Attack of the Blog

Posted by Carrie Keplinger

typewriter keysBlogging: Along with social media, it's the great connective tissue of the craft and indie biz community.

In this explosion of small biz e-commerce, potential customers want to know who they are purchasing from, and they will rely on your blog to get insight. Not having a blog is kind of like not having a face; it's hard to tell who you are and what you're about.

Don't have a blog yet? Have one but don't know what to do with it? Here's a little nudge in the right direction.

How do I get started?

The hardest and most important part of any task is to start it. If you don't have a blog yet, check out any of the numerous sites out there, like Blogger and WordPress. If there are other blogs you enjoy and like the look of, find out what blogging platform they use and look into it.

If you're lucky enough to have an IndieMade site, your blog is built in and you can get started right away!

What do I write about?

The short answer: You and your biz! The long answer: Not just you and your biz.

You want to keep your readers engaged, so you're going to have to do a little audience analysis here. Who are you writing for? What would those people enjoy reading about?

Share personal stories and new products, but also share links or advice that your readers will find valuable. You can actually re-read my post about Twitter and expand on each of the topic types I recommend.

How often do I need to do this?

Blogging takes time, so you need to make it work for you. If you only have time for one blog post per week, that's perfectly fine. Here at IndieMade, we like to post two times a week, but other blogs will post every day - sometimes several times per day!

In short, it's really up to you, but make sure you set a schedule and stick to it for consistency.

What have you found helpful in your own blogging experiences?

 

Resources:

 

image via Lars Odemark on flickr

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Build a Blog