how personal is your blog?

[Ecobota]

Those of you who blog for your business: how much of your posting is business stuff and how much is personal "human interest" stories?

I've been reading a some of those "be the best blogger" books and they all seem to suggest that you need to appeal to your readers as a person with a story to tell, not just an computer twitter client hawking sales which makes perfect sense to me!

The thing is, my craft is actually pretty boring. I've tried starting a blog for my business a few different times and every time it is so lame that *I* don't even want to read it anymore, let alone strangers on the internet. I mean, i'm a plant nerd, and I know people like photos of pretty flowers so those sorts of things are OK, but every post ends up being "today i collected pretty flowers" because who really wants to hear about the 2 weeks the specimens stay in the press? Not me, and I'm the one DOING it.

So I was thinking about expanding into a slightly more personal realm: writing about the hardships and triumphs of working for yourself and the transition of quitting working for "the man" and working from home. I feel like it is 100% part of the story, but I'm afraid it might... I don t' know, come off as unfavorable to buyers?

Would you be interested in something like that or would it scare you away?

If all goes according to plan my self hosted website will be launching in 2 weeks and I want to link the blog from it, so I want to make sure I'm not going to scare away potential buyers when I start promoting the website.

I'm looking forward to hearing your opinions. Thanks!

[Former_Member]

I would absolutely be interested in that! I love reading about the behind the scenes of businesses and self-employment, especially from small business owners. One of the great things imo about working for yourself is that you don't HAVE to watch what you say and what's linked to your company, because you ARE your company. You're who people are buying from. I get the reason behind wanting to stay neutral and not reveal too much, but I'd much rather do business with someone I LIKE than someone I can't get a real feel for anywhere.

[Inugurumi]

I don't really read blog unless it is very interesting and IMO interesting blog is something educative. I like to learn things rather than reading blogger's personal life which is not related to the business at all. You can expand the "today i collected pretty flowers" story. I know certain flowers were used as medication long time ago. In some countries, certain flowers are eaten, used for some ceremony or has different meanings. For example the flower "Chrysanthemum" is used for funeral in Japan, where I'm from. I know it requires research but if I am interested in flowers, I would like to read this kind of blogs.

You can also make the story personal by writing why you are interested in flowers, why you started this business or what kind of story you have with certain flowers. It shows your personality but still professional. I believe "appealing as person" and "writing about your personal life" is completely different things. I see this on Facebook too, but not many of the fans and followers care what you ate for lunch(unless of course your blog is about food or good restaurants.)

[ArteOfTheBooke]

I don't blog nearly as much as I should, but when I do I try to keep it educational. Maybe a series of how-to photos or the history of a technique, something like that.

[Former_Member]

I have a completely different take. i love blogs for many reasons, but like others i tried to start my business blog many times, but i have always failed to keep it interesting.

So almost a few weeks ago i took a completely different tag, i decided to just do something that would be crazy and fun. it might be a little (or a lot) of putting for some. but in truth, the odds of making 7 figures, even 6 figures are slim. so why not be as personal as you want?

my blog is me complaining about something new everyday, no repeats. today i complained about people on house hunters, tomorrow is chickenhawks. http://whatimmadabout.blogspot.com/

[Former_Member]

Good for you for blogging! I absolutely love blogging.
My blog is completely personal. I have links in my navigation bar and side bar to my shop but, other than that, I never even mention my shop. The great thing is that I'm very pleased with the amount of traffic I get from my blog to my shop.
Personally, I think a blog that is purely "business" is boring and serves the same purpose as having a business facebook/twitter account. People are going to read your blog because they like you and your opinions and your experiences. Again, that is just my preference and another approach can work equally well for someone else.

I don't think you will scare away potential buyers. I predict that just the opposite will happen.

Best of luck and have fun with it!

[Former_Member]

i have a little tumblr blog for my business
first of all i post my products with links and a little description
once and again i write a little about my inspiration and reblog pics that have inspiring color combinations
on a few occasions i post what i bought on etsy or awesome finds
whenever i start new projects and i go hunting for inspiration and post tutorials i made myself or i use and found on pinterest
right now i post items from my city team because we are running a sale
happy blogging

[14xbags]

I think it is a great idea, and I would totally read! I think the more personal info offered helps a buyer make a more emotional connection to the item they are buying. To me this makes the item all the much more valuable and desireable. Plus you will be helping people by sharing your story along the way.

Also, Back to your flowers, I think maybe a nice little story about how and where you collected the flowers would be neat. I'm always interested in stuff like that!

Best of luck launching your new website! I hope to be at that point one day!
Xoxo
Kimberly

[rhodyart]

When I was doing my blog it was intensely personal. It was about my journey and attempts to do art while dealing with severe mental illness. I just needed to write it all out. I haven't written a post since February.

I have been contemplating restarting the blog but am thinking I want to do something very different. And there's the time factor.

I think it all depends on what YOU are comfortable with. But you have to be careful, if you make it personal, to not fill it up with minutiae about what you had to eat, drink, and where you went (unless it has to do with your work). I am always interested in people's process -- how they made the creative decisions they make (which is why I'm such a fan of Project Runway even though you don't get to see that process as much any more). Even though you say your craft is boring, it doesn't have to be. What flowers are you into these days? What are you doing with them? What ideas are you thinking about?
You could link the flower collecting and seasons, reflections on flowers you DON"T see any longer. I also think the other ideas you have are great too I do NOT want to read only about your listings. I like to know when you might list something but not making it ONLY about that.

[MythOfTheWild]

I initially started my blog with the intention to talk business-only. I posted like, once a week and had little to say. In the end I started talking about me, my life, my aspirations and crafting, and that's when the views and followers started rolling in. Two years on, it's firmly a personal/craft/writing blog, but if I ever have any news about any of my businesses - new products or exciting happenings - I share them on my blog. I do make sure to post last Christmas posting dates on my blog, too, and I have flash sales exclusive to my readers, so I make sure my readers know what is happening, but otherwise, I have very little to talk about regarding my business.

I've made a few friends through my blog, and that, in turn, has gotten me sales as well. I also know that I am more likely to buy from people who I consider to be my friends, because when you get to know them, or why they do what they do, it makes it easier to relate to their products and want them all the more.

This is my blog: www.ablackbirdsepiphany.co.uk It was originally named Peaches and Pebbles Weekly but, well, I hated the name, too! Just make sure you create a tone for your blog and stick to it. Don't talk about things that are controversial. If it's just going to be a personal blog, and have nothing to do with your business, you can say what you like, within reason, but if you're tying your business to it that tightly, then saying something controversial or ignorant can have a huge impact on your business. So don't talk about things you don't understand. Stick to you - what makes you tick, what makes you happy, day-to-day life and crafting tutorials (not necessarily anything to do with YOUR craft. You'll never find me posting anything about how to make jewellery on my blog).

Basically, blog smart, but blog you.

[WindDancerStudios]

I have a mix of personal and business. I can go long stitches of just jewelry and sometimes it's seems my life gets really wrapped up in something and I'll post on that as I feel the need to. My Grandma was diagnosed with cancer in August and I called it a turbulent month full of highs and lows but didn't discuss her until October and it looked like it was time for hospice care. I went into a little more detail then and when her recovery felt like a miracle. Now I'm back to hand made Christmas and planning for the new year.
http://magpieapproved.blogspot.com You're welcome to have a peek if you want to see how it all gets mixed or at least how I do.