Branding… This is something you hear over and over as a blogger, but to be quite frank, I haven’t always been sure exactly what that even meant. I get that by building my blog, I am building my brand, but where does one actually start when it comes to branding?

In the last few months, I’ve gotten so many questions about starting a blog from friends, acquaintances, and even from people I’ve just met who learn I’m a blogger and become fascinated and wonder just how it’s done. Well going into that would take many many posts, but if there is one thing I’ve realized in my 6 years of blogging, it’s that getting your blog out there is one of the most important things you can do!  Duh, if you want to be influential, you need readers! Unfortunately, what my experience has also taught me, is that getting your name out there can be the hardest part of all. I’m still trying to break through the mold and get more exposure to my blog, and really as a blogger, this is something we should all have on our mind constantly and be working towards daily. This is exactly where branding comes into play.

Branding isn’t just important for bloggers who are wanting to get their name out there, it’s vital for any business to succeed. If you google the meaning of the word branding, it means establishing a presence in the consumer (or readers) mind, in order to attract and keep customers.

 

1. Create a Unique, eye-catching Logo and Name

One way to do this is, and the first thing you will obviously want to do when starting a blog, is create a good logo and name for your blog (or brand). When It comes to branding and creating a logo/name, keep it fun, catchy, simple, eye-catching, and unique, and of course -relevant to what you want to talk about and what you want the focus of your blog to be!  These are the keys to creating a successful logo for your brand.

 

2. Build Your Social Media and Use it Regularly.

Don’t forget to share all of your blog posts to all of your social media outlets! Social Media is not only fun and HUGE, but it’s absolutely necessary for branding these days. Ask any blogger, they will tell you it is absolutely necessary and one of the biggest things they use to help drive traffic to their blog. Start building your social media now! Get on all of the major social media outlets too such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube if you have videos! Snapchat is becoming the next big social media outlet, and I keep hearing about it over and over! Businesses are wanting to use it more and more to get the word out, and that means they want to work with bloggers who have high influence and a good following here, so start Snapchatting! This is one I admittedly need to be better about using and building for my own brand!

 

3. Add those Handy Social Media Share Buttons to your Blog

When blogging and create awesome content, be sure to share each post on all of your social media. Also, be sure to add those handy little social media share buttons to your blog so that it makes it easy for your readers to share your post to their social media as well!

 

4. Show off your Brand!

Create your business card to keep on hand to give out when needed. Don’t be afraid to go a step further and get creative with your brand. Being a fashion blogger, I love creating a cute Tshirt, tote or accessory that shows off my style, as well as gets people asking about my logo and in turn, hopefully, sparks an interest in seeing what my fashion brand is all about! Whatever your niche, create cool logos and place them on products used in your niche. For instance, if you run a cooking blog, create cute teaspoons, spatulas, etc with your blog name and logo on it! If you’re a sports blogger, get your brand printed out on tennis balls, gym bags, etc. The ideas are endless!

Find events you can attend with people who are interested in the topic of your niche, and start passing out your gear! I plan on keeping some fun Sunglasses with my blog logo on hand at all times,  to give out when I find a good opportunity to help someone remember my blog in style! Because that is what my blog is all about- Style!

 

5. Bloggers love other bloggers. Start getting involved in blogging facebook groups, attend blogger conferences, and start sharing your brand.

This is such a great way to get tips, helpful information from other men and women doing the same thing you do (The experts!), and is a great way to start building your brand and getting your name out there. Comment regularly on your favorite blogs (you’re linking back to your own blog by doing this). Share other bloggers’ blog posts to your social media. Share the love and more often than not you will find other bloggers will do the same for you! It’s also an amazing way to find lots and lots of people (and potential readers!) who are already interested in your niche, and this is of course, always a great way to help build your brand.

 

 

Branding can be fun, so play around with it, come up with some good ideas and then get going! Be sure to take your time creating your logo and blog name, make sure it’s something you will LOVE for a very long time and love sharing with others when they ask you about it! Then get building your brand and sharing it!

 

Happy Blogging!

*Thank you http://www.firelabel.co.uk/ for sponsoring this post. All opinions expressed in this post are solely my own. I only share posts with my readers I feel will be beneficial or informative in some way.

 

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