# So, about that Blog...



## ReggieTees (Mar 14, 2011)

So I've read that many people endorse the idea of writing a blog to help draw attention to their lines and websites. But I was wondering, isn't it just as much effort to get people to read your blog as it is to visit your tshirt website? I started a blog but I was thinking, with all the things that need my attention, wouldn't it be better to put that energy directly to the online store rather than the blog? I'm trying to get a handle on how it fits in.


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## 4-eyed_fabrick (Jun 10, 2009)

maybe saying a little something about your product/service would be great?


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> with all the things that need my attention, wouldn't it be better to put that energy directly to the online store rather than the blog


I would say do both. A blog shouldn't take up all your time. Only a few minutes to an hour maybe once or twice a week (or when you can).

It's all part of an overall marketing strategy. 

I don't think anyone would say a blog is the magic bullet that will get you all the sales you need  

However, along with online advertising, social media marketing, offline marketing, seo, it's another piece of the pie that can help get interested buyers to your store and help the buyers that are already there feel more connected to you and your brand which makes them more likely to purchase from you (than from some nameless company that they know nothing about)


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## red514 (Jul 21, 2009)

if you already have a site then the blog is just an added bonus, lets people know what you're up to or what you have to say... you could always have that as part of the site.


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## 4-eyed_fabrick (Jun 10, 2009)

exactly! i guess some people want what the maker/designer has to say about its own products, so the people has something to relate to it, i hope it make sense.


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## red514 (Jul 21, 2009)

4-eyed_fabrick said:


> exactly! i guess some people want what the maker/designer has to say about its own products, so the people has something to relate to it, i hope it make sense.


exactly! that's what i would recommend a brand/line/artist/company use the blog for, to share their thoughts, give people a sense of what the company is really about. i like to hear what the designers are thinking, what inspires them, ect...


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## 4-eyed_fabrick (Jun 10, 2009)

i knew it!


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## ReggieTees (Mar 14, 2011)

Okay, that makes sense. The first few posts on my blog were about how I was inspired, why artistic expression was important, what I thought creativity was etc. I also posted a few designs. I was thinking it could be a place that could evolve over time to talk about art and stuff in general, not just tshirt designs.


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## ReggieTees (Mar 14, 2011)

So I played with my blog design, color, layout, etc. I think it's way better. If you could take a look, let me know if it's at least a bit interesting. Thanks.


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## scuba_steve2699 (Nov 15, 2006)

I use the blog as a way to connect with the customers and tell a little about me. The website is for business.


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## ProperGnar (Dec 19, 2010)

We have a blog, I use it to write about things that somehow always indirectly relate to what I'm selling, like a musician wearing our clothes, an event we're doing, ramblings about designs, stuff like that. It can help bring more traffic to your site because of the use of keywords and tags.


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## EnMartian (Feb 14, 2008)

We have two blogs and we mostly use them for education and to let people who purchase from us know a bit more about us. It's really just another way to communicate and has the added bonus of allowing customers to talk back.


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## ReggieTees (Mar 14, 2011)

I guess the problem I'm having is balancing the work of attracting people to the website and people to the blog. I'm so much more in tune with actually talking to people face to face. Attracting people to my website/blog seem so much harder than just walking up to someone and starting a conversation...


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## Micheal (Apr 9, 2011)

Posting on your blog (about things you're working on, up to, etc.), and then updating your Twitter and Facebook, is a good idea, too. Just make it interesting!


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## ReggieTees (Mar 14, 2011)

So I've notice that it's not just posting on your blog that helps, but the interconnectivity of facebook, google +, twitter, our own website, the tshirt forums, etc. plus the back links and all of the other lesser search engines and business relation websites that really help to drive traffic.


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## tprimack (Oct 11, 2010)

I think that a blog is a great way to connect in greater detail with your clients/potential clients. Social media is great for giving updates or teasers that lead to your blog. But really the information on your Blog should be updated frequently and more detailed than that on your website.


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## revboyjames (Apr 14, 2007)

All very true comments. I actually have 2 blogs myself and I've found that each blog is getting more traffic than my actual website because of all the text/keyword content. It's funny that you mentioned that you think you might have less time to promote your main site, but using a blog does just that! Make sure to have links from your blog back to your website and vice versa. There's a lot of people that only found my site because they stumbled onto one of my blogs first. And another thing, a blog should be fun, not a chore to do. So if it's becoming a chore, maybe try and think of something more enjoyable to post about (and of course, try to tie it back towards your company when you can, but that doesn't have to happen in every post).


