Creating your brand as a blogger
Branding. You may have thought about it or maybe not. Regardless of which camp you fall into if you are serious about your business as a blogger than you NEED to make it a priority.
I know what you must be thinking. I’m just blogging here. What do I need a brand for? Well, you don’t if your blog is just for fun. But if want to be a professional, not an amateur you must have a brand.
Brand is defined as the “name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s product distinct from those of other sellers. Think Apple, Target, or Starbucks. Most of us can spot one of those stores from a mile away even if we can’t read the letters, but that’s just part of what a brand it. It’s more than a recognizable logo or image. It’s not JUST the red bullseye for Target or the lady on the cup for Starbucks. A brand is the feeling it invokes. To me I equate Starbucks to a hipster place for overpriced (but really good) coffee where I can hang out with my Mac Book and surf the web with other people doing the same. I tend to feel more creative at a Starbucks than I do at home in my office. I like going there because of how it makes me feel not just the place to grab a cup of coffee. It’s an experience.
Apple is a lifestyle (or a cult if you want to go that route) when I see someone with a MacBook I feel a kinship and think, “that’s a cool gal, she’s a Mac user.”
The feeling these two companies evoke is what brands them. You want people to have that feeling when they land on your blog.
You want your blog to be distinct from all the other blogs out there don’t you?
Think of the blogs you love and why. Between the blog design, their voice, and the content they write on, what is it they say to you? What is the experience you have on those blogs. Then think what is the experience you want folks to have when they come to your blog.
There are a couple blogs I think do a great job of creating a brand. A couple I will list here and why.
I Wore Yoga Pants – Whitney, the author of this blog, is a fun loving person who is transparent about her life and what’s happening in it. I go to this blog because I know I will laugh and sometimes sympathize with her as she goes through life experiences we all go through.
A Beautiful Mess – When I visit their site it inspires creativity, and I can see the beauty in everything. They are way above my DYI skills, but they make it seem effortless.
Yes, they also have a logo but without the personality, the feeling coming from these blogs the brand wouldn’t be as meaningful.
When people visit my blog, I want them to feel like they are coming to my house to hang out with a glass of wine and some great conversation. Every post I write I ask myself if that is how it comes across. I don’t always hit the mark; it’s a work in progress, but I have a goal in site.
What is your blogs brand?
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