BusinessHABDesigning Blogging Business : If you want some great tips on how to run a successful fashion blog,
you have come to the right place, so keep reading!
This will teach you about setting it up, spreading the word, posts, and more
There are tons of style bloggers out there today—but just like anything fabulous, there’s definitely room for more.
In fact, it probably won’t be long before having a blog is a prerequisite for getting a job in the fashion industry.
After all, it’s a form of networking—a way to showcase your style.
Position yourself as an expert, and get known in the fashion world.
So, how do you get a blog up and running, then get it to stand out from the crowd?
I won’t dance around the answers or judge you in a British accent.
But I will share the real scoop on what being a successful blogger really takes.
Read also: 35 Tips to Open Ladies Shapewear Retail Business in Nigeria
See also; 10 Best Blog Post Formula for Blogging Business in Nigerian
Designing Blogging Business
1. Start Sharing
From the beginning, start promoting your blog to family, friends, and your social network (without being overly annoying, of course).
This is your best bet for testing out your brand and content.
The truth is, no one will read your first couple posts outside of the people you tell about your blog.
So there’s no reason to freak out every time you hit the publish button.
Just get some content out there and start getting honest feedback from people.
Then, take your sharing and relationship-building to the next level.
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Start reaching out to other bloggers and potential readers via Twitter.
You’ll be surprised by how many great relationships you can build just by a simple tweet!
You should also consider setting up informational interviews with bloggers you admire.
It’s a great way to start building your network .
(Need help finding bloggers and more readers?
Check out my site, BusinessHAB.com, where you can find and follow bloggers who share your interests, all in one place.
Request an invite so you’ll have first access once we officially launch.)
Designing Blogging Business
2. Grow Your Readership
One of the keys to growing your readership is to have consistent content—people will keep coming back if they know when to expect new posts.
This could be as simple as adding a visible line somewhere on your homepage that says, “We post every day .
But beyond your typical publishing schedule, pay attention to popular events and see if you can opportunistically pick up extra Google search and Twitter traffic.
For example, when it was broadcasted everywhere last year that Pippa Middleton was wearing pantyhose out and about in London, I jumped in.
I wrote a piece about how much I dislike pantyhose, even if fashion’s.
If Girl was sporting them—and thus capitalized on a newly trending topic.
Because I was so quick to react, my blog received a spike in traffic from people looking for articles about Pippa’s fashion statement.
With any such strategic play, your goal is to bring people in—
and hopefully they’ll like what they see, look around more.
And come back to your blog long after the fashion trend or hot topic has died.
See also: 5 PROS AND 5 CONS OF SETTING UP A Nigerian LIMITED COMPANY
Designing Blogging Business
3. Befriend Agencies
Once you’ve gained a solid following, you can start reaching out to clothing brands.
This is the fun part! The first step is to create a list of PR or word of mouth marketing agencies that represent the brands you love and ask to be added to their media list.
(Try Googling the brand name you’re after and the phrase “PR firm.”
It’s likely a press release will pop up, giving you the contact information you need.)
It’s also helpful to keep tabs on the industry by reading sites such as PRSA.org, FashionablyMarketing.Me, and PR Couture.
See also: How to Make Money in Tilapia Fish Breeding in Nigeria(25 tips)
If you already love and wear a particular brand, don’t just ask to be added to the list.
Also let the agency know why your blog would be an excellent fit.
And send links of posts where you’ve worn the brand before.
Also try directly reaching out to emerging brands that may not be large enough to have their own agency.
They’re likely excited to grow their own following and eager to work with you.
Also remember that the best way to a brand’s heart is through engagement.
Brands and agencies want to work with bloggers who have engaged readers
Because that ultimately means that your readers listen to you and trust what you have to say.
And are more likely to purchase a product based on your recommendations).
So all that networking you’ve been doing with your readers?
It’ll pay off when it comes time to partner with brands.
Read also: How to Start Taxi Business in Nigeria
Designing Blogging Business
4. Get Paid for Your Services
If someone offers you clothing, that’s great!
But don’t be afraid to ask for payment anytime a brand wants a sponsored or promoted piece—
promotional pieces should be treated like advertisements, even if they’re integrated into your everyday posts.
Just like magazines earn money from their advertisers to stay in business,
your blog will eventually have to earn money through sponsorship or promotions if it’s going to stay afloat.
That being said, it’s your job as a blogger to have and enforce your standards.
You should only work with brands that are authentic to you and that you would personally wear—not just anyone who will pay you.
