helps! This link might too: http://www.thecuriouspug.com/2012/02/advice-for-bloggers-whats-worked-for-me.html

[Former_Member]

Thanks for all the comments! You all have some good ideas and tips.

I just wrote my first blog post since the beginning of the month. No mention of Etsy but I did post pics of my newest creations. I also talked about the drama I've been dealing with at home. Maybe putting it out there will make it leave my head. ha ha

http://piecesofmepapercrafts.blogspot.com/

[IslandPicnic]

I was going to suggest the Etsy Mini, too. I have that on my blog, on the side. I've also tried to incorporate other Etsy shops, too. Like in this post:

http://www.organiluxeliving.com/blog/archives/157

I've got two pictures in there I got from other Etsy shops. I think it's good to promote others, and it also shows the reader a bit more what Etsy is all about.

I'm working on the same thing you are, though. Trying to write more personal stories, and at the same time, make it work for my business. I definitely second the ideas about doing tutorials that relate to your work, or posting what you're working on with a picture. And make sure your pictures link to your Etsy shop, if they're related.

[Former_Member]

Just starting. Some of my items are books - i want a link from Etsy to my .com site ( which will be a Wordpress theme), so folks can see more pictures, NOT buy stuff ;->, explore my various product lines (distinct card lines for instance) in separate lists rather than chronological sequence, and so i can do most of my communicating from my website instead of Etsy.
I want to have everything up & in place before sending out opening announcements, and i have never had my own website, so it's a lot of learning curves at once. Basic question here: linking to personal website.