How to Brand Your Blog
Please excuse the pun, but it was quite appropriate and I just really love these glasses. Anyway, we are focusing on the brand today.
I think that one of the most important things a business or blog should have is a brand; its essential. Without a brand, something you do could be recognized as someone else's or as just not being connected to you, which is not good either way. I have been learning about the importance of having a brand from around the internet and I find it all very interesting.
For example, if say a big company like Apple didn't have the brand it does, would you still really want that iPhone or Macbook. You can probably get something that is a lot cheaper, but does lots of similar things to what Apple products are capable of from somewhere else, so do you need to go to Apple. I find this concept really fascinating.
I devised these worksheets to help you try and discover what brand your business or blog should have and how you should represent it. One of the most important stages on the sheets is to do with creating a brand statement. This is the few words you will have to use to do anything on your blog from now on, so they need to be chosen carefully. I took a long time to work out what my brand should be and what I want to represent.
The two worksheets above are image files so that you can edit them on your computer yourself or print them out for scribbling on if you want to
So, applying your brand to your business, blog or freelance self and making it all feel like one, but not the same, is probably the hardest branding step (I am still trying to work out how I should be applying my own brand at the moment).
Before I have talked about creating your brand exactly how you want in a Brand Focus post and I also gave away two free worksheets to help you in this process of developing your brand.
Moving on with the process, how exactly do we apply this fresh new brand?
Your brand, at the moment, should include a name, logo, slogan and a few colours and fonts. These all need to be incorporated into the way you showcase, advertise and design anything that needs to be recognized as yours or your blog/business'. This will mean that everything that should relate back to you does and very easily and visually.
Anyone should be able to recognise your work as yours. It needs to make everything you do recognizable and clear for any potential viewers, customers, clients, readers, etc. All the small details will make a difference because they will be yours and completely unique to you.
An example of Apple
For example, Apple's logo only consists to the apple shape with a bite taken out of it, simple. Despite that, I'm sure most people would recognise that logo as soon as they saw it. Apple ustilise this by putting their logo on everything that's to do with them to remind people who see it that it is linked to Apple.
This is without even having to write their company name at the same time, all they need is the logo for everyone to be able to recognise it. This is really interesting and shows how Apple have managed to market themselves so well, that they are recognisable by their simple logo and everyone knows what the company sells and what its called.
Just be you
"It is important that all aspects of your brand are strong, purposeful, and solid." - Branding Yourself Online - Holly Marie Designs. This will mean that you will remain consistent and always be you; your brand won't sway and morph with the trends or because of someone who just doesn't like what you do. You should be proud to say that you are part of your brand and that it is what you stand for.
Specific do-able tips and tricks
Some of the most important ways/ places to apply your brand would be on your social media networks, portfolio, website, business cards, blog and any graphics/ photographs that are yours. This will ensure hat everything flows together well and works in unison to help get your brand out there and noticed; to bring in customers, clients, potential partners and the average viewer and make your brand stand out.
- Every post graphic should have a similar font, colour, or include your name.
- Use the same social media picture on all your accounts.
- Always link back to your website.
- Put your brand colours in everything you do.
- Use a certain type of image (even if they are stock images).
- Create variations of your logo so it looks smart and simple when it doesn't need to stand out much.
Here I have made a list of all the places I found really helpful information when developing the brand for my blog, these can also be applied for a small business or your personal brand. I hope you find some of them useful as I did. I would recommend reading them all together before you start building your brand because they all have something to add and all have different perspectives and viewpoints to offer on the subject.