If you are not a true advocate of a brand you’re promoting, you will quickly lose the trust of your readers.
See also: How to Start Business Selling Concrete in Nigeria(22 tips)
Designing Blogging Business
5. Get Out There
The truth is, you’ll quickly get to a point where the best way to grow your blog is to leave it.
In other words, reach out to other blogs—particularly the ones you think your potential readers are visiting—and ask to write guest posts.
Plan to write as many as possible—upward of 10 a month if you’re truly passionate about growing your readership.
6or the best chances of converting people to readers of your site, write about topics that will be interesting for the readers of that particular blog.
For example, if your blog covers bargain fashion deals and the site you’re guest posting on targets professional women, combine those efforts by writing a post on, say, five workplace looks under $50.
Another great option is interviewing some of your favorite bloggers and posting the Q&A on your site.
Not only will you likely gain some insights, but you’ll also see a traffic bump if the interviewee promotes the piece.
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Designing Blogging Business
6. Position Yourself As An Expert
Finally, being a blogger can definitely help you position yourself as an expert in the fashion world.
So don’t be afraid to pitch local news sources or city magazines with story ideas that can showcase your unique perspective and expertise.
Just like your posts on trending topics, the best pitch to a media outlet is a story that relates to something that’s currently hot in the news or that’s coming up around the corner.
(For example: Pitch a local morning show on presenting fall fashion trends from stores all found in your city.)
You’ll also want to show your credibility by linking to past guest posts, media mentions, or accomplishments.
As well as why you’re the perfect expert for the story.
No, it’s not easy, and it does take time, but as you build your blog and following.
It’ll become easier to pitch yourself.
See also; 10 Basic Script Writing Business Ideas in Nigeria
Designing Blogging Business
7. Your Fashion Angle.
Before anything else, you need to know what aspect or elements of the fashion world you want to blog about.
It’s a large industry and you don’t want to make a pretense of trying to cover the whole thing.
Pick a niche that is of interest to you.
That you know a lot about and that inspires you to write about.
Keep learning about and share with others.
While there are many possible ways to break down the fashion angle.
Here are some suggestions just to get you thinking about your own:
- Fashion for mid to late teens
- Fashion on the catwalks of Europe
- The Fashion for office work in big cities
- Fashion for winter vacations
- Fashion for babies and young children
- The Fashion on a budget
- Fashion fixes for thrift shop finds, etc.
Read also: 11 Tips To Write Compelling Press Release Reference in Nigeria
Designing Blogging Business
8. Get A Great Name For Your Blog.
Many good blog names already exist.
So you’ll need to be very imaginative but with a little effort.
It will be possible to come up with something of your own that stands out.
Spend some time writing out lists of possible names.
Test them on family and friends and mull over the names for a few days before reaching a decision.
If you‘re blogging with others, do a brainstorm session together.
Keep the name as short as possible without being dull.
Designing Blogging Business
9. Decide On A Main Theme.
While the theme will obviously be focused on designing.
It’s the design elements you‘ll need to customize.
Make the design exciting and fun so the viewers will keep coming on the site from the start.
Don’t make it too busy, but equally, don‘t make it bland.
Find a balance that exudes elegance, confidence and simplicity.
If you’re not sure, hire a web designer to help you.
This can be done easily through online sources.
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Designing Blogging Business
10. Get Your Image Pattern
Decide how large your images will be. Large images are preferred by those using portable digital media, as the screens are smaller.
Small images tend to have less impact and important details can be easily lost.
Designing Blogging Business
11. Choose A Color Theme.
Do you have a main color or set of colors that you think work well for your fashion statement? Do test runs of different colors and combinations of colors to see what works best for your layout.
When choosing colors, bear in mind the fashion you‘ll be covering.
Colors connote different meanings, such as gold and metallic for sophistication and evening fashion; pinks and pastels for girly or children’s fashion; navy blues and dark colors for work fashion; and greens, blues and browns for eco-fashion.
See also: How to Earn Money as Banking Business Analyst in Nigeria(23 tips)
Designing Blogging Business
12. Choose Heading And Font Styles Wisely.
Headers help to break down the text and make for easier reading.
They also allow you to draw the reader‘s eye quickly, allowing the reader to home in on what he or she is really interested in.
The headers should match the theme and layout as perfectly as possible.
As for font style, match it your readership, while accounting for ease of reading in the online context.
Some fonts are better for a more quirky, younger and less sophisticated approach.
