Turn Your Blog into a Brand

turn your blog into a brand

Most bloggers aim high when starting to blog and the ultimate goal for many is to be able to monetise and blog full time. To do this you’ll need to attract the attention of both readers, and brands by standing out and creating a niche for yourself. In other words, you need to create your own brand.

You need to create a recognisable and memorable impact on each visitor to your site- they need to know what to expect from you and be confident in your content. Confident enough to come back again and again. In order to achieve this there are various details you need to consider and refine, in order to turn your blog into a recognisable and trusted brand.

The Aesthetics

Think seriously about how you want your blog to look and how you can achieve that. Although you don’t want every post to look identical, it is good to settle on a theme.

Colours- Start off by thinking about the colours you want running through your blog. Perhaps a combination of 3 pastel colours for a beauty blog, or simple black and white can work well. Stick with your chosen colours throughout, in posts, logos and social.

Font- Pick a font that suits your style. If you’re blog is quite stylistic pick a header font that suits your style. If you like to keep things minimalist than make sure your font feeds into that too. Fonts can actually make a huge difference to the way your blog looks, so play around with a few before you settle.

Photography style- Develop a style and stick with it. Do you like a highly polished and edited style? Then take the time to stick with this and edit EVERY image accordingly. Remember this is about creating a brand, continuity is key.

The Tone

Work on your writing style. Do you like to keep things as light-hearted as possible, or is your style fairly analytical and in depth? Once you’ve worked this out, try and stick with this tome throughout. People will be thrown off if they come to you expecting an in-depth review, and instead are met with an overly jokey piece.

Do a little research, and work out why people come to you. Once you have a better understanding of your readership you’ll be far better equipped to cater for them.

Your Logo

This isn’t for every blogger, but a great logo can help create an identity for your blog. You could either consider asking a designer for help, or if you don’t have a budget try creating one yourself! If you’ve settled on a colour theme it’s best to stick with this. A logo used on social media channels and your blog can give a great sense of uniform.

Your Target Audience

Who reads your blog? Is your audience fairly young, or do you cater to a professional readership? Once you have worked this out you’ll be able to figure most of the rest out pretty easily. For example, if you have a young, female audience this will give you an idea of the type of brands you should be aiming to work with, as well as the kind of vibe your blog should have. The same goes if you have a very family orientated readership- you’ll know to tweak your tone accordingly.

 

Are you building your own brand? Give us tips in the comments below!

 

NB: We first posted this at the end of 2013, and have now edited  it.

10 Responses to Turn Your Blog into a Brand

  1. Lorna Mai December 7, 2013 at 12:18 am #

    I have just read through a few posts which are so valuable to someone like me who has only just started blogging. Really great advice. I have a question though. At 38, am I too old to start fashion blogging?

    https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11040855

    • Rebecca Brown December 10, 2013 at 9:40 am #

      Certainly not! Many of the most successful fashion bloggers out there are in their 30’s! Just have a think about who you’re targeting and the age of your readership. If you have any other questions at all please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us!

      Reply
    • Annette February 9, 2014 at 9:14 pm #

      No way, you are too old, Lorna! I am 51 and started blogging only a year ago. In fact my age turned out to my advantage as I am targeting mature readers who where exactly looking for fashion blogs for their age. In the meantime I am part of a strong, loyal and supportive worldwide network of 40+ bloggers.
      I blog at http://www.lady-of-style.blogspot.de

      Annette

      Reply
  2. Saadiya December 18, 2013 at 12:31 am #

    I have been thinking about the whole blog/brand thing for a while so thanks for this post, it was rally helpful!
    Saadiya x

    Reply
  3. Christina Leonidou February 2, 2014 at 12:49 pm #

    Thank you very much for the advice. Even though I have already started my blog I am looking ways to make it better. :)

    Reply
  4. Vanessa August 15, 2014 at 8:37 am #

    Great tips!

    Vessi :: arts & petite style blog

    Reply
  5. Alfia Widati August 18, 2014 at 11:07 am #

    I have done the “Your Logo” and “Your Target Audience”. The things that always bother me enough are the choice of blog layout and color. Since I blog for beauty, I want to make my blog fancy enough and colorful but always be afraid that my blog will be somewhat a bandwidth killer for some at the same time as my aspire to keep my blog to be reader friendly.

    http://www.revenian.com

    Reply
  6. MidnightBlonde August 19, 2014 at 8:57 am #

    Great article with lots of useful tips. I’ve been looking into creating a logo for my brand, do you have a company you recommend?

    Thank you :)

    http://midnightblonde.co.uk/

    Reply
    • Rebecca Brown August 19, 2014 at 8:59 am #

      Hi!

      I’d recommend doing a shout out on Twitter! There are loads of really great designers out there!

      Rebecca

      Reply
  7. Alfia Widati October 2, 2014 at 5:55 pm #

    Yes I am building my own brand. And another yes because I did some follows on your suggestions above. I did move from free hosting to a paid one and sacrificed my followers behind (at my previous blog) because I need something bigger and further and more customizing platform. I hope I can achieve a good recognition as I started blogging from the scratch after moving on. Finger crossed!
    PS: I do join as many events as possible to create a bond to PRs and brands. :)

    XOXO~~
    http://www.fiarevenian.com

    Reply