Building my own blog is the best thing I’ve ever done for my craft business, and I’d LOVE to show you how it can do the same for you.

A few things my blog has brought to my business:

• as many as 180,000 visitors in a month.
• 2 and 3 page feature magazine articles about my ornaments.
• links from major websites (like Redbook.com)
• thousands of followers on facebook.
• hundreds of thousands of pins on Pinterest.

And the most awesome thing is that my products are now selling year round, every day. A couple of years ago, I didn’t think that was even possible.

Am I a superstar writer or photographer? Not even close! But I did learn how to build a blog right in order to start bringing in exposure and sales. I believe that no craft seller needs to feel dependent on Etsy, or feel lost in the handmade crowd, if they are willing to put in the time and effort it takes to blog effectively. If I can achieve success doing it, selling seasonal products, anyone can. I believe that with all of my being.

There is tons to learn about blogging: how to capture your visitors, how to hook them with fabulous content, and how to search engine optimize your posts so that they continually bring in new traffic. But, before all of those things can truly benefit you, you need to begin with a solid foundation… a solid platform that you own. This means starting with your own domain name, and installing your own WordPress software.

When you own your own blog, you’ll never have to worry what other platforms come and go. Your site will always be there. Your business will always be solid. And it will always be yours.

In Build It Right, which is the first of my Standing Out Workshop series, I will lead you step by step through building your own blog from the ground up, in a way that won’t overwhelm you. The videos for every step of the process are laid out in order, so you can’t get lost or confused.

And, throughout the workshop, you’ll get a ton of advice on how to do things the very best way, and why. When you are done, you’ll not only have an up and running blog, but you’ll feel confident with how it all works, too.

I’ll show you, step by step, through 15 (and counting!) videos, how to:

• Buy your domain name, set up hosting, and install WordPress blogging software… and all in a non-complicated, hold your hand style that will have you up and running in no time.
• Why setting up a free blog is a really big mistake.
• A quick start, behind the scenes tour of your new blog that will get you feeling comfortable with how things work, so you don’t feel lost.
• The most important thing you need to change in your WordPress settings in order to step it up in the usability and Google-happy departments.
• How to use categories and tags the right way (unfortunately, most people don’t).
• How to painlessly customize the look and feel of your blog – without code.
• Which plugins you’ll need to run your blog efficiently, without dragging your site through the boggy marshes of slooow loading land.
• A detailed look at posts and pages.
• How to link to your shop, and the best way to do it.
• How to add social page and sharing buttons throughout your site.
• and more…

 This workshop is brand new, and I will be continually adding even more than what is listed above. That means the introductory price will soon be no more. But, if you get in now, you’ll have access for life, and you’ll get every new class that’s added.

And, during this introductory period, you will also get an amazing bonus:

If there is anything specific that you would like to learn about using WordPress (within reason, of course!) that is not covered in this workshop, I will create a video or PDF tutorial just for you, showing you how to do it. And, in the event that it’s something I can’t do, I’ll, at the very least, point you in the right direction so you can get the help you need.

I am not “techie” at all. Will I be able to do this?This workshop is specifically for the non-techie oriented. That’s why I’ve built it. I don’t just throw a bunch of theory at you, and then toss you out to the wolves to figure it all out yourself. Anything I ask you to do, I also show you how to do… in “real people speak”…through step by step video instructions.

And, if there’s something tripping you up, I’ll help you… and I’ll be happy to do it.

I don’t have time to blog.

I get this a lot, and believe me, I understand where you’re coming from. Between making product (all by ourselves, in most cases!), photography, listing, shipping, customer service, and everything else we have to do to run a creative business…blogging can feel like an impossible task to add to the mix.

But, here’s the thing: all that stuff doesn’t even matter if you aren’t marketing your products. And blogging is the very best marketing you can do. It’s a zillion times cheaper than advertising, and once you get it going, it works for you constantly. And, you don’t have to blog all the time for it to benefit your business. The more you blog, the better… but any amount you do will help bring you traffic.

The truth is, with the amount of competition, and the amount of content, out there in the internet world these days…you can’t afford not to blog.

Will blogging really increase my sales?

Yes.

It doesn’t happen overnight. Nothing worthwhile does, right? But, if you put in the time and effort…blogging will increase your sales. I am living proof. I sell seasonal products, and I have sales every single day, because of my blog.

What happens when I sign up for this workshop?

As soon as you complete the payment process, you’ll be automatically re-directed to the members only website, where you’ll be asked to set up a login and password. And then, you’re in!

The videos are laid out in order, so you can watch and work through each one, step by step. You can’t get lost.

Good grief, Charlie Brown. Not another online marketing “guru!”

Yeah. I hear you.

Well, I’m not. There are definitely enough self-proclaimed “gurus” out there these days. I am not sure I can teach you to change the world, or learn to fly, or anything like that.

I’m just a normal person… but I have been selling my ornaments online since 2005. And, I started to fall as much in love with the web development and marketing side of my business, as I am with making my ornaments. I can tell you I’m no guru, because in 8 years of online selling, I’ve made every mistake you can think of. (That, and my voice makes me sound twelve. You’ll see when you watch the videos. I don’t know of any gurus that sound twelve.)

I once deleted every single image from my entire website in one fell swoop. I was also once hacked by someone who decided to put a bunch of pages on my site about girls who were…not so nice. Google suddenly wasn’t so nice, either.

But, I’ve also learned a lot. And, if you’d like to reap that 8 years of experience and learn to sell more of your stuff (minus the mistakes and the 8 years), I’d love to have you in this workshop.

And don’t worry, I’ll also teach you how to guard against getting hacked. And to back up your site. 🙂

Will I have access to you in this workshop?

Yes.

I built this workshop because I am a giant geek about this stuff. I’ve seen how powerful it’s been in growing my own business…and I know it can do the same for you. Over the last few years, I’ve been asked a lot…how I built my site, how I grew such a big email list and Facebook page, and how I make a year round living selling Christmas ornaments… and I’ve always helped whenever I could. I even built an entire website for a direct competitor once.

Basically, I’m telling you all of this to say…I will give you all the help I can. And I’ll be happy to do it.