Here is a method that is helping thousands of Etsy sellers reach a wider market using their blog as a marketing tool.
- Identify a niche that you love and expand on it. So if you love printables and that’s what you sell, expand outward to organization or home decor. Find a large niche, not a tiny one, and tie that back to what you love.
- Think about branding from day one. Match your website address, your Etsy username, and your social media accounts. Make every impression count toward brand recognition. Make them remember you!
- Create lots of really useful content for your niche. Check out this post on choosing blog post titles to help you come-up with content ideas. Get at least ten or twenty blog posts written before you start your blog.
- Use lots of pretty pictures. Never publish a post without a picture. NEVER!
- Use WordPress on your own domain. See our Resources page for more information.
- Create a great looking blog. Design is so important. You want people subscribe, bookmark, or otherwise be sure to come back. Design helps with that. Good design also helps with SEO, advertising sales, and in keeping users on the site longer which means more pageviews. Genesis Themes are great.
- Always be learning – It’s amazing how much there is to know about blogging. If you want to get the most out of it, you’ve got to keep reading and learning. How often to post? How long should your post be? What is SEO? How to sell advertising? There is lots to learn but no big hurry.
- You sell rarely, your blog sells always – It should be relatively rare for you to actively promote your own products. One plug for every ten regular actions is a good rule of thumb. Your blog, however, should never stop selling. Your sidebars and footer should use tools such as the Etsy Mini and links to your money-making pages. You should have a menu option that leads to a sale. Use the blog as a tool, but be a resource.
- Be consistent. Be persistent. – Stay on task and don’t give-up. Blogging is a slow growth kind of thing. Elephant’s have a gestation period of almost two years before giving birth. That’s pretty much the same thing with a blog! You might get a little sick of it one morning, but you must keep going! The result is worth it.
- Have fun! – Look back at the sixth word in item #1. Love. Pick a topic you love because you want to make it fun to blog. Enjoy it and stick with it. You’ll be successful.
If you follow this 10-step formula and don’t stop. Your blog will work wonders beyond your imagination in the future.
Did I miss anything? What is your secret to successful blogging?
~Kim
I have set a daily and weekly schedule for myself now that I have started this blog thing which includes a chart I work from each day as I check off how many other blogs I interact with and as I check accounts and comment on other social media sites. I created it so the day is manageable for me. I am planning to post on my blog once a week (although I add information, with permission, from other blogs much more often as I try to build my site as a resource). My question is, is once a week enough?
Thanks Kim!
trixie
Again, thanks for so many great tips! I can improve on all of these! One thing I need help with is that I have trouble with branding. Seems like I have a few different things going on and don’t seem to have a cohesive look… and I like to change out my blog banner with whatever I’m passionate about at the time. I probably confuse my followers and customers whenever they visit my blog. I was wondering why WordPress? I use Blogger but I am certainly open to change and improving my business. Goodness! So many things going on… maybe it’s time for an email consult? 🙂
Hello – Others may have the same question as Lana “Why WordPress?”
We have a post on Etsypreneur.com that answers that question here:
http://etsypreneur.com/why-self-hosted-wordpress-blogs-are-best-for-business/
The bottom line is flexibility and expandability as your business grows.
I hope that post helps.
Tim
My question is how to generate traffic to your blog? Right now I feel like I am just writing to myself when I post (and I probably am!)…I am trying to include some home decor/craft type posts, so expand my niche as you said. I guess I just have to keep it up and it will start paying off later. Thanks for this great post. I am learning so much…and there is so much more!
Blessings, Grace
Hi Grace! It is a slow process and I can remember feeling like I was just talking to myself. 🙂 You are on the right track by joining linky parties and commenting on blogs. Those two things will really help! Hang in there and keep posting!
Thanks, Kim, for the encouragement! I will keep talking to myself until other people start listening, haha! 🙂
Blessings, Grace
Grace I totally feel the same way. I feel like I’m just talking to myself on my blog and not sure how to network through blogging
I read lists like this and I think, “I could totally be a professional blogger!”. But there are other times I’m glad there is no pressure. And I really enjoy out little nyc/family blog. But it’s fun to dream!
“You sell rarely, your blog sells always”- Never thought of it this way. I will definitely go work on the sidebars and footer on my blog. Thank you Kim!
Great post Kim! Love the part about you should always be selling… this is something I’m working on!
Hi! It feels good to read all these! Im new on etsy and i just started blogging!
http://www.happybyrds.com
Dawnaparis on etsy