Blogging deconstructed: tips and tricks to get followers

[Former_Member]

This thread is dedicated to little hints, tips and tricks for blogging.

They can be anything you've found which helps engage your readers, get Etsy views/sales, or just helps communicate your products and brand to viewers.

I'll (as usual) be glad to start.

[Former_Member]

Do you have an Etsy banner? Consider using your banner (or a variation of it) at the top of your blog.

This not only helps the reader identify you as the same person they find on Etsy, it's also a VERY strong way to help develop your brand presence.

[Former_Member]

EVERY blog tool I have used allows you to enter in a little bit of "about you" text on the blog.

USE IT! And use it wisely. This text is often used by search engines to find your blog.

Which do you think would be better for someone to find you and your products?

"I have this blog just to talk about what I do on Etsy and occasionally show you the products I make and sell"

...or...

"Creator and dealer of hand-made, custom-made and one-of-a-kind jewelry, here to share my products, stories and inspiration"

See what I mean? Which do YOU think is better for Google searches?

[Former_Member]

Your blog's name should match the name of your Etsy shop. Not just be close, but match!

My Etsy shop is funkyfindsofohio. So my Tumblr blog is funkyfindsofohio.tumblr.com.

Wy is this so important? Again, the answer is Google. If someone Googles your store name, they will see ALL the places you are at, including Etsy, Twitter, and your blog.

[Former_Member]

It's REALLY important that you make your blog as public as possible.

And there's even a setting or two for that.

Most blog tools have a button somewhere in setting that let you allow the blog to be searched via search engines. Make sure you have this on IF you want your blog to be indexed for searches.

(I'm also assuming that your blog is not an "adult content" one, which I'm not discussing here)

[Former_Member]

Ready for your first post?

PLEASE...don't make it a "welcome" post, like:

"welcome to my blog! I hope to occasionally post blah blah blah...."

Most serious bloggers would consider this unprofessional. Instead, make your first post like any post you would do if you already had 100 posts out there. Show your products, show a re-post, write a little blurb about something that recently inspired you.

But DON'T do the "welcome" post. As little as 3 months from now, you'll look at that post and probably want to delete it.

[Former_Member]

Hashtags are critical. Here's reason #1.

It's how people find your posts. Most blogging tools have an area where you can enter in your hashtags. Use them...and use them all the time.

Make sure they are relevant to the post's content.

Sell hand-made jewelry? Hashtags like #ooak, #bespoke and #handmade are good ones.

Sell vintage? #vintage #mcm, #danishmodern and the like are good to use.

And try to add at least THREE good hashtags per post.

[Former_Member]

Hashtags are critical. Here's reason #2.

Since you are posting both re-posts of other peoples' posts AND your own original posts, you may want to have a way to separate your posts from the others.

And you can do this with hashtags!

If you have an original post, add a hashtag that identifies it as your own. For example, I use the hashtag #ffoh (the initials of my store) in my own posts.

Trust me, this will actually be important later.

[Former_Member]

The 80/20 rule. I think everything has its own 80/20 rule. But what about your own blog?

My suggestion: Make about 80% of your posts either original posts or re-posts. The remaining 20% should be a mix of the products you have for sale and posts related to your craft, such as pictures of you creating a new piece.

Do NOT create post after post of what you have for sale. One the quickest ways to turn off your reader is with a non-stop sales pitch.

[Former_Member]

OK, the moment we've all been waiting for...

"How do I get people to read my blog?"

Actually, we'll get to that in a later post.

[Former_Member]

Most blogging tools have some static real estate on the left or right side of where your posts appear. So regardless of the post they may have clicked on, what appears here will never change.

You have no idea how important this area is.

This would be a great spot to add the Etsy mini app! So as soon as people start to read your blog, they'll be able to see (without it being shoved in their faces!) some of your Etsy items.

[Former_Member]

Part of blogging etiquette is to find like-minded bloggers to follow. And this is SO simple.

If you are in Tumblr, you can go to the Search field on your dashboard and just key in something to search on. I sell mid-century stuff, so keying in "vintage", "mid century modern" or "retro" gives me all sorts of posts to look at. I find ones I like, "heart" them, maybe re-post them, maybe even follow them!

Using Google's blogger? Go to http://www.google.com/blogsearch. This is Google's own blogger search engine!

Start "hearting". Start reposting. Start following other blogs. Try to find maybe 5-10 blogs to follow. Do this every week.

[Former_Member]

Another valuable lesson on hashtags.

People always want to know "the best hashtags to use".

First of all, there is no such thing. If it were true, all of our tweets, blog posts and Facebook updates would all be read by everyone as long as we have "belieber" in them!

The best hashtags to use are the ones that get the most use AND are related to you, your brand, and your product.

Now, where can you find them? Try the site www.hashtags.org.

And be amazed at what you'll find there!

[Former_Member]

Remember that static side bar real estate I mentioned above?

It's also a nice spot to add your Pinterest widget, too! It's a great way to let your readers know what interests you and what catches your eye on Pinterest. And if they are already on Pinterest, they may be more likely to follow you on Pinterest, even if they don't (or can't) follow your blog!

[Former_Member]

Back to the 80/20 rule.

