How your blog can help your Business LifeStyle

Are you a first timer and not sure how to blog the correct way?

You may have heard from friends and other creative business owners who blog regularly and also learnt that blogging can yield great benefits for your business too. 

At first, blogging sounds quite daunting for some as they don't know what to write or what to share in a blog post. Some of our clients at first are worried that they may make a fool of themselves and here is the most frequently asked question:

"Where do I draw the line between my creative business and my personal life in a blog post?"

While all the above concerns are valid and we do understand how you feel, most business owners tend to be nervous about the whole new blogging journey and this is because you fear the "unknown". Did you know that? It's "FEAR" that stops you from trying and learning more about venturing into the world of blogging and other things.

Our ArtSHINE blog is one of the main ways we market our business. We get a lot of creative people coming to us as clients because they have read our blog. 

A blog is like a slow burner. It keeps your audience warm and in touch with you on a regular basis and for some of our clients usually they have been reading for months before they get in touch with us. We blog 5 days a week on art & Design & business topics and we also interview different artists, designers & crafters about their passions and business in our blogs too.

Our blog has positioned us as an expert in art & design coaching field, driven traffic to our site and increased awareness for our brand. 

When you write a post, just remember this, you don’t have to sound like an academic on your blog; you want to come across accessible and understandable. Keep your language simple and clear. Write from your heart and be "YOURSELF".

So are you ready for the challenge?

Here is a list that can help you write a successful blog:

1.  Be the leader in your creative field

When you first start your blog, don’t worry if you have no audience at all. We all have to start somewhere right? 

So don’t blog to anyone, just blog to the world. At first you may have no followers or you might just have friends & family members who support you and read your blogs. Don't fixate on the numbers of followers, it will come later. The best way to build your confidence is for you to start blogging regularly so that you will get into a momentum into a good habit of blogging. As you start blogging regularly you will start building up contents for your blog and gradually blogging will become a part of your business activities. 

2. Gain Readership for your blog

Once you blog regularly you need to start directing people towards your blog posts. So promote your blog address (URL) on your website, business card and even your email signature. Leverage the power of social media like Facebook,Twitter & Linkedin to gain readership for your blog. Post your blog on Facebook and tweet it to your followers when a new post is released. If you have a newsletter make sure you include the link to the blog too.

Your blog is your voice and it's one of the great marketing tools that can showcase your expertise. It also brings your business to life and positions you as a leader in your creative field. You can send great and powerful messages to your audience too by educating your readers, write your thoughts, inspirations and opinions on trends and other relevant information about your industry. To attract your ideal clients to your business you need to display your experience and expertise somewhere in your business and the ideal place for it is in your blog.

Make sure your blog is placed in a prominent position on your website and it's easy to navigate. 

3. Stay on the topic

 Consider a single topic for each blog. Most of your audience will be interested in content that relates to a specific defined topic or a loosely defined area of interest. Your audience won’t care what you had for breakfast in the morning. However, they are more likely to be interested in handy tips or advice. Talk about what you know, and what you’re passionate about. Your audience wants to learn new things and gain personal knowledge. So define a topic and stick to it.

4. Theme your blogs

There are a number of approaches that you can take when you’re writing your blog. Below are some ideas:

• Inspirational blog - you can talk about what or who inspires you to do what you love. It’s also an opportunity for you to welcome new fans, discuss other blogs or websites that inspire you too.

• Promote what you do blog - talk about your latest or up coming ranges. Share exciting new projects, collaborations with other designers, or joint ventures.

• Educational blog - Sharing is caring so share your knowledge, skills, and experiences. Position yourself as the leader of your creative field by offering expert tips and advice.

• Trends forecast blog - What’s in and what’s in demand in your creative field? Materials, colours or techniques? What about new technologies or eco friendly applications etc? Do you have some favourite or useful websites that you can share with your audience?

Provide useful information. If you’re attempting to create the impression that you’re an expert in your creative field, then you need to make sure that you’re always up to date with the most current news. If you’re endorsing or expressing an opinion, be sure to check your facts too. Your reputation depends on it.

5. Stay to schedule

Have a think about how many blogs you would like to post each month. A good bench-mark would be two posts per month (fortnightly). Once you’re experienced and have built up a greater following (your fans) then you can post every week. When your blog is updated frequently search engines will tend to pick up your new pages at regular intervals. Set a regular day to publish your blog. That way your readers know when to come back to you and read your blog.

6. Comments on Your Blog

Always do your best to respond to all the comments and do it promptly too. If your readers make an effort to leave comments on your blog, you should do them the courtesy of responding to those comments too. This is how you start to interact and build relationships with your audience by having conversations among your followers.

However, if you don't get any comments on your blog, please don't get discouraged. Not all readers will leave comments. Some visit your blog regularly and they don't even leave a comment and that is okay too. They just may not be the comment type of readers that’s all!

A great blog is not judged by the volume of comments. It's simply not the case. It should resonate with your readers.

 However to make it comfortable for your reader to interact you can install the Facebook " Like & Share" button. You will see most readers are more than likely to use these than leave a comment on your blog.

Blogging takes a lot of effort and time so you need to test and measure to see whether blogging is worthwhile for you. Don't give up too easily either. To build up readership will take time and effort. To be successful at it you need to post your blog regularly. 

So Happy Blogging!