While other fonts are better for the more serious-minded.
Do your research before choosing.
Designing Blogging Business
13. Get Informative Statements.
It is important that readers can quickly work out what your blog is about.
And have these form a permanent part of the blog‘s layout.
These statements should be short, to the point and as catchy/interesting as possible.
The principal ones to develop include:
- The byline under the blog‘s name.
- Usually a one to two liner, this should summarize the blog’s purpose.
- This is the chance to write a glowing background to the purpose of the blog and cool information about those behind it.
- First post. This is a great place to explain the future direction of the blog.
- It can be linked on the side bar for those who wish to read it many months or years down the track.
- Categories or tags. Do not neglect the categories or tags you’re going to have.
- They need careful selection and naming, to make it easy for readers to pull together all posts on a particular topic or theme that interests them.
- Don’t be too simplistic. For example: “A blog about fashion” is a tad too broad.
See through; 20+ Profitable Beauty Business Ideas in Nigeria
Designing Blogging Business
14. Make A Good Decision
While sharing a blog can reduce the workload considerably and provide lots of interesting opinions.
There are some key things to consider when making a decision to run a shared blog:
- If you run it with one other person or with multiple people, this may turn out harder than you thought.
- This is because you have to constantly coordinate with at least one other person and be certain that he or she is keeping up his or her end of the bargain.
- You don’t want to end up being the deadline nag.
- Choose someone you can trust.
- you get in a fight with this friend you will be letting the fans down and may have to delete the blog or let your friend take it over.
- Choose someone who is as passionate about fashion as you are and who has a love of sharing ideas about it.
- He or she doesn‘t need to have the same ideas as you, although clashing all the time will cause readers to wonder why you decided to share a blog together.
Designing Blogging Business
15. Get To Know How Much Work This Will Involve.
Example, you are solely responsible for meeting deadlines.
Ensuring that there is sufficient content each week and keeping on top of comments from your readers.
You must interact with readers.
Or else they will feel that you‘re not interested in them, and they‘ll soon lose interest.
You will need to keep coming up with fresh and interesting stories and angles.
However, on the plus side, you have complete control and what you say, goes.
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Designing Blogging Business
16. Start Publishing Some Fashion Posts.
Your first post should explain what the blog aims to do.
And what sort of fashion stories and opinions you‘ll be adding.
This post can continue to inform readers to the blog for many years.
So make it a good one, with clear explanations of the intended direction.
This post can also identify your intentions as to how regularly you‘ll add posts.
This is something that should be worked out at the beginning.
While it can be changed later, it should be an indication of serious intent at this point.
Designing Blogging Business
17. Begin Adding Posts Regularly.
Write interesting posts which are fun to read and look at.
Add plenty of images and perhaps include animations, videos and other enlivening aspects.
Some things to bear in mind when writing posts:
- Keep to your promised blog coverage. You won’t win over readers by spinning yarns that veer away from the fashion topic. For example, if you’re covering posh fashions and you happen to cover them at the local horse races, avoid discussing the merits of betting on horses.
- Try to find exciting angles not already covered elsewhere.
- Your opinions also matter; readers want to read something different from the other blogs and news items about the fashion you’re covering.
- Use post headers that draw in the reader and make them want to know much more.
- Always check your facts. Don’t make things up and don’t say mean things about people or you may not only upset your readers, but end up defaming people.
- You don’t want to do that! (There are really good books and online information about avoiding such slip-ups on blogs; check them out.)
- Be guided by the indications your readers give you.
- If they express a love of something you‘ve written, produce more of it.
- Place your name on the blog posts you produce if you‘re doing a shared blog.
- This allows readers to identify with each author and it helps you to grow your “fan base“.
- If you run this site with multiple people, make it clear that you want equal, or close to equal, amounts of posts on this blog.
- If someone gets lazy, consider a system of warnings before they’re ditched completely.
- You don’t have the time to be chasing someone constantly.
Designing Blogging Business
18. Change Your Posts Up.
Don’t add the same styles and fashions to your blog.
You can even try setting new trends as well as adding lots of pictures, tips, and possibly videos.
You may want some new fashion updates or even contact some of the fans personally to keep them there.
Designing Blogging Business
19. Use Sensible Images.
Images are the lifeblood of a blog focused on fashion; readers will want to see what you‘re talking about. It‘s really important to do the right thing by images too, including:
- If you’re taking images of your own, use a good camera and know the basics of taking great shots. The time taken to learn how to take good images will be paid back tenfold when your blog takes off.
