Is Starting a Blog Right For You?

Have you ever asked yourself if you should start a blog? Maybe you have a blog, but aren’t quite sure what to do with it? There’s plenty of advice online about how to blog, but each writer and audience is unique, so it’s important to consider why you’re blogging in the first place. You need to understand who your audience is, and why they’re coming to your blog.

Although I've always disliked the word “blog,” and truly wish that we could come up with a better word for it, I can’t seem to stop blogging. I get enjoyment from writing about what I love, and have satisfaction in knowing that I'm inspiring others. In fact, for the purposes of this blog, I’m going to refer to it simply as “connecting.” I chose this because no matter what you write about, in the end, you’re connecting with others who share the same interest, and you’re connecting your readers to each other. Here’s an example: On this blog post, comment and tell me (and each other) what you think the word “blog” should be changed to. Have fun—it can be anything!*

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer has a delightful blog at balzerdesigns.typepad.com. Notice how colorful it is, and how easy it is to know at a glance which tab to click to find what you’re looking for. Get Julie’s “Building a Better Blog” online seminar here, and share this blog post on art business on LinkedIn.

Here are some of my blogging tips to help you get started.

Tip 1: Create a conversation. Talk to your readers as if they’re in your kitchen, and tell them what’s so important to you that you took the time to write it and post it online. Chances are, there are many others who feel as strongly about the topic as you do.

Tip 2: Tell the world! Share it on Facebook, Pin it on Pinterest, Tweet it—choose your favorite social media sites and go crazy.

Tip 3: Pay attention to your statistics so that you can understand which blog posts are the most popular. When you see a pattern on the highest-viewed post, then write more about that topic. If some posts get almost no views, either figure out a way to make the topics more interesting, or simply avoid them. Here’s why it’s important to know ahead of time why you’re connecting: If it’s only for self-expression, then don’t pay attention to the stats. Just write for yourself. But if it’s for your art business, then the stats are critical.

Tip 4: Be patient. It takes time to build an audience to connect with, but if you continue to be authentic and give your audience what they’re coming for, then you’ll see the fruits of your labor grow.

I’ve been writing blogs on three different websites for several years now, and I can tell you that it’s a great way to express yourself, build a business, and connect. But I didn’t just jump into the blogosphere without a life vest. I learned from pros like Julie Fei-Fan Balzer, who has put together an online seminar on “Building a Better Blog.” Resources such as this will help set you up for success.

“See” you online!

*Our team will choose one of our favorites, and I’ll send the winner a goodie bag of mixed-media art supplies! Comment by September 30, 2014. Winner must be a U.S. resident (due to international contest regulations).

Categories

Art Business, Blog

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