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## ReggieTees (Mar 14, 2011)

We actually have two blogs now. The original I write and usually focuses on creative and inspirational themes. The other one is way more 'business' oriented and my business partner writes on that one. We found that some comments and posts didn't seem appropriate on the 'creative and inspirational' one so we added the other. 

What's interesting is that both blogs are consistently increasing in pageviews, but people rarely comment. I find that a bit odd...


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## EnMartian (Feb 14, 2008)

Actually getting many more people reading than commenting is generally the norm. I've seen stats that say that you can get several people reading before you get a comment (several being 10 or several being 100 depending on the statistic). 

You can set up your blog posts to try and inspire comments. Ask a question at the end? Talk about something you're doing and ask for suggestions. Try writing something a little more controversial and see if that inspires comments. Also, make sure you reply to any comments that require replies as soon as you can. Let your readers know that you do pay attention.


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## brenden (Dec 11, 2008)

For me quality is far more important than quantity. Our own blog is DecoNetwork product focused but that's because we use it as a vehicle to discuss new and up-coming features to our customers. Though we also make an effort to share useful generic tips like selling online, SEO, HTML / CSS goodies, etc.

You also don't have to write your own content all the time. Bloggers love it when you link to or re-blog their stuff. Just make sure you link to their blog and give absolute credit to the original author.


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## ReggieTees (Mar 14, 2011)

I've been posing more questions and trying to make the blog more interactive, at least on a mental level. I've also though of posting links to other blogs or sites I find interesting, informative, fun, that sort of thing. I guess it doesn't matter a whole bunch that people don't comment if I'm getting a lot of people reading.


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## brenden (Dec 11, 2008)

Exactly


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## printkeg (Jan 6, 2011)

A blog is great for these reasons.

1. *Keeps your customer informed and updated* about your company. People check your blog to see if it is up to date. In today's age, customers expect it. The worst thing you can do is keep a blog with extremely old posts. You are better off without a blog.

2. *SEO *- When blogging, you are probably talking about numerous products and services which hits on a variety of keywords and phrases you may have not thought of. The blog will also help support keywords important to your company. Not to mention, blogging adds pages thus growing your website and giving more food for search engine spiders. There are tons of other reasons why blogging helps SEO and SES so keep doing it.

I think Rodney hits a home run with his post: along with online advertising, social media marketing, offline marketing, seo, it's another piece of the pie that can help get interested buyers to your store and help the buyers that are already there feel more connected to you and your brand which makes them more likely to purchase from you (than from some nameless company that they know nothing about)

I actually read that many Fortune 500 companies are slowing down blogging and resorting more on social media, but the problem with that is that blogging is effective and you should not stop doing it. If you are involved with social media, be sure to maintain that blog.


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## alohagar54 (Jul 30, 2009)

I try to do a blog as well but find it hard to keep it going on a regular basis. I think it's important that if you do a blog to use links in your blog posts for the benefit of SEO, but I'm no expert. Every post I do I try to put my website in the article, or facebook page. It's hard to keep up with everything on a consistent basis (Twitter for one) but it's important to make an effort. Now, time to write another blog post.


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## ReggieTees (Mar 14, 2011)

It's interesting because my blog has kind of morphed into an inspirational thing not completely focused on our website. I've increased my pageviews by about 400 in the last month, no kidding. SO we had the idea to start a second blog that is more business related and then provide links back and forth as well as links to the website as well. For the Inspirational blog it's a little more hit or miss to when I can put in a link to one of our tshirts because I don't want it to look like a cheesy plug.


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## bengbeng13 (Nov 9, 2009)

So I guess its definitely worth the time updating your blog with quality content, alongside social media like facebook, twitter and google plus to communicate with your customers and potential ones. 

It's my first month into focusing on SEO stuff and it has brought in many unexpected online business, and it spur me to keep on updating all the above mentioned. And i am actually enjoying it. : )

A word about having a anchor text instead of using url of your website for your backlinks though. Because google bots will appreciate and rank you higher based on what you write on your anchor text. you can google anchor texts to read more about it. i find it logical and useful to know : )

Have fun guys as its part of doing what you love!


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## ReggieTees (Mar 14, 2011)

Thanks for the input BengBeng. I'll look into the anchor text too. I've found that posting links to various social media outlets has a great influence on the blog. Translating that into traffic toward the site is a bit more problematic, but it all helps get our name out there.


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