How to Stand Out among the 300 Million Blogs Online
If you are thinking of creating a blog or you are about to start one, I have some good news for you – you are one of only 300 million.
Now that you know you are statistically like a grain of sand on the beach, how are you going to stand out and get read?
Well, we can summarize the formula for getting noticed in one word – BRANDING.
You can either come up with standard blog posts, just like anyone else and hope it somehow gets noticed, or you can carefully craft a brand that meets the needs of your readers and keeps them coming back for more.
If you copy 99.9% of what other bloggers do and hope that you will succeed, you will spend six months working on your blog and most likely be discouraged and give up.
Building a brand can propel you and keep you at the top. Think Coke, Google, Nike, and Apple to understand how powerful branding is.
Brands mean something, stand for something, and create loyalty in their customers. They stand out and overcome competition. Best of all, they stay in the minds of customers and are likely to be remembered first before customers look elsewhere.
To Build a Blogging Brand, Here Are 10 Tips;
1. Know who you are writing for, who your target audience is
Come up with a profile of your ideal reader; their age, problems, hobbies, family, profession, etc. This is known as creating an avatar of your ideal prospect.
All of your blog posts will be directed to this one person rather than talking to everyone.
Remember, when you try impressing everyone, you interest no one.
However, by targeting a specific group of people, they will believe you are writing just for them, and this will then build rapport and loyalty. It will foster that all important feeling of know, like and trust among your followers.
2. Know the purpose of writing to your specific readers
What is your goal?
It might be to persuade, to educate, to motivate, etc. The most important thing is to keep your focus on the goal at all times.
3. Stick to one topic
What are you writing about? It might be marketing, dating, physical fitness, etc. Decide what you want to write about and stick to it.
4. Choose a unique, easy name
Choose a “brandable” name, a name that people are likely to remember easily. If you are creating a fitness blog, for instance, you might choose a one or two-word brand name, rather than a phrase.
HowToEatHealthyAndLosePounds.com is too keyword-rich and too generic. Most of the popular brands in the world have one word. Think of Google, Apple, Coke, etc.
You can try things like Skinnycake.com, FitExpert.com- these are “brandable” and memorable names.
5. Come Up With a Snappy Tagline
For a brand to be memorable a name is not enough – you also need a tagline. A tagline will clarify what you do and make your blog memorable.
If you write about bacon recipes, your URL might be HealthyPiggy.com, and your tagline might be Bacon lover’s recipes for non-chefs. Your tagline not only defines that your site is about bacon recipes but also narrows your niche to people who don’t consider themselves as good cooks.
6. Get a logo
I’m sure you can picture the Nike logo, Coke logo, Apple logo… A logo is part and parcel of your brand. Therefore, make it clean, unique, simple, and eye-catching. It is worth spending extra money to have your logo crafted.
7. Incorporate your logo into a favicon
This is an important part of blog branding.
8. Match Your Website Design To Your Topic
Having a website about grieving that is full of clowns and balloons is not going to work. Dull colors on a kid’s website or lack of photos of flowers or plants on a website about gardening won’t work. Ensure all your visual elements of your website match your topic.
9.Have a Writing Style and Stick with It
Give your readers what they have come to expect from you. If you are writing to a technical crowd, write like a technician. If you are talking about celebrities, adopt a writing style that is informal and fun.
Be consistent with your writing style to avoid confusing your readers. Let your readers associate your site with a specific writing style and tone.
10. Promote your blog through social media
Mention your blog’s name everywhere. Don’t use Weight Loss Expert on Twitter and Pound Slicer on Facebook. No one will relate that you are referring to the same blog. This is another reason to choose a unique, short “brandable” name that is not being used elsewhere.
For your blog to stand out from the millions online, you have to invest a little extra work, however, your efforts will pay off handsomely.
Working on your brand will also give it a value that if you ever decide to sell your blog, it will help you command top dollar because you took time to build your brand properly.
Here is a good example of a blog that incorporates many of the features I’ve listed here.
In recent supplements I’ve been telling you about a new book that Nick James has written that is called ‘Six Figures A Year In Information Publishing’.I believe he is still giving away free copies of the book so if you didn’t already order one from him I suggest you jump in now and get a copy while you can.
>> Six Figures A Year In Information Publishing
I hope you found this week’s supplement useful and as always I love to hear your comments.
