Learn How To Start A Fashion Blog
So you’re looking to start your own Fashion Blog but don’t know where to start? Well today I’ll explain how you can start your own blog and get your website off the ground! The fashion industry is ever growing and there are tons of outlets for people looking for fashion advice. The first thing you’ll want to do is come up with a basic business plan for your fashion blog. Here are some key metrics to consider:
- What niche will you be targeting? (adults, men, women, kids etc.)
- What demographic are you aiming for?
- Will you be selling products directly on your website or is it purely an information website?
- Who will benefit from your blog and why?
- Is this a full-time or part-time venture?
How To Get Started and Build Your Blog
Now this post is geared towards people who want to start a fashion blog however this guide can be used for anyone who wants to start a blog. Whether you’re a mom who wants to start blogging about motherhood or a fashionista wanting to blog about makeup and fashion, this guide is for you.
Step 1 – Setting up and installing WordPress
First you need to find a reliable web host. Your web host will be hosting your website so you want to make sure you choose a company who offers WordPress Hosting. WordPress is a free open source blogging software. Most hosting companies offer a free WordPress installer so be sure to ask your web host.
Once you’ve purchased a web hosting plan you’ll want to install WordPress. Your web host should be able to do this for you. WordPress is free and will allow you to start your blog within minutes. Once you’ve installed WordPress you will want to find an appropriate theme. Themes for WordPress are basically templates that change the look of your blog. Your next step is to check out ThemeForest WordPress Themes. They have an amazing community of theme designers for every niche. They offer paid themes and free themes however I always recommend a paid theme as they are affordable and the designs are much nicer. All of the themes are mobile-friendly which is important. You want to make sure your website will work on mobile devices such as cell phones and tablets. When you purchase and download a theme you can install it inside WordPress. Most themes come with installation instructions to guide you through the process.
Step 2 – Spreading The Word
Now that you’ve designed and launched your fashion blog you need to get an audience. First you need to blog. Write about what various topics and be honest. Provide useful tips and ideas to your visitors to make them want to read more. Engaging your audience is one of the best things you can do. Make sure you allow comments as communicating with your blog readers is critical. You want to know what people like and dislike and essentially you want to start a discussion.
Social Media is your friend. I can’t stress how important a role social media plays when it comes to spreading the word about your fashion blog.
Facebook: Start a Facebook group about fashion and invite all of your friends. Facebook is an awesome way to get people to visit your website. Post often and and invite friends of friends. Use every resource Facebook offers to spread the word.
Instagram: With a fashion blog having an Instagram account is vital. Create an Instagram account and you’ll be surprised how much traffic it can drive.
Twitter: Twitter is a great way to communicate with people around the world in your industry. Follow people in the fashion business and related industries. Tweet about your blog and link back to your blog.
Step 3: Your End Goal, How to make money blogging
So you’ve launched your fashion blog, connected your social media outlets and are now getting a steady stream of traffic. Successful bloggers don’t write for the fun of it, though you may enjoy what you do you still want to make money! You want to monetize your blog and you can do that with two options.
Option 1 – Paid Advertising
In order to get companies to advertise on your blog you’ll need a steady audience. This takes time and don’t rush things. Blog often and blog about current events. People want to read the latest and greatest things when it comes to fashion so be consistent. If you run out of ideas your posts will reflect that. Ask friends and family what interests them and what they would want to read about. Once your blog is established you can approach companies on advertising. Offer cheap advertising options and make sure your page is not filled with ads. The last thing you want to do is push your readers away. For example, contact companies who are in your industry and more importantly companies who’s ads your visitors may be interested in. If your target audience is females then showing car ads is not a good idea.
Option 2: Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is a great way to monetize your fashion blog. You can join a service such as Commission Junction. They allow you to find advertisers who pay you for people that buy products from them. Every time one of your blog readers clicks their link and buys a product you get a commission. For example, you would go to Commission Junction and join Town Shoes as an affiliate. Then put Town Shoes ads on your fashion blog. When a reader clicks the add and buys a pair of shes you get a percentage of the sale! This is a great way to showcase advertisers in your industry and profit from it.
There you have it, a simple guide on how to start a fashion blog and make money doing what you love!
