How to Create a Blog for your Direct Sales Business

I often get asked how to create a blog and how to get started blogging for your direct sales business. Blogging can be a great way to promote your direct sales or small business.

You can share valuable information about your products, services and the solutions you provide.

You can also use your blog to help create a brand for yourself so you stand out from all the other consultants out there.

Having a blog with good content that includes search engine optimization (SEO) can also help bring potential customers, hosts and team members to your site.

You can also use your blog to create landing pages for your lead magnets and email opt-in offers to help with getting more leads for your business. 

Blogging, just like any other endeavor does take some time, a little technical skill and consistency.  There are a lot of things to think about before you dive into learning how to create a blog to make sure you set it up right from the start and can build and grow a successful online presence. 

There are several platforms you can create a blog on from free sites like Blogger.com to low cost platforms like Wix or Squarespace that don’t require a lot of technical skills & offer an easy to use drag & drop customization features. I personally use and recommend self-hosted WordPress sites. They offer the most options for customization and the best SEO.

If you have decided to start blogging with a self-hosted WordPress site, here are the steps for how to create a blog:

• Purchase your domain name. This is your address on the web. (For instance – ceoof.me or mistydawnkearns.com) Choose a domain name that reflects your brand, your name or what solution you provide / focus of your business. Be sure to not choose a name that includes someone else’s trademarked or copyrighted name or content. I recommend Godaddy.com. You can buy your domain directly through your webhosting package if they offer it, but it might be best to buy it separately in case you ever decide to change web hosts.
• Sign up for webhosting through a hosting company such as  SiteGround. Siteground offers very affordable monthly hosting and the shared hosting / starter packages are a great value for new bloggers. They can also provide technical support and answer other questions on how to create a blog using their hosting if you get stuck. (I personally use Liquid Web for my hosting as I needed managed hosting and Cloud VPS since I have a membership site.

  NOTE: If you use a good webhost like SiteGround, they can help you with getting your WP installed and everything set up that I have outlined in the steps below.

• Once you have purchased your hosting, if your domain was purchased through another platform, you will need to update your nameservers on your domain. You will get the nameserver info in your information from your webhost in your confirmation email. Then you can just go to wherever you bought your domain from and go into the domain settings and add the 2 custom nameservers. 
• Once you have your nameservers set up and the domain is showing up on your hosting, you will need to install WordPress on your domain. You can do that from your hosting control panel (cPanel) under Software, then select to install WordPress on the main domain. You can also ask your Webhost to do this for you if you aren’t tech savvy. (Be sure to save the username & password you create as you will need this to login to your site!)  
• After WordPress is installed, you will be able to login to your WordPress Admin Dashboard with the username & password you just created.
• Once you are you are in your dashboard, this is where you can customize all your settings for your new blog and install a free theme (design) (or a custom paid for theme) and also install plugins that can add even more features to your site. 
• Once you have your site set up, you can start creating your pages (a few ideas: About, Contact, Host a Party, Join my Team, Product Info & Shop Online) and set up your menu bar to include those pages. Then you can add widgets to your sidebar (a few ideas: your social media follow buttons, a picture of you with a short welcome message, your email newsletter sign up form, a featured product or two and contact information).
• Then once you have it all set up how you like it, you can begin writing your content and posting on a regular basis!

Creating the Content & Images for your Blog Posts

Once you get your blog all set up, it is a good idea to come up with a Content Plan & Calendar for your blog. This would be a list of topics you want to post about and when you will post about them. (I share details on how to create an effective & efficient content plan in my Blogging 101 for DS Course) 

Be sure to include nice, big, clear images in all your posts. I recommend Canva Pro for easy image creation and Ivory Mix for stock images & graphics.

Once you have content planned and have started posting, be sure to share it on your social media channels and in your monthly newsletters. Include your blog address on your business cards, emails, on your social media profiles and let everyone know about all the awesome tips and content you have available.

The key to success in blogging for your direct sales business is going to come from sharing valuable information on a consistent basis. You will need to promote your blog on social media and through your email newsletter to keep getting new traffic. Be real, authentic and focused on helping others and use your blog as another avenue to grow your business!

Checkout my Blogging 101 for Direct Sales Course for all the details, steps, checklists and important strategies to set up a blog for your DS business that gets results.