Todd SumamnoIf you want to have a successful blog, you need a memorable brand. The problem is that most bloggers put off branding until later on down the road, which compromises their ability to grow and develop a loyal readership early on.
But what exactly do you need to develop a comprehensive brand guide for a blog?
Your Brand Mission and Vision
First, you should take a moment to define your brand mission and vision. These are two similar, yet distinct statements that are going to define why your brand exists and what it’s trying to do. Your mission statement is an encapsulation of what your blog is trying to achieve, while your vision statement is a description of the future reality in which your brand has been successful in what it is trying to do.
These values can help you better conceptualize what your brand is all about and how it’s distinguished from other competitors in this niche.
Your Target Audience
Next, you’ll need to define your target audience. Who is it, exactly, that you’re trying to reach with your work? Even if you’re attempting to reach a very broad audience, you can create better grounding for your brand by defining specific audience segments that you’re trying to reach. The better you understand these folks, through market research, the better you’ll be able to position your brand for them.
Your Tone and Writing Style
After that, consider focusing on your tone and writing style. After all, the style of writing on your blog has a massive impact on your eventual success.
According to The Blog Starter, “One of the misconceptions about starting a blog is that you need to be a great writer to be successful. Nothing could be further from the truth. People read blog sites to get a personal perspective on things, so most bloggers write in a very informal and conversational style.”
Of course, every blog has a unique approach here. Even if you choose to generally follow the advice to write in an informal, conversational way, you can make choices about how exactly you want to present that. Should your blog be written more passionately or in a more detached way? Should it be humorous or mostly dry? Is profanity okay or should it be as clean as possible?
Grammar, Syntax, and Formatting
Similarly, it’s important to establish brand standards for things like grammar, syntax, and formatting. Does your blog accept lengthy paragraphs, or should everything be broken up into digestible, individual sentences? Should it heavily rely on bullet points and numbered lists? Which grammar rules are you treating as ironclad, and which ones are more flexible? These little details may not seem important, but they can add up to make a big impact on reader engagement.
Your Logo and Brand Name
It’s hard to overstate how important it is to choose the right logo for your brand. Ideally, you’ll work with a professional designer to create something totally original. In line with this, you’ll also need a brand name, and you’ll need to establish standards for how you present that brand name in your blog and across other media. Provide rules and instructions for how your logo is to be presented and used.
Your Colors and Font
Your blog colors are probably an extension of your logo. For a complete brand guide, you’ll need to define primary and secondary brand colors, as well as instructions for how to capture those colors in both digital and print media. Also, you should choose a signature font for your blog and any materials related to it.
Guidelines for Representation in Other Media
You may also want to include guidelines for representation of your brand and your blog and other media. For example, if any of your articles are to be shared or republished, how should you be given credit? And how should your work appear in social media? This is especially important if you have other writers or staff members working on your blog.
Other Tips for Success
Here are some other tips for success in writing your blog brand guide:
· Be original. Don’t blindly copy another blog’s style. There’s nothing wrong with getting inspiration from other brands, but your brand should be totally original. Make your blog stand out boldly in a sea of competitors.
· Future proof. It’s a good idea to future proof your brand guide as much as possible. Don’t just build a brand guide for your current needs; build one that can support your blog needs for years into the future.
· Provide examples. Listing rules can be an effective way to communicate your brand guidelines, but you can make those guidelines even more effective if you provide examples of those rules in practice. This is especially useful for education and training.
· Enforce absolute consistency. Your brand guidelines will only matter if they’re enforced consistently, so make consistency one of your highest priorities.
· Revisit in the future. Eventually, you may want to rebrand in some way. Consider planning to revisit your brand guidelines at some point in the future.
A brand guide is going to elevate your blog, making it more unique, more consistent, and more engaging with your target audience. It takes some work up front, but your investment of time and money will be worth it.
