Branding Tips For Bloggers ⋆ Lana Pummill

So you have decided to start a blog, or maybe you want to update your current blog; either way, have you thought about branding? Here are my branding tips for bloggers.

I am going to get real with you a minute. When I started my blog, I didn’t give much thought to branding. I just wanted to get my thoughts and writing out there. However, this meant that I have had to go back and spend A LOT of time re-branding. I am not saying there is anything wrong with that; blogs evolve, but if I can save you some time up front, I’m game.

Branding Tips For Bloggers

What Is Branding?

No pressure, but you only have a few seconds to grab the attention of your potential reader when they stumble upon your social media or website. Branding doesn’t have to be difficult, but it can feel overwhelming.

Oxford defines branding as “the promotion of a particular product or company by means of advertising and distinctive design.” Branding isn’t just about the sparkly things that catch your eye. Those are important too, but you also have to remember it is much more than that. Branding can answer the question, “what do you want your readers to think about you, your writing, and your blog?”

What Is Your Why?

It would be best if you never skipped this step. Trust me. Determine your why because your why is what will keep you going on the days you feel like giving up (and, trust me, you will have those days). When you have a passion for what you are doing, it will be evident in your writing quality.

What Is My Why?

I’m your virtual assistant coach, maker of mompreneurs, and creator of Making Mompreneur! On my blog, you will find all things motherhood, inspiration, and marriage. However, my true passion is helping other stay-at-home moms find their way to financial freedom, flexibility, and finding themselves again.

Pick Your Name

Picking the name of your blog isn’t as easy as it sounds. It took me a while to come up with a name. Blog names really can play a role in the success of your blog. Do I think you should stress about it? No. However, I do recommend spending time thinking about it. Think about it this way, the blog name is the first thing that your readers will see, and it has a huge impact on the vibe that your blog gives off.

Tips For Naming Your Blog

Here are a few questions you should ask yourself when deciding on a blog name:

What is the topic of your blog?
Who is your target audience?
Do you have a writing style?

Something you should keep in mind is not to be TOO specific because you might decide to change what you write about. For example, if you name your blog All About Pizza but decide to start writing about child psychology, it might be really confusing for your readers.

Here are a few ways to come up with your blog name:

Look at some of your favorite books, movies, magazines, and see if anything sparks your creativity.
Write down your blog topics. Take note of some words that have to do with your topics. Are there any that could work as or in your blog name?
Use your own name or nickname.
Research your niche. You want to be unique, but not so far out in left-field that it doesn’t make sense, and your readers won’t find you.
Consider abbreviations and acronyms.
Remember, your blog name should represent you and the people you want to reach.

Once you come up with your name, make sure to check out United States Patent and Trademark Office to make sure no one has trademarked your name.

Decide On Your Niche

Depending on what works best for you, deciding on your niche can be done before or after you name your blog. For me, I decided on my niche way before I landed on a blog name. Once I decided on my niche, I weeded out blog names that I might have liked but didn’t fit my niche.

Here’s some brutal truth. Blogs that are extremely niched down tend to do better than blogs that are too broad. For example, you might call yourself a food blogger, but let’s be more specific. What area of food can you call yourself an expert in. Maybe dessert? Maybe you are the Princess of Pie? Or maybe you reign in French Cuisine? You want to be able to claim expert status in your niche.

Design And Style

Time to be creative! Have you ever noticed that specific colors bring out certain feelings? You want your colors to be in line with your brand’s tone. For example, if you are a nutrition coach, you might want to gravitate to bright colors like yellow, orange, or green. Why? Because these colors remind people of healthy fruits and vegetables. Make sure that you write down the hex-codes of your color choices. This way, you will always be able to find your color, no matter what program you are using.

Next, you should focus on finding the fonts you want for your brand. Your fonts help set the mood. Keep in mind that you need to choose a font for your heading, body, and logo. There are so many different fonts to choose from, such as Times New Roman or Dancing Script.

Logo

Next step, you should start thinking about your logo. This is really up to you and how you want to be seen. Some logos are straightforward, just letters or a single image. However, if you don’t feel comfortable, you can always hire someone to create your logo for you.

What was I taught about logos? I was taught that simple is better. However, the logo is tied to your brand and personality, so I really think it is up to your own personal preference. I do recommend to keep the following things in mind:

You might want to stick to just 1 or 2 colors because too many can be overwhelming and take their eye off of what you really want them to see.
Also, consider the mobile view, not just the laptop view. Avoid overly complex logos that could be tough to read/see on a mobile screen.

About Me Page

Believe it or not, your readers do click over to your about me page way more than you might think. Why? Because people connect with real, heartfelt people. If your about me page makes your readers feel like you “get them” because you are dealing or have dealt with the same thing they are going through, then they will keep coming back to your blog. Don’t be afraid to share your story and include your failures. This will make you so much more relatable.

Your about me page should include:

Your story
Photo of you
Your mission
What you can do for your readers

Be True To Yourself

You must be true to yourself. Do not try to force something that you don’t believe in. Your passion will leap off the screen if you remain authentic. It’s crucial to keep your brand in mind when you publish anything on your blog or anywhere on social media.

Images

Just like colors and fonts, images evoke certain emotions. Pictures are a great and easy way to tell the story of what you want to deliver to your readers. Remember, they need to be consistent with your tone and flow with the colors and fonts you have already decided on.

For example, if you teach online yoga classes, you will want photos of people doing yoga. You aren’t going to want pictures of people chillin’ on the couch watching Hulu. If you are a work from home mommy blogger, you will want pictures of women at a laptop or home office.

Pro Tip!

Want to know a time-saving pro tip? Repurpose your blog content to use on multiple channels. This will save you so much time. You can turn some of your blog posts into emails to send out to your subscribers. Or turn them into posts for social media! Don’t feel like you always have to start from scratch. Save yourself some time!

I included a worksheet to help you organize your thoughts. Feel free to use it to inspire you to create your own or print this one to use for your notes.

Branding is so much for than pretty colors, fancy fonts, and a cute logo. It is about creating something amazing that catches the eyes of your readers. The key is to still remain true to yourself. I hope these branding tips for bloggers give you the inspiration to create something you can be proud of. Have fun with it!

“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31

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