Blog Branding and Earning Online

A red dot with a red circle around it; your recognition pattern instantly points to Target.
You see swoosh with just do it and you think Nike.
You see a green glowing circle with Glo written in it and you wonder, what the heck is that?

Well, it’s a Nigerian telecoms company called Globacom and the only reason you cannot identify with it yet is because you’re not with its target market at the moment – You may soon be though.

WHAT IS BRAND?

A brand is a perception of what you or your product or your blog is all about. It is a representation of the value that you bring to the market. It is personality with your audience.

A brand is your promise to your target market – you in essence saying anytime you see this logo and or slogan, I promise you blah blah bah.

A brand is an experience. With BMW, it machine heaven. A brand is an expectation. With Nike, you think superior athletic performance – that’ there promise to you if you buy their product. It is more than some fancy logo in bright colours.

A brand is merely represented by a logo. This is so because all what we have been saying that a brand are intangible. So, in an effort to make it more real, something we can see or feel or hear or read using your sense is created to portray the brand in question.

Branding is has become an essential part of today’s businesses – online or offline. Large corporations brand, small companies brand – your blog can be branded too.

So, what exactly is branding?
Branding is a process – a process of creating an easily identifiable identity within the mind of your target market. It is about creating a personality with your audience. It is your promise to your target market. With Nike, you think superior athletic performance – that’ there promise to you if you buy their product.

WHY YOU SHOULD BRAND
Why does John Chow charge $125 per tweet per client on his twitter time line and most bloggers cannot? Well, he has a lot of eyeballs coming to his blog daily. Great answer.

Now, why is that? Well because he has proven that he REALLY earns money online. Why will he prove that? So, that they can come there because they believe they can learn how to make money blogging. Another right answer – partly. (I’d let you know why I’m saying partly later) Now, why do they believe that? They do because in the minds of these guys, JohnChow.com has become synonymous with earning money online.

In essence, JohnChow has become a BRAND in the “Earn Money Online” niche. And his promise is to teach you how to make money online – note that he does not say you necessarily will. Now briefly to why I said partly earlier.

You see John keeps earning money online because we keep going there repeatedly and thus he can guarantee his advertisers an certain degree of exposure of what? Their brands. So in essence, he built a brand that promotes other brands. Also he keeps earning money because some of us keep clicking on the ads and he gets paid every time we do!

Now, imagine what will happen if we all boycott JohnChow.com for the rest of the year? Now, tnat would be a lesson in showing the A-listers the power of their readership and maybe more of them would cherish them more.

Anyway, enough of John Chow.

BRANDS “R” US
The reason why you use a very unique theme for your blog (if you do not, you had better) is the same reason why you strive to make your content and message different is the same reason why your face different from others is the same reason why is no one else with a finger print similar to your out of 6.7 billion people on this planet.

You were naturally designed and created to be a brand!

So, branding your blog is basically expressing your nature as a brand to it.

You want a rapid association that stays in the front of the minds of your readers.

HOW DO YOU BRAND YOUR BLOG?
So how exactly does one brand a blog?
Blog Branding is about creating an easy to understand and consistent message.
For starters, ask yourself these questions:

• What is the vision of my blog – what’s my blog all about?
• What message is it passing across?
• What consistent design elements do I deliver?
• What type of readership do I attract?

When you answer these questions, and let them guide your blog design, the type of blog posts and guest posts, and readership/visitor interaction, you’re gradually on your way to establishing a solid brand.

A brand is consistent. If your blog is about pet rocks (remember them from the 80s? I wonder if anyone blogs about them but hey, it’s just an illustration), then a blog post that is about earning money online goes off course from this core vision/mission, will detract from your goal and message.

Branding your blog helps you focus your business, draw a loyal audience – the type that generates consistent internet earnings.

You need to take your time to search within your soul, plan carefully. Remember to be consistent and create a symbol or logo to represent your blog on your header and as a favicon to further enhance your recognisability.

Do these and you’re well on your way to becoming an established brand.

What do you think of branding? Does it matter to you?

Cheers,

Olusegun