As I’ve talked about on Periscope, there are about 50 million reasons that you need to have a blog for your business. If you’ve got an Etsy shop and you’re blogging, you’re miles ahead of your competition. If you don’t then you need to know that there are serious benefits to having a standalone blog in addition to your Etsy site. Want 5 of them?
It gives you total control of your brand
If you’ve got only an Etsy shop or something similar, then you are not in control of your business. What if Etsy shuts down, or they shut YOU down for some violation that you didn’t know about? Your entire method of continuing your business is gone. Having your own standalone site, even if it’s just a blog with a link to your Etsy helps make sure that you have a dedicated source of control on how your business is run.
Creating fresh content on a blog helps get your name out there.
Now with all of the social media platforms out there, sharing your products over and over again is a finite social media plan. Make a blog full of new content that is informative and helpful, which means you now have an unlimited supply of sharable content.
Having a blog positions you as an expert.
Even if you don’t feel like an expert in your field, you probably know more about some aspect that a total newbie wouldn’t. Ever talk to your family about what’s going on in your business and notice they’ve got “deer in headlights” looks? That’s because they have no idea what you’re talking about…so teach it! Make a blog about what you’ve learned so that people come to you instead of another person.
Fresh content on a blog helps your rankings on Google.
Google LOVES new stuff. Google’s end goal is to provide the best content to their customer (the person doing a search) and they want to provide the most accurate, helpful content. If it’s new, then Google assumes that there is new information out there about a topic and you’ve got it so they send you up the search results food chain to the tippy top.
Serving your customers means more money in your pocket.
There’s a well-known phrase in business that is “Know. Like. Trust.” When you provide extra value to your customers, it doesn’t cost you anything (except time) but pays off in spades, because it shows that you care enough about your customer to provide extra info. You’re not out there shouting “ME ME ME!” but instead you’re saying “How can I help you?” This creates the know, the like, and most importantly, the trust factor, which makes people want to support you (and buy from you) which helps your bottom line.
How to make a blog:
So easy. SO EASY YOU GUYS.
- Sign up on Greengeeks They’re who I use for all of my blogs because they’re the BEST (I’ve used GoDaddy before and my sites were sooo sllowww) and they’re crazy cheap.
- Install WordPress. Greengeeks has a 1 button install and is easy peasy. They get it all done for you (which is why they’re my BFF)
- Pick a theme. There are tons and tons of free WordPress themes out there. If you’re techie, Genesis is by far the most popular framework for completing a beautiful theme. I personally get my themes from ThemeForest. They’ll even install it for you!
- Get ta postin! You’re all set and now you’ve got a HUGE advantage against your competition. Go get em!
