This week's question: Are you crafty and you know it but you're not sure how to show it?
It may be time for you to build a blog to show off your bad ass craft-making skills. We like to show off an array of blogs that make us happy, and (in a slightly selfish way) we want to see what you've got.
After the jump, we'll show you how to get started.
Note: You don't need to pay for a website. And if you're not ready to set up an online store to sell your crafts, you can head over to any of the free blog sites such as Wordpress, Blogger, Movable Type, or Live Journal (to name a few). Sign up, follow the set up steps, and you are off and running.
But now, you ask, what do I put on this crafting blog?
First, take some time to introduce yourself. See this intro as a chance to really tell your story and sell yourself as a maker. This allows your readers to see if you have things in common and if they want to return to find out more about you and the goods you make. It can be hard for artists and crafters to write about themselves but just get out of your own way and talk about yourself as your friends would. Tell the world how fabulous you are and show off what you make.
10 other things to use your craft blog for:
1. Answer questions about yourself before your readers even have to ask. Such as why do you do what you do?
2. If your goods are for sale tell your readers where to go to buy them. Add a link so that they can click to your sales site.
3. Post about works in progress not yet ready to sell or show so your readers have something to look forward to. Share by updating often on how it's going.
4. Weave in things that inspire you into your posts and include pictures or videos of these inspirations.
5. Share with your readers what is your process is and why you love creating that way. Share how you learned the process.
6. Build community around the crafty things you love, set up a subscribe button and offer a way to contact you. This keeps them coming back!
7. Share tips, techniques and offer free tutorials on the type of crafts you are making.
8. Provide useful information for your readers such as which craft store is having a sale on which items this week.
9. Test out new products and post reviews about them. Once you do this a few times you can often get companies to send you free things to play with and post about.
10. Post thoughts or quotes that you've heard.
Finally make sure you post all the time. Set up a schedule and post at least once a week so readers have a reason to come back and are not disappointed if there is nothing new.
Get to blogging crafty ones!
Local Phoenix Craft Blog examples:
http://www.26-letters.com/
http://suchitysuch.blogspot.com/
http://thecraftychica.blogspot.com/
http://www.lovelylula.com/
http://stickerclubgirl.ning.com/photo
