Branding is an important part of creating and growing a thriving and successful blog. Attractive and effective branding can have huge implications on your blog and business so getting it right from the get-go is crucial. Branding isn’t something that takes 10 minutes and is often something that you have to keep track of as your business expands and grows.
The concept of branding a blog can seem like a daunting prospect, especially for beginners and those who are just dipping their toes into the online blogging world. But if you learn the basics and focus on your personal branding from the very start, it will certainly make your whole journey easier. As opposed to getting a few years down the line and realising you need to brand your blog then being faced with a mammoth task ahead of you.
Once your blog and business grows, you might want to look into more detailed ways of branding and ensuring that you have a strong and recognizable brand but for now, let’s look at some basic tips on branding your blog for beginners! This article is ideal for new bloggers and those who are just starting out!
But first of all, what do I mean by branding your blog?
There are plenty of brands out there whose image we instantly recognize before we even see the name of the brand. For some it’s their logo. For others it’s the colour scheme. For a few it’s the message they put across. But one thing they all have in common – is recognition.
By branding your blog, it means to create an image for your blog that people will recognize. It means being consistent in your themes and messages you’re putting out and treating your blog like a business by creating a consistent brand identity. Having a brand is extremely beneficial for those who want to take their blog full-time (or even part-time) and is definitely an investment worth making.
And what are the benefits of branding your blog?
Having a brand makes your blog look much more professional
Even as a completely new blogger, having someone stumble across a well branded blog will give them much more confidence in you and your content and what you can offer them.
Having a brand makes you and your message more coherent
It makes your blog look more professional and cleaner with a clear message and direction. People aren’t confused coming onto your site – they know exactly what they’re getting.
It will help readers remember who you are too
Having a brand will make you much more recognizable in the big blogging world. As a person and as a blogger, you’ll be much more memorable in the minds of readers. For example, your brand can become so strong that someone who stumbles across your pin on Pinterest already knows it’s from your blog before they even click on it.
It can help build a bigger and more loyal readership
Because branding shows people what you’re about and they know exactly what they’re getting when they come to your blog.
By branding your blog you don’t need to take away any of your personality. If anything, branding can help you accentuate your personality even further. If you don’t have a specific niche (like minimalism, plus sized travel or vegan beauty) – then you are your own niche. Use that to your advantage when branding your blog because that can make sure you stand out even more.
Blog Branding Tips for Beginners
Now let’s look at some top tips for branding your blog for beginners!
Tip #1: Think about your brand before you do ANYTHING
Re-branding takes a lot of time and effort. So do try and get it right the first time. So before you do anything with your blog, graphics or potential brand image, you might want to ask yourself the following questions:
- What colors reflect my blog and my content?
- What 1 or 2 main messages do I want my blog to give out?
- Who is my target audience and what is my purpose?
- What is my niche? (It’s okay if your niche is you!)
Think carefully about this. For example, if you have a blog about minimalism, you’re probably not going to want your brand identity colors to be yellow, green and pink. It doesn’t make sense and will likely put off your ideal target audience.
Tip #2: Create a mood board for your brand and get inspiration
Once you’ve done a bit of brainstorming, get yourself on Pinterest and create a secret board titled “my brand”. You can create as many mood or inspiration boards as you like – especially if you’re unsure about what direction to go with your branding. You can create a couple of different themes and see which one you’re drawn to the most.
When creating a mood / inspiration board, try adding images such as: colours, textures, quotes, fonts, themes of images (e.g flat lays or travel). This will help you figure out what type of branding you are really connecting to.
As well as Pinterest there are a ton of places to find inspiration for fonts, colours and graphics. Here are the top 10 best places to find free fonts for logos and you might also want to check out Design Bundles SVGs for a huge variety of SVG’s which can be used for design and branding purposes!
Tip #3: Pick your colour scheme and fonts
So now you should have a ton of inspiration at hand and it’s time to pick one. It’s worth picking the colours, fonts and ideas which you’re constantly drawn to.
Which one does your eye always catch first? Which one do you find yourself going back to over and over again? Which colour pops into your head when you think about your blog and your dream branding?
Tip #4: Establish where your branding is going to go
Most blog themes have the option to be customized with fonts and colours. So now you have your basic theme picked out, you’ll want to establish where your branding is going on your blog. For example:
- Where are your brand colours going to feature?
- What colour is your main colour and which are complimentary?
- Which font is going on your headers?
- Which font is being used for the main body of text within your blog posts?
- Which font is being used within your graphics?
Tip #5: Establish your Brand Kit on Canva
Canva is an amazing tool for creating graphics for your blog and they have a handy “brand kit” section where you can keep your brand colours and fonts etc on hand to use in everything graphic you make to help you stay as consistent as possible.
Tip #6: Keep it consistent over social media
Social media is an extension of your blog and therefore your branding. So keeping it consistent over social media is really important. Some useful places and tips for extending your branding might be:
- Using your same blog header on Twitter + Facebook
- Having an Instagram theme that reflects your branding (again, if you blog about minimalism and someone clicks onto your Instagram page and finds a theme full of bright colors and clutter then it’s going to be a very confusing brand message)
- Having a similar bio / message across your platforms (don’t send out mixed messages to your reader / potential readers)
- Other potential branding opportunities: Your newsletter, your Instagram highlight covers, your digital products
Final Words
By following these steps and tips, you’ll be well on your way to creating a decent brand image for your blog right from the start.
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