4 Blogging Lessons from the Fashion World and More!

Do you know how fashion and blogging are similar?

A couple weeks ago, a memory popped up on my Facebook newsfeed of a clothing design I created as part of a final for one my fashion merchandising courses in college. I had so much fun in those classes learning everything that goes into designing and marketing clothing, and many of the lessons have transferred into my career as a publicist and blogger for Three Girls Media. Keep reading to discover ways fashion lessons can be used in blogging and other useful tools to get you writing!

4 Lessons from Fashion to Use in Blogging

There are many parallels between fashion and blogging that may not seem obvious at first; however, the more you sit and analyze what makes fashion designers stand out, the clearer it becomes.  Here are a few ways you can use basic lessons in the fashion industry to help with your small business’ blogging efforts.

• Know your target market. In both fashion and blogging, you can’t create a piece without knowing who exactly you want to reach. Trying to please everyone’s pallet will only lead to disappointment. By narrowing down who you are creating a clothing design or blog post for, you increase you the likelihood that those people will see and appreciate what you’re offering them.
• Styles come and go. Have you ever noticed that clothing trends seem to peak and recede? The same can be seen in blogging and writing. Following and keeping up to date on the current best practices in blog writing styles will help you climb and stay at the top of the results when your customers come searching for you.
• Bold statements can get a lot of attention. A daring statement in fashion can get you the attention of major critics and take your piece to a whole new level. In blogging and digital marketing this is called going viral. The piece catches fire and is shared across the web in huge numbers taking your brand from barely known to wildly popular.
• Success takes time and patience. While catching the eyes of critics and customers by going viral is a great way to boost your visibility, most of the time it doesn’t work that way. The process is a slow and steady climb to the top; this is true for both fashion and blogging. You need to have patience and dedicate yourself to the process. You may start with only a few followers, but if you stay with it and don’t give up, you will see your supporters grow!

However, these lessons are only useful if you have a blog for your company. If you haven’t taken the plunge to write for your business, but want to get started, the following three steps will help you easily boost your business’ online marketing in no time!

3 Steps to Starting Blogging

With consumers turning to the web more often to learn about products and businesses, blogging is one of the best ways to reach them. Blogging for your small business allows you to directly share news and information with your target audience and current customers. Try these three steps:

1. Starting a new blog is easy. Follow these 3 simple steps and start writing today!

   Select a Name: Choosing the perfect name is one of the most creative aspects of a new blogging venture. The name should be catchy and easy to remember so readers can easily return to read new content in the future. Take into consideration your company’s offerings, about your target audience, how they might relate to your content and select a blog name that is witty, captivating and engaging.

2. Select a Platform: In order to create a blog that is user-friendly, be sure to use platforms that are among the best blog sites available. WordPress is great platform that offers terrific free features in addition to paid-membership benefits for the ultimate freedom in customizing your blog. In addition to WordPress, other sites such as Blogger and Squarespace offer user-friendly designs and can be set up in just a few minutes!
3. Create a Post: Now that you’ve selected the perfect name and platform for your blog, the next step is to fill it with useful and engaging content for your audience. Be sure to mix up the content to include text, images and videos to keep the content diverse and captivating to ensure long-term loyalty from your readers.

Whether your small business offers innovative services or groundbreaking products, blogging is one of the best ways to share news in way that can be easily sent through email, posted on social media and more.

6 Steps for Creating a Blog Post

Once you have created your business’ blog, you have to start writing and posting articles to it consistently. If writing is not your strong point, don’t worry – you can still create some amazing pieces with the help of these 6 steps.

1. Brainstorm. Spend a few minutes writing down ideas. What do you plan to write about? Think about topics that might be of interest to your readers. Are there any tips they might be interested in? Is there anything in the news you can relate to your industry? Or anything you’ve been doing lately that can help your target audience?

2. Keyword Research. This step is often overlooked, but one of the most important writing tips when it comes to blogging for your company. You want your post to be strong for SEO, so you need to include keywords throughout your post. Google Analytics is a free way to research strong words and phrases; take the time to look up a couple of focus terms to use throughout your article and in the headlines and titles.

3. Create an Outline. This is one of those writing tips they teach you at school. Before you start writing, you want to know where your blog post is going. Create a quick outline that includes the main points you want to cover.

4. Write. As you write your post, make sure you include your keywords in places that make sense. Yes, you want to include those words and phrases at least five times, but you don’t want the article to sound unnatural either. In fact, the practice of keyword stuffing (repeating your keywords over and over again) can actually hurt your SEO, in addition to looking unprofessional for your readers.

5. Proofread. Get in the habit of proofreading everything you write – blog posts, emails, social media updates. A typo can actually change the meaning sometimes, and spelling or grammar errors make you look less professional to your readers and followers.

6. Upload. When you upload your blog post, include an image (make sure you use one you’re legally allowed to use) so it’s visually appealing for your readers. Also, in addition to making sure the formatting of the post looks right, be sure you select one main category and add 1-3 specific tags for your site’s visitors. It’s also important to fill out the HTML title / meta description; this is what will show up in search results, so make it compelling!

Whether your career is in fashion or writing, one of the most common ailments to plague creative professionals is the dreaded wall that blocks our way to new inspiration and ideas. When faced with this road block, all the steps, tricks and tips won’t help you create a new exciting piece that meets the needs of your audience. Have no fear though, there are some easy ways you can break down the wall and get back to writing.

3 Ways to Cure Writer’s Block for Bloggers

1. When you run into a wall while writing, here are 3 ways to get the ideas flowing.

   Ask questions. I love when I can ask a business a question on social media and get a direct answer quickly. Not only do I learn more information, but I also receive recognition and the chance to be heard. The audience you are trying to reach has questions for you, but it’s possible they might just be afraid to ask. Next time you’re wandering around social media, post a question similar to this: “What do you want to know about [insert your business/industry here]?” or “What would you love to know more about in relation to [insert your business’ field of expertise here]?” This gives your audience the chance to speak up and for you to get some blog topics, as well.

2. Speak with your team. The great thing about a business is that it is made up of members who are all on the same team. During a staff meeting, ask your fellow teammates what they think would make a great blog post. Brainstorm ideas to get the content rolling. Consider upcoming events, promotions and specials your business might be doing and incorporate those as well.

3. Use a topic generator. A few months ago, I got one of the best emails ever from HubSpot. They sent me a free blog topic generator and I’ve used it so many times to help get the ideas bouncing in my head. But they’re not the only resource. Inspirational articles and visual stimulators (such as Pinterest) are also extremely helpful tools you can use to break that wall down.

Once you have broken down the barrier to creativity, you are on the way to making pieces that inspire and feed your consumer’s appetite.

With these tools you are now armed with everything you need to get a start on blogging for your small business. If you want to learn even more on how to use blogging in your marketing strategy check out these other Three Girls Media posts. Happy writing!

• 5 Common Blogging Mistakes
• How to Leverage Blogging for Stellar Customer Care
• [Infographic] Anatomy of a Strong Blog Post

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