Last weekend I attended a blogger workshop in London hosted by blogger outreach programme Nuffnang - it was a really fun day and I learnt lots of new and interesting things which I thought I'd share with you in another Blogging Tips post. The theme of the day was 'Useful + Beautiful' - the workshop was definitely the former and the venue was definitely the latter: the CitizenM Hotel in Bankside (as seen in the image above).
There were a lot of guest speakers and they all very kindly shared their wealth of knowledge with us, but one of the most interesting topics was branding, as discussed by the fabulous (and very engaging) Carrie of notthekindofgirlyoudmarry.com. Rather than mixing her talk up with the other topics I thought I'd keep this post to the topic of branding only.
Here are the highlights from her talk... If you've been thinking about your blog as a brand and how to reinforce your blog's message, I hope you find some of this information useful!
1. Your branding is your identity
- Branding is about perception, attributes, value and personality.
- If you're a blogger, the "product" you are selling is essentially you; you are a brand. It's well known in sales that people buy people. (People buy from people they like - if they don't like you they won't buy your product, no matter how great it is). That's also true for bloggers.
- When thinking about your brand, you need to know what people are buying into.
- Your personal brand is about Image - Skills - Behaviour - Reputation - Drivers - Values. Sooner or later things come into focus and your personal brand will become clear to you.
2. Things that Carrie learned (that we will too)
- It's easier to be yourself than to pretend to be someone else.
- You've got to... Accentuate the positives!
- If you deliver your brand consistently, opportunities will reveal themselves.
- You can better influence how people see you when you know how you see you.
3. Your personal brand influences everything
Yes - it really does! Your personal brand is a never-ending cycle and influences your...
Name > Style > Design > Voice > Content > Network > Email > Social Media
Not everything you thought would fit will fit. Be true to yourself - write as yourself. This way you'll reinforce your brand.
4. Ask yourself...
- Are you a people pleaser?
- Are you paying too much attention to other bloggers?
- Are you really promoting your best bits?
5. Be authentic
Authenticity is being...
- An expert
- Genuine
- Original
- Passionate
- Visionary
- Honest
6. Communicating your brand
- Know your audience touch points (your blog, social media, newsletter, guest posts. ..)
- Plug your personal brand at every opportunity.
- Communicate your brand consistently.
- Maintain your 'voice'.
- Don't disrupt your audience's expectations: don't post something that goes against what your brand is all about - it could damage it.
7. Have business cards made up
Their popularity is on the up. People like something tangible to hold onto and to swap with each other. [At blogger meets I always find we like to swap cards!]
8. Carrie's best advice for writing a blog
Writing as you for a blog (your 'voice') is the best advice anyone can give you. Have fun with trends in language but don't let them take over your voice.
9. Carrie's best advice for branding
Accept that not everyone will buy into your brand. That's perfectly okay, because for every 1 that doesn't, 20 others will.
P.S. If you like this, why not take a look at last year's blogging tips post 11 Great Blogging Tips From the Experts?
Linking up to: Let It Shine, Friday's Fab Favourites