In our blogging section we have already talked about various things which need to be considered while launching a fresh new blog . Now when you are in the stage of launching a new blog, should you really give preference to branding of your blog or just launch a blog and start shooting articles. Well that is a tough question and the clear answer is YES. Branding of your blog is always important as you need to differentiate your blog from others, then only you will be able to succeed among billions of blogs or just be active for sometime and then your blog becomes history. So when we talk about branding, what exactly branding is?
If we go by definition,
it is a name, symbol, sign or slogan or anything which makes it easy for someone to recognize you from other brands and the most important thing is, it gives you competitive advantage above others.
Now which blog owner does not want to have competitive edge above others? So in order to achieve that, you should have a blog which has a name, symbol, sign or slogan different from others. For Mashable, image of Pete Cashmore is the biggest symbol and same applies for Chris Brogan and Seth Godin. Now when we talk about why it is so important, you need to consider various things which make a blog different from others.
Give value to your readers : It is very important for you to give some value to your readers and this could be achieved by information given by you on your blog. Give information for solving their problem effectively, it leaves a lasting information on minds of your readers and they would love to come back to your blog. A visitor will buy your ideas only when you provide them with values. It is actually a mix of both functional and symbolic values.
Always look around at your competitors : It is very important for you to look at your competitors as this is one of the important C’s of brand positioning, others are company and customers. So you should look at the current trend and make a point that you need to compete with your competitors. Sometimes it happens that you get to learn a lot from your competition, so there is no point in ignoring them. They are the main force which keep you and your brand alive in the stiff competition.
Differentiate yourself from others : It is very important for you to differentiate yourself from all other people out there. There is no point in following the crowd which is not going to give you fruitful result. People love to see unique things and if your blog is like any other blog then nobody will come back to you. So give them a mind blowing experience which force them to come back to your blog.
Choose your niche effectively : You need to choose your niche effectively because, to be very frank it is not possible for any one to include everything in your blog. So it is better to go for a niche which is not yet tapped by others. You need to follow concept of brand positioning, where you need to identify your niche as which niche is not yet tapped and if you find there is no other niche which is available for you to serve, then take one step ahead and create a niche which you can think be served by your articles.
Treat your reader as your most valuable assets : You should treat your readers as your most valuable assets and nurture them in the best possible way. Always remember it is tough to get a new reader than retaining a loyal reader so provide them with your best possible articles, which will make them proud sticking to your blog. Brand making is a complex process and revitalizing it is more critical then this.
Make yourself unique to distinguish: you need to have some kind of unique attribute going in your blog promotion so that people can differentiate your from the crowd and able to recall your blog fast. Your blog’s logo, favicon your gravatar image are the main tools of your blog promotion. Also feed your users with lot of information, not necessarily only from your blog but everywhere. It again leaves a mark on your viewer’s mind as it gives value to your viewer.
Keep it short and simple : Always remember your blog is not for you but for your readers. So make it in such a way that design and interface of your blog is simple, so your users do not find it confusing and hate to get lost in it. It also applies to the structure and quality of your post, if possible break the topic in various parts so that it will be easy for your viewers to understand you. It is your viewers who need to understand the topic and not you.
Invest time into your blog and viewers : It is very important for you to invest your time into your blog and viewers to keep them engaged with information. It makes your viewers feel great and they get a sense of belongingness into them and this is the biggest fuel to keep any blog up and running. it is tough to make a brand successful by correct brand positioning so never let it go easily.
Secure your brand : You should secure your brand by copyright, patent and other modes which are there to protect your brand. It leaves a bad impression and leave your viewers confused, when they find multiple logos and design taken from your blog somewhere else. So always make a point to have proper documentation of these things.
Let us know if you feel these strategies can help anyone to make a better blog.
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