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
… and having integrity.
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
I love point 8.
Greetje
Agreed, Greetje – I thought it worthy of a pinnable graphic…!! x
This is perfect. I'm just starting out and have been doing lots and lots of research. This is by far the best article I've seen regarding branding. Keep up the great work. And thanks!
Cara that's so nice of you – thank you!! Good luck with the blogging and give us a shout if you have any questions (I'll do my best to answer them)! x
very helpful post! Thanks. I never thought of myself as a brand before!
Tash
thisandthatplease.co.uk
If you think about it, it does make total sense that we are, Natasha – and all the theories about branding totally apply! Glad you liked it, thanks for your comment x
Great tips!
http://www.julialundin.com
Glad you think so, Julia – thank you! x
Hi Catherine. I ran across your blog while visiting another one. I really enjoyed reading these tips as well as the ones from last year's post. As a newbie in the blogging world, I love hearing what other, more seasoned bloggers have to share. Thank you so much for posting this!
http://www.girlinahotcity.com
You're most welcome, Ivete – and thank you! I hope you'll find lots of helpful info (and a bit of style inspo too)…! C x
I need to get some business cards, very good point!
They may seem "old fashioned" but it's surprising how many people want that something in their hand, Laura! 🙂
Amazing post! Thank you Catherine!
♥♥♥
Jeanne
http://fashionmusingsdiary.com
You're very welcome Jeanne, glad you liked it :))
Really good tips…thank you! I was debating whether I should get some little business cards…I may just do that now!! x
I think it's a good idea, Laura – you always need them unexpectedly and then there wouldn't be enough time to get them designed and printed, so having them done anyway is definitely a good idea! And thank you x
Brilliant subject, Catherine, thank you for sharing! I have heard of Nuffnang before but I was under the impression it was for the Asian market only. I couldn't find any answer about their outreach on their website although they call themselves a "global" network.
xo
Annette | Lady of Style
Oh they're definitely UK based, Annette – all three Nuffnang staff were at the workshop! If you go on their website there's a "for bloggers" button that gives you the info you need and takes you through to a sign up form 🙂
And I'm glad you liked the subject, I thought it was a good one! C x
Excellent post. I love the ideas about authenticity – the authentic blogs are the ones I am drawn to repeatedly. xox
It does make them stand out, doesn't it Patti? Agree with you 100%. Thank you, glad you liked it x
Great post 🙂 I learned so much trough your blog :)Thank you 🙂
You're very welcome, Ivana – glad you're learning new things! C x
Some good tips – I need to re-do my business cards since I have a new number!
http://www.liquidgrain.co.uk
Oooh yes make sure you keep them up to date Kathryn! Be prepared rather than like the last time when I didn't have any a couple of days before my last workshop…! Thanks hun x