Branding Your Blog
Posted by kexbrown on March 17, 2009
There are many reasons to advertise your blog. To gain new readers, to sell a product, to introduce a new item or a new person. But, today I want to touch on branding and how it relates to blogging.
Branding is defined as,
“the use of a name, term, symbol or design or a combination of these to identify a product.”
This is the definition from the college text “Basic Marketing” by McCarthy and Perreault.
When I think of branding I think of having a symbol of your company remind consumers of your product. As an example, the Coke or CocaCola brand red can or red symbol with white letters brings a memory of a specific taste when I see their symbol.
You Want Customers to Remember Your Blog
Branding isn’t necessarily trying to get people to buy your product the moment you see the brand mark. But, you want potential customers to remember your product. When they do enter a store you want them to see your product and brand and to feel comfortable with your product to make it a choice.
But, it isn’t just about products. Politicians are constantly trying to create a brand. A brand which might change after the primary elections. They may attempt to win their primary election by catering to people leaning toward liberalism and socialism. Then after they win the primary they attempt to change their brand image to a more moderate stance to gain more moderate votes.
Make Your Blog A Brand
You can even make your blog a brand. When you create your little 125 pixel by 125 pixel ad and place it on the Adgitize Network you are in essence branding your blog. As people wander the internet they see your brand image and have positive or negative connotations associated with that image.
In the blogosphere it is important to create brand recognition. You want them to see your banner ad and to remember your blog when they see the image. This is why regular advertising is so important. They say a person needs to see an advertisement 13 times before they remember it and possibly act on what they see.
As readers are visiting other blogs if they see your brand image enough and they have a positive experience when they visit your blog then they will be reminded to visit your blog again. If given a choice among two brands one they are familiar with and the other which they have no recognition of, people usually choose the brand they know.
Branding and Excellent Content
That’s why politicians send you wave after wave of direct mail ads. They want you to remember their names when you step inside that voting booth. They are searching for brand familiarity with you. Why do some blogs get more traffic than others? Well, I would be lying if I said it was ONLY branding. You still need to have excellent content that entertains, informs and educates. But, there is something to be said for being a regular old shoe where people like to hang out.
One of the frequent advertisers on the Adgitize Ad Network is a blog known as Hillbilly Willy. Willy has done a terrific job of branding his blog. Willy starts with a cartoon character that reinforces our perception of someone that might be called a hillbilly. But, then they continue the branding in the blog itself. No attempt is made to sound sophisticated or even to write proper English. But, Willy informs us and definitely entertains. Willy has branded his blog and when you click on the ad you already know what to expect.
What is Your Perception of Continuity?
How about your blog? Is there a simple cartoon character or beautiful image that makes your blog easy to identify? Once the visitor reaches your blog is the perception of continuity extended to the articles you write? To you get your brand the visibility it needs to attract readers?
I highly recommend advertising in the Adgitize Ad Network to gain brand recognition, because of the methodology we use to display ads. Since we have random rotations of ads then your ad is constantly popping up and making your blog known throughout our publisher network.
How well is your blog brand known and recognized? Do other bloggers look at your ad and think, oh I know exactly what that blog is about and I am interested to see what she has written today? Brand recognition will go a long way to getting you the long term traffic you are interested in for your blog. Tell us your thoughts on branding a blog in the comments section.