- If using someone else’s images, be sure you have the permission or the copyright freedom to do so.
- Do not pinch pictures from elsewhere or you risk breaching copyright and getting yourself into a stink.
- Legal action isn’t fun. If you have permission, make this clear and place any information or notice with the image that the person giving permission requests.
- Keep a list of places you can get images from without having to ask for permission.
- you’re not running the blog for profit, this list will end up being quite large.
- However, as soon as you start making a profit from your blog, you’ll need to be even more careful about where you source the images from; read all terms and conditions with care.
- Consider teeing up with a blog written in another language.
- Share images with each other; this can allow both of you to source information from different countries.
- And increase the interest in both blogs, without having to worry too much about losing readers to one another!
Designing Blogging Business
20. Always Get A New Posts.
Readers have short attention spans and if you skip a scheduled posting, they‘ll already be thinking “has this blog closed down.
If you do need to miss posts, be courteous and explain ahead of time why this will happen.
People will understand that you have a life and that your interstate brother’s wedding comes before a post being on time!
Designing Blogging Business
21. Learn To Spread The Word.
Spreading the word is a very important part of running a blog or website successfully.
- Get accounts on social media that will promote your blog.
- For example, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Pinterest.
- Use a program that sends updates to these sites each time that you add a new post to the blog.
- Use fun, quirky and short lead-ins on these sites to entice people to click on the link and come and read your new posts.
- Also use forums to share blog content.
- Post information about your website onto other sites or blogs.
- You can personally tell people about it and tell them to then spread the word, and you can even pass out flyersor business cards.
Other post; Top Music Blog Business Guide in Nigeria
Designing Blogging Business
22. Get Guest Blog.
Where possible, try to guest blog on other fashion blogs.
This increases your outreach to new readers.
And gets your blog some exposure that will remain ongoing for as long as that blog exists/leaves your post intact.
In turn, invite others to blog on your blog too.
The reciprocity of guest blogging opens up lots of possibilities and spreads the word.
Designing Blogging Business
23. Look At Your Audience.
You should be able to see your audience such as the people viewing at the second.
The people viewed today, week, month, and all time.
You should see the posts that they have viewed and how many views that post has gotten.
You may also be able to see what viewers have typed on Google or other source sites to get to your blog.
Then you may want to do some posts on those sources or keywords (traffic sources) to get more viewers coming on.
Designing Blogging Business
23. Have Lots Of Updates.
Make sure that you are welcoming your fans instead of driving them away.
You may want to change the appearance, or layout of your blog occasionally to keep it exciting, interesting, and fresh.
Designing Blogging Business
24. Learn To Make Money From It
The final part about creating a successful blog from scratch is to finally make money from it.
Remember, making money from a blog is not really hard if you are consistently working hard towards creating great contents and promoting the right products to your audience.
I strongly suggest you to find and create a list of all the products you want to promote through your fashion blog before you even launch it.
That will give you a clear idea about what to write and how to promote the right products relating to fashion industry to increase your website sales.
See related; Top 15 Tips to Start Photography Blog Business in Nigeria
25. Designing Blogging Business :Get The Tips
Here are few tips to make money from fashion blogs.
- Once you set up your own fashion blog and started getting readers, you can launch a podcast or video series to acquire more buyers who are interested in buying products from you.
- You can try selling eBooks related to fashion blogging or become a fashion industry consultant to make money out of your blogging efforts.
- You can find and use the best performing affiliate programs to make passive income from your blogs.
- First off, make a list of all the affiliate products your competitors are promoting, then choose the best products to promote from your blog.
Conclusion
Anyone can start a fashion blog, the real success lies in making it profitable.
You cannot launch a successful fashion blog without targeting the right audience.
Get to know who you are targeting and get a professional domain name, hosting and design for your blog.
First impression is the last impression in online. So make sure you impress your blog audience with great content and design.
Also network with other bloggers in fashion industry to promote your blog well.
Make sure to find out all the monetization methods to make money from your blogging efforts.
Making money from fashion blogs is not hard if you know how to promote the right products to your blog readers.
Being a blogger no longer entails a couch, your parent’s basement,
and nerdy glasses (though thanks to Zooey Deschanel, those are currently back in style).
It instead requires some serious thought, planning, and work.
But with these steps, you’ll be one step (or heel!) ahead of the game.
Let me know if you have any questions related to launching a fashion blog successfully.
I’d be glad to answer your queries.
BusinessHAB