i got an excellent question in my formspring box after last week’s post on comments:

How do you know what blog is a good fit to target for your shop? I feel somewhat like I am shooting arrows into the dark. Do you have any suggestions to make the selection process easier?

this is such a fabulous question. you can comment, submit, stalk, and otherwise engage a blogger for forever – but if her readership isn’t your potential customers… you’re just wasting time. for instance, for everything i cover at scoutie girl, there is a laundry list of things i don’t write about – if you read scoutie girl, you probably have a pretty good feel for what might be on that list – children’s items, beaded jewelry (love it – just too much of it to fairly cover), bath & body, business products, etc…

of course, if you make those type of items, i still hope you read & contribute to scoutie girl.

to find the best blogs to reach your customers, you must first define your customer! this can be scary. because what you really need to do is narrow down a broad idea of who might buy your product into a very focused picture of who will buy your product. is it a mom who wants to feel pretty even though she wears sweats everyday? is it a guy who is buying a gift for his girlfriend? is it a 20-something gal who is obsessed with the 80s and the bangles?

get specific.

once you have that idea, run a google search for your ideal customer and tack on the word “blog.” once you have identified a single blog (or other media!!) that speaks to your ideal customer, take some time to go through their blog roll. the whole reason we have blog rolls is to highlight our friends and the people we look up to. most of those people are going to have similar styles and speak to your customer too.

go from blog to blog roll to blog to blog roll until you’ve got a list. subscribe to those blogs, read them whenever you have a chance, comment whenever something catches your eye, connect with the blogger on twitter or facebook. build a rapport. and then solicit a review or feature. this shouldn’t be a chore because this is the heart of where business, fun, and real life come together. this is why you’re in a creative biz to begin with, right?

spending the time to market yourself carefully and smartly means defining who you are, who your business is directed to, and finding out where they hang out. good luck!

{image credit: unconventional ida}