So, You Want to Start a Blog

I often read on forums or on Twitter, should I start a blog? My answer is YES YES YES! I love blogs, reading them and I follow a fair few and writing them.  Whilst it may seem like just another thing to add to your ever increasing to-do list it is a wonderful chance to showcase your business, your talents, or just to vent frustrations when a new project goes wrong!

Starting a blog is simple and free. I use Blogger, but there are other options available, for example Wordpress or Typepad.  Initially you will need to create your blog by thinking of the blogs name, which will probably be your business name.  Unfortunately Buttons & Bows was not available hence registering the blog URL as Zoe and Drew, but I then called this blog Buttons & Bows, so don't panic if you cannot get your specific trading name, it can be rectified.

So now you have a blog, but what next?  I wrote my first post without really setting up my page, I just had a title, had added a couple of widgets for followers and my blogroll and that really was it!  I have spent many hours reading other peoples blogs and looking at their layouts to see how I can improve mine.  There are also many blogs out there to help you get to grips with using the blogger widgets and adding extra tools.  Only on Monday did I work out how to add LinkWithin, so that older posts appear at the bottom of each new post.

In just four months of blogging I have learnt so much, from a little bit of html, some I still need to apply, to my post layout, blog template and how to add sharing buttons! I have now become more focussed on my writing and now plan posts a month at a time and have decided on a more structured attitude, so that I don't panic and think 'What shall I write today?'.  Wednesdays will now become the day I look at marketing your small creative business, whether that is through social networking or blogging, I hope to share some of the knowledge I have gained in the past few months and hope you will share too! 

Now I want to improve the design of this blog and am investigating blog makeovers, which for me is exciting! 

For some great advice and tips try -

Craft Blog UK

(This has been a huge help as I have progressed with my blog)

Sneaky Momma Blog Design

(Scroll down for 'Tips by Ability Level')

Craft Blog UK

Craft Blog UK is the official blogroll for UK Handmade and has links to many craft related blogs. This blog has many tutuorials (blogging tips) to help improve your blog and help you network to gain more followers and hopefully more customers for your craft/design business.  In the last couple of weeks a forum has been added to the blogs bow with it's creator, Haptree, offering to give a blog critique.  This has been very beneficial to as I looked to tidy up my blog and Haptree's constructive criticism and ideas have helped immensly in this task.  I have also used some of the blogging tips and feel I have acheived something in the world of html that I have little experience of.  Whilst my blog looks tidier I still need to try a couple of Haptree's ideas, firstly to have links opening in a new window when I am featuring items from other websites and secondly a 'Cocktail Hour' every couple of weeks...watch this space!

So if you are wondering how to add static pages under your header or want some ideas to tidy up your blog and help promote your business head over to Craft Blog UK and read the blogging tips or visit the forum to get your own personal blog critique.  And I would like to add a huge THANK YOU to Haptree for her fantastic critique of my blog and for creating Craft Blog UK.