Blogging for Beginners – Step by Step

Nervous to start a blog?  Most people are!  But, as Etsy seller Tara Shenson from kMT Graphic Design recently told HandmadeMarketing.org, “Fear not, Etsians you can start your own blog!”

We were excited to receive this awesome set of step by step instructions to start a blog from Tara.  Yes, that’s right, STEP by STEP! There is no excuse to go “blog-less”!

Are you wondering if Tara is an expert?  Take a look at her blog here.  kMT Graphic Design also has an Etsy.com shop here.

“In the world of online selling and networking,” Tara wrote, “a blog is definitely up there with the “must haves” in terms marketing tools. But just because you’re a wiz with needlepoint, scrap booking or sewing doesn’t mean you have the experience to build a professional looking site. Not to worry! Just follow these simple step by step instructions and you’ll be blogging your way to sales in no time.”

• Step 1: Sign up
  “I am currently using Blogger.com,” Tara tells us, “so my examples will be relevant to that site. However, you can also choose to sign up at Wordpress.com which is a little more sophisticated and slightly more complicated. I think Blogger.com is the better choice for a beginner level blogger. Blogger.com will walk you through the process, and it’s really no different than creating an account on Etsy. Once you have created your account, it’s time to get to the fun part: designing the look of your blog.”

• Step 2: Get Creative
  “Blogger.com offers many “standard” background templates that are very basic and only allow you the ability to change the colors,” Tara wrote.  “However, there are literally thousands of pre-made, free templates that are available on line if you want something snazzier. Just Google “free blogger template” and you’ll have pages and pages of choices. When you find the template you like, you will need the html code. Usually, there will be a link offered to you like “get code”. Click on that and save the template to your C drive (on your desktop or documents folder). Html looks like a long paragraph of letters and symbols that make no sense.”

  
  

  Next, Tara says to go back to your Blogger.com account and follow these steps:

  1. Click on “customize” on the top right tool bar.
  2. Click on “layout”
  3. Click on “edit html”
  4. Where it says: “Upload a template from a file on your hard drive”, choose “browse” and find the template you saved to your C drive.
  5. Click “save template” and you’re done!

• Step 3: Uploading Gadgets
  “A gadget is a tool you can put on your blog to assist you in some way, or it will be an element of your page such as a header or an “about me” section,” Tara explains to HandmadeMarketing.org.

  
  

  Tara recommends the following basic gadgets for every blog:

  1. About me
  2. Followers list
  3. Labels (a list of your blog entries)
  4. Your Etsy mini (the gadget is called html/java script)

  Confused about how to get a “gadget”, Tara has you covered!  To add a gadget, follow these steps:

  1. Click “layout”
  2. In the body of the page click “add a gadget”
  3. A list of gadgets will come up and you can click on the one you want. The gadget will appear on your layout page and you can then drag it to the location on the blog that you would like it to be.

  Time to add the Etsy mini!  Here are Tara’s steps to load your Etsy mini:

  1. Go to your “my Etsy” page on Etsy.com
  2. Click on “Etsy mini”
  3. Choose “items from my shop” and “thumbnail”
  4. Choose the row and column count (you will need to play with this to determine what size your blog template allows)
  5. Copy the html code given to you in the “JavaScript” box.
  6. Go to your blog, and click “layout”
  7. Add the “html/javascript” gadget
  8. In the open field, paste the html you just copied and click save.
  9. Voila!  You have an Etsy mini in your new blog!

• Step 4: Make some mistakes
  What? Mistakes?!  Tara explains, “I am a huge advocate of the “just go for it” school of thought. Most of the knowledge I have gained about graphic design I learned from just clicking with abandon. I made some mistakes, learned from them, cleaned up my mess and moved on. Pretty much every “oops” can be fixed or deleted and re-done. So don’t worry too much about trying to avoid mistakes. Mistakes are your friends! They help you to remember what not to do.”

• Step 5: Your first post
  “No, you’re not finished yet!” Tara wrote.  “Now, you have to come up with something to write about. The thing to remember is that your blog is not your online diary, not if you are using it to market your Etsy shop. Your blog is a huge advertisement, and should be approached from that perspective. Don’t make every post about your last vacation or the funny thing your kid said today. Make it about your Etsy products!” suggests Tara.  We couldn’t agree more!  Check out this article for ideas on keeping your new blog Etsy-centered.

  
  

  “Include links to your other websites or social networking pages,” continues Tara.  “Spotlight other Etsy shops and contact the shop owner to let them know to visit your blog. Have a contest and give away a free item of yours. Offer free advice on how to succeed. Always be thinking to yourself “If this wasn’t my blog, would I read it???” If the answer is no, keep trying until its yes!“

Wow!  Couldn’t get any easier than that, right?  Like Tara said, “So what are you waiting for? Get out there and blog!”  Our team couldn’t agree more!

A big thanks to Tara Shenson from kMT Graphic Designs for taking the time to share!

Do you have ideas for what to do after you create a blog?  How do you start a following?

Join the HandmadeMarketing.org team by suggesting a tip about customer service.  If our editors like your idea, we will feature your tip in a future article and cite you as the source.  To join, click here.