Branding Your Blog - A Necessary Evil


Courtesy of Be Playful

Came across this great post from Write To Done through a link from Steve Rubel about how one should brand it like Barack in order to achieve social media stardom. Or at least to create, nurture and grow your own online reputation and profile in a respectable, sustainable manner.

The long and short of it is that you can't escape from the evils of Branding or Advertising 101. Your blog is your brand. How you treat and manage it will determine how others view you. 24 by 7.

Here's a summary of the key points.

The Core Message — What It’s All About

Before you do anything — name your blog (or other product/service), write a single post, work on the design, anything — you need to figure out your core message. This is the message you want to send out to your readers/customers in everything you do. This message needs to be communicated in your title, design, content, promotions, and actions.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Figure out who your target audience is.

2. Decide what desires you’re going to be tapping into.

3. Figure out what message you’re going to send to them that will tap into specific desires.

4. Be consistent about your message in everything you do.

5. Finally, repeat your message as much as possible to your target audience.

Sending Out a Consistent Message

Consider an example from the world of politics … with the flap about vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s $150,000 wardrobe (paid for by Republican donors). The problem wasn’t that there was anything ethically wrong with buying such expensive clothes … the problem was that these purchases conflicted with Palin’s message of “I’m just a regular American gal”, and as such, it hurt her message to the public.

Conflicting messages weaken your branding efforts. If you are trying to send a message of peace and love, don’t start attacking your readers in the comments. Don’t write posts about how much you hate John McCain.

Stick to your core message in everything you do. That includes:

Repeating Your Message Often

You want to be everywhere your target audience is … so think about what other blogs they read, and what social media/bookmarking sites they might use. This is where you can reach them with your brand and your message. Some strategies to look at:


You can get the full post here.

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