Strategies For Fashion Blogging Success

Earlier today, I tuned in to a fun and informative Q&A Seminar with Michelle Madhok of SheFinds, hosted by Coutorture co-founder Julie Fredrickson. The hot topic: Fashion blogging success strategies! Aww yeah. Here are some of the great tips and expert advice that Michelle and Julie shared with the group, summed up by yours truly, for all to ingest and enjoy:

Strategies For Fashion Blogging Success:

Know yourself, know your audience. What's your niche? Who are you trying to reach? What is the brand you're trying to create and promote? These are probably the toughest questions to answer, but once you do, you'll be well on your way to fashion blogging success.

Network, network, network! Michelle says networking is key to the success of your fashion blog, especially if you want to turn it into a business. Joining a fashion blogging community such as Coutorture is a great place to start, both Julie and Michelle say. Create profiles for your blog on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.com for additional exposure. (Add The Budget Babe as your friend on MySpace now!)

Syndicate your content. By submitting your content to be featured on major high-traffic sites, Michelle says you can increase visibility and gain new readers. While SheFinds syndicates content on major portals like Yahoo and AOL, beginners should check out BlogBurst.

Create and share widgets of your blog. Think of widgets as "portable chunks of the web." Find out more at My Blog Log and WidgetBox.

Share some link-lovin'. Submit your content for linking via sites like Sugarloving, BuzzFeed, and Skirt to help boost traffic.

Notify the people/companies/products that you blog about. For example, if you review a lipstick by Lancome, go to their website and send an e-mail about your product review to Lancome's general info or customer service e-mail address. Or, send an email directly to Lancome's Public Relations peeps: Michelle says Who.RepsWhat.com is an excellent resource for PR rep info.

Deliver your content in a variety of formats. Offer content feeds and/or newsletters via Feedburner and Feedblitz. Other newsletter services include MailerMailer, iContact and Constant Contact.

Promote your giveaways. Submit giveaways that you run on your blog to sweepstake sites (a Google search for "sweepstakes" will point you in the right direction, Michelle says). Coutorture members should notify Julie, as she may be able to help promote your sweeps on Coutorture.com.

Don't be afraid to reach out. Contact other bloggers and fashion industry peeps with your questions and ideas. "People are more accessible than you think," Julie says.

Make the most of your day job. Learn as many skills as possible at your current job that will help you with your blog or your next, new endeavor, says Michelle.

Do a little something every day. You don't have to do everything all at once. Focus on tackling one or two of the strategies mentioned above at a time, and update your site daily with new information.


>> If you'd like to partner with The Budget Babe for a giveaway or cross-promotion, drop me a line at info(at)thebudgetbabe.com.