Here's what makes up my 80%:
- re-posts from other Tumblr blogs I follow
- scans of interesting vintage ads I find (but only if it relates to the "retro" feel I want my blog to convey)
- links to other interesting sites I've come across
- links to articles I've written
- articles I've written about particular people related to mid-century
- interesting things I've found on Pinterest
- a VERY occasional highlight of an Etsy seller I find interesting

I also have a mini-series called "when bad things happen to good Danish Modern". It's little stories about when I come across what was at one point a great Danish Mod or mid-century piece. But due to time, neglect, or an act on the part of its owner, is no longer the beautiful piece it once was.

Personally, I LOVE the mini-series idea.

[Former_Member]

Are you also in Twitter, Pinterest or some other social media site?

That static area is a great way to tell your readers!

If you look at my blog (http://funkyfindsofohio.tumblr.com) you'll see that there's a set of links on the side so readers can click on them to go to my Twitter account, my Pinterest page and my Instagram page!

Adding these little social media links is a great way to get additional followers and viewers, especially if they can't or don't want to follow a blog but prefer a more "regular" social media venue.

[Former_Member]

If you are REALLY a fan of color, you can easily alter your blog to have the colors you want. Some blogs differ on the level of color changes you can do, and some blog themes differ on this as well.

But if you are interested in finding a color palette that suits you, your brand and your products, you may want to check out ColourLovers (http://www.colourlovers.com). This is a site that has THOUSANDS of color palettes available. Some are free, some are pay-to-use, some you can use but you have to give credit to the creator.

You can also search by theme. Looking for antique color palettes? Summery ones? Retro ones? They have them all.

It's a great way to get inspired with color.

[Former_Member]

Trying to get used to using Twitter and Facebook?

Let your blog do the work for you!

Most blogging tools let you attach your Twitter and FB page to them. So when you post a new blog post, you can optionally post it to your Twitter feed or your FB page automatically!

Voila! Instant Twitter and FB feeds, all from your one blog post!

[Lot450shop]

Great stuff, thank you! I am going to spruce up my blog. I like the idea of adding the etsy and Pinterest widgets.

[Former_Member]

@Brenda: Thanks for the feedback!

I think the Etsy and Pinterest widgets are great ideas, too. Just be sure to occasionally update your Pinterest pins so that the widget shows updated images, rather than the same pins day after day...this is a great way to get better interest in your Pinterest items.

And I don't think I'm quite done yet with blog tips and tricks, to be sure to check this thread for future updates!

[Former_Member]

Ready to do a little customization on your blog?

http://www.dynamicdrive.com/

This site is a HUGE treasure of little bits of customizing code for your blog. I used to almost live in this site when I had a Blogger blog.

It has items such as ribbon generators, CSS menus, button makers...just LOTS of neat little tidbits.

[Former_Member]

Back to the 80/20 rule.

Here's what makes up my 20%.

That 20% is pretty much all Etsy-related. But it's not all just "here's my stuff" type posts. Here's what I post:
- posts of newly-listed items (which I have automatically posted for me via IFTTT)
- pics of the stack of packages I'm ready to drop off at the post office
- interesting items I've come across at estate sales, auctions and the like (these items are items that I eventually will sell here on Etsy)
- little stories about the trials and tribulations of finding items to re-sell.

If you do crafting or other hand-made items, you can alter this to fit you. Create posts:
- showing you making a new item
- about your creative process
- discussing your recent sales

[Former_Member]

Above I mentioned about making blog posts of what you've SOLD in addition to what you're SELLING.

I really think the "sold" type of posts are critical.

Your potential customers may stumble upon your blog and see some great items, and they may even see that you've recently posted something.

But there's always that hesitancy...are they a real store? Should I order something from them? Can I trust them?

I think that posting blog entries about what you've recently sold can really help alleviate any initial hesitancy. It shows that you're a current, active seller who can be trusted. After all, look at all the great items you're shipping out!

Maybe even add a little text like "I loved this bracelet, but it's leaving me now...off to its new home in North Carolina!"

[Former_Member]

As an Etsy seller, I'm sure you have probably worked on your About page. Of course, your blog does have a small amount of descriptive text for you to use (which I discussed above).

But what about something more? Bigger? Better?

You can have the equivalent of an About page on your blog, too! With just a simple post!

Go ahead and create a regular post about...well...about you. Put in all the pictures you want, the text you want, whatever. Heck, you can even copy your Etsy About text right here in your new post!

You should also be able to change the publish date. Set this date to somewhere around 1/1/2010. This will make sure your new page appears as one of your last posts.

Now add a little menu option ("About me") whose html points to this post. Now the user can just click on the menu option and find out all about you! Just like your Etsy About page.

If you go to my blog (http://funkyfindsofohio.tumblr.com) you'll see a menu option labeled "About FFOH". Click it so see how it works.

[Former_Member]

If you don't even know what blogging platform to choose, I found two pretty decent articles that discuss some of the platforms currently available:

http://thenextweb.com/apps/2013/08/16/best-blogging-services/#!xwa1a
https://medium.com/blogging-and-seo-tips/d62682d9b0aa

They even try to help you determine which is right for you and your needs.


But personally, I'm still gonna stick with recommending Tumblr (with Google's Blogger a very close 2nd).