Blogging Success How to Obtain It

The Etsy forums are packed full of amazing information.  Etsy Forum Rewind brings these buried posts back to life so more people from the community can benefit from the information.  Here is the Original Etsy thread.
lupin says:
I’ve had quite a few people ask me about blogging tips recently so I thought I’d re-post something I wrote a little while ago in case more people find it useful!
My blog is http://bugsandfishes.blogspot.com I’ve been blogging for a few years now, and slowly building up traffic… In the past few months my blog has has over 35,000 page views per month, very exciting
My top blogging tips for Etsy sellers:
1) Don’t just write about your shop (or just about Etsy). Yes you want to sell stuff and promote your work and yes Etsy is super awesome and there are a million super products on here to mention… but my gosh it can get dull reading about it over and over!
If all you do is write about “here’s my new necklace” or “here’s a treasury I made on Etsy” or “here are some green things I like on Etsy” the only visitors you’ll get is from Etsy sellers Googling themselves! (and maybe your mum. My mum loves my blog)
2) Share your process – I love reading about peoples works in progress, their new designs, successes, etc but it’s also interesting to see peoples workspaces, new supplies, inspirations (a vintage plate with a great pattern, a walk you took in the local woods) and other snippets from peoples artistic lives. You don’t have to get really personal or give away any secrets, but show the person behind the stuff!
3) Get involved with the blogging community – read other blogs and learn from them, comment on blogs, link to the ones you like, make those connections. You’ll not only become a better blogger in the process, but blogs thrive on links and the internet equivalent of word-of-mouth promotion.
4) Use freebies wisely. I’ve recently started doing giveaways, but I don’t think of them as a way to drive traffic *to* my blog but as a little gift for my regular readers. If you’re giving away something awesome enough then a giveaway can be a good promotional tool, but you still have to have a way of *keeping* those visitors on your blog when they click through to try to get something for free. If you don’t have interesting content, you’ll just be giving something away to a stranger and getting nothing in return.
Another popular freebie in the craft world is the tutorial. I love writing tutorials, and I know lots of my readers (and customers – I sell supplies as well as my own crafts) are crafty and enjoy them. I’ve had some great traffic with tutorials on my blog and gained lots more readers through them, but don’t give away your trade secrets just for the sake of a few extra hits! I normally try to do simple projects or ones which relate to the crafting I do for fun (not for business) – for example, last year I did a series of tutorials based on some gift-wrapping I was doing for my Christmas gifts.
5) Blog regularly. You don’t have to become a blogging addict like me, but it’s much better to, blog once a week than three times in one week and then not for a fortnight.
6) Keep it short. Long, wordy blog posts without lots of pictures can be a pain to read and unless you’re posting about something really special most people won’t bother. And the more pictures the better, in my opinion! I started blogging a lot when I did a “crafting 365″ project, making something everyday and taking a picture, and taking regular quick snaps for my blog has really helped improve my photography (which in turn helps my shop).
7) Keep it professional. Remember that if you’re blogging, and connecting that blog to your business that your posts may be read by potential customers or stockists or even employers. Ranting about that bitch who stole your idea or your horrible boss etc might not be the best idea, especially living in an age when everyone Googles themselves!
And finally….
If you don’t enjoy it, try something else! If you hate blogging you won’t update your blog or give it any love and attention and it will sit gathering dust with no-one reading it… so you might as well use your energy on something that suits you better. Perhaps writing a great monthly newsletter? or joining Twitter or Facebook to promote your work. Or just concentrate on making awesome things to update your shop