These are simple tips with examples added to make the tips easier to understand and apply to your own blog.
Create a Template
Your blog should have a certain theme or template that is used on every blog post, except for seasonal posts in which you should put holiday themes and backgrounds. Otherwise, you need to pick a certain template/theme and stick to it. This will become a fundamental part of your brand recognition.
Do not be afraid to use colors and sexy patterns on your background/themes. Color and pattern can create a high degree of recognition in your readers mind. Did you know that the sellout Matt Groening colored the Simpson’s yellow so that you would notice them as you skipped channels? It worked well for him (p.s. he loves it when you tug on his beard). Color can do a lot to help brand your blog.
Name your blog
It is so simple and yet so overlooked by so many bloggers. How can you create a brand, if you do not have a name and logo (covered later) to rally behind?
Your brand should be symbolized by your name and logo. Your blog name does not have to be flashybut the more original it is then the better it will be remembered. As a further tipdon’t go overboard on the “original” and don’t be too reserved on your blog name, for example:
– Too original = Arrdys Five One Hoe Hoe Hoe Blog Yeah!!!
– Too reserved = Stacy’s Blog
– Okay = From My Mind
– Good = Stolen Words
– Good = The Silent Majority
Create a style
This refers less to your theme and more to the way you post your blog posts. For example, the video blogger on the escapist magazine calls his video blog “Zero Punctuation”. This is because he talks fast with little room for punctuation. Also, every third sentence has a funny comment or punch line in it. This is his style, and it works well, because he’s great. You should decide upon your style. Here are a few examples:
– Sarcastic = Make a sarcastic comment at the end of each paragraph.
– Ohh what a good idea
– Funny = Do like Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw on Zero Punctuation and litter your blog post with funny comments.
– Like how a kitten litters your sofa with thrown up mouse parts
– Outright Opinionated = People are so afraid of offending people that American free speech no longer exists. You can be the one that breaks the mould and gives your opinion in an unashamed way. You can post pictures of the prophet Muhammad because if you are not a Muslim then it is against no American law. You can be the one to come out against the euthanizing policy of PETA.
– People lose free speech when fear outranks common sense
– Dumb and proud of it = You can write whatever you wish on your blog because it is yours. If you want to dedicate your blog to being purposefully naive and dumb, then you will still gain a decent sized readership.
– Why did they put cancer in cigarettes? They never had it in the olden days.
Have a theme
You can apply all of these tips to your blog if you like, but you should start by deciding what your theme is going to be. Branding a blog is not that different from branding in real life. A real life brand has to have principals and strengths that its brand represents. These may be the tastiest chocolate, the fastest cars or the highest quality service. When you pick a theme, you should also pick what qualities your blog will have and its principals.
Examples:
– A blog about politics that is always balanced
– A blog about celebrities that always brings the latest gossip
– A blog about Geology that will always teach readers something new
Have a logo
It sounds cliche, but it is a really good way of reminding viewers of your principals and beliefs. A logo is especially good when it is added to guest posts, emails and adverts.
If your blog communicates your brand principals and beliefs in a very strong fashion, then your logos addition to any outsider text will instantly raise the outsider text’s credibility. For example, if your car is recovered after a theft, and your insurance company sends it directly to a repair shop. They send you a letter saying it is repaired, and on the letter it has the Mercedes symbolyou have more confidence in its repair than if it had “greasy Greg’s” brand logo on it.
It may only be a logo, but if it is attached to your brand in a positive way then it can be a very powerful tool.
Author: Sonia Jackson
Courtesy of www.blogirature.com