Tips for Creating an Online Store

I want to know which of our stores are blogging.  If you have a blog – email it to me or even better post it in the comments.

I like stores that blog.  It brings out the personality behind the company.  The most common comment I get is “Rishi, who is going to read my blog?  What is the point?”

The reason I am asking you to start a blog isn’t to gain more customers.  It is to to become more passionate about your business and increase your expertise in what you do.

Here are some ideas for your first post:

1. Tell everyone about your favorite product
2. Post a picture/video of you (or a friend) using the product
3. Talk about something totally personal… like what you did over the weekend
4. Blog about the things you enjoy (I enjoy ecommerce and helping small business owners like myself)
5. If you make your products talk about the process

From my experience the first 10 or so posts are hard.  After a while new post ideas spring up automatically.

Flying Cart uses WordPress for our blogging platform.  For beginners I would recommend Tumblr.  Super easy to use and it’s free. Another really easy to use and popular blog platform is Google’s Blogger (also free).

Tell me about your blog.  I will read it, post a comment, and I will like you more.

When we first launched Flying Cart no one really knew about us until we reached out to some blogs and asked them to talk about us.  Luckily they totally did AND it really helped!

Here is how I think you can do the same:

1. Search on Technorati or Google Blog Search with keywords related to your store.

2. Find the bloggers contact information (usually on the contact page or on the sidebar).

3. Email them a really interesting story about your store.

Here are some examples of possible angles you can pitch in that email:

• How you make all your products from recycled materials
• Your product is the best in the world because it can never break or be worn out
• How you are a stay at home mom entrepreneur
• You are really young – You are really old
• You have really cheap prices because you have some crazy connection
• Your girlfriend left you and now you want to get back at her by starting a business and becoming crazy rich!
• Your products are just soo damn good looking

Be creative and work any angles you think you have.

Here is a compiled list of people that might be interested in featuring you:

• The Flying Cart blog – Ask us to feature you (make sure you have an awesome looking store)
• Get listed in Brand Habit
• The Dirty Shirt Blog
• Get your products Flung on Fling it Girl
• Subscribe to HARO and get an email with reporters looking for stories
• Get a Product Review on Riding With No Hands
• Get in Mom Central’s Gift Guide

We would like to keep this post updated with more blogs.  If you know of any please let us know in the comments.