As you grow your expertise and knowledge as a blogger, it’s best that you also learn things from other bloggers who share the same passion as you have. The recent weekend was busy for me, specifically last Saturday after I have a 5-day travel to General Santos to attend my mom and my nephew’s birthday.
I attended a short training course on Basic SEO and Branding that Cebu Bloggers Society organized. The 4-hour talk was facilitated by two of Cebu’s prominent bloggers, Ian Limpangog and Alem Garcia.
I learned about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and I use some basic techniques to manage my blogs and increase engagement to my readers and followers. During the talk, though, what really struck me the most is about the importance and relevance of branding in growing your blog. That is why I am sharing with you the things I have learned from Alem, also known as Ukay-Ukay Diva (Thrift Diva), about branding and why it’s significant for your online presence.
8 Things I’ve Learned from Ukay-Ukay Diva About Branding
Alem Garcia is a Fine Arts graduate major in Advertising Arts at the University of San Carlos. Even as a student, Alem decided to start his fashion and lifestyle blog when he noticed that most of his clothes are from thrift shops, and that became the foundation of his branding.
Here are some tips on how to start your branding:
1) Know and discover what you are good at
Identifying the niche that you would like to talk about on your blog is very important. Doing this will make it easier for you to come up with topics that you would need to share to your readers. Of course, it is also important the things what you love and make that as the basis of your niche.
On the second episode of my Blogging 101 Series, “How To Start Your Blog”, I have discussed the things that you need to consider when you want to start blogging. Niche is the very first thing that you need to think about and decide.
ALSO READ: How To Start Your Blog
2) Research, read, write and produce quality content
Doing research is very crucial to your blogging. Even though you are knowledgeable about your topic, doing some research and reading is a must. That way, you can write and produce relevant, interesting and quality content.
If you think that there are things your readers do not know or need more information on a specific topic, then you write about them and expand them through research.
Give them something that they do not know.
3) Target a specific kind of audience
The demographics of your readers and followers must be considered as well. Knowing this trend will also help you decide what type of writing style you would need to deploy on your blog. It can be helpful, too, if you know the gender and age brackets of your audience so you can know if the words you choose are appropriate for your readers.
If your goal is to target a specific age group, then you must write accordingly to their age and understanding. Even though your blog is for you to express your thoughts and ideas online, but when the time comes that you gained a following, you should also be sensitive to them and for them. In that way, you are able to let them stay and read your blog posts and even share them with their friends.
4) Think of a strategic brand name
Your brand name is who you are. Think of something catchy and easy to remember. Creating a brand name does not require rocket science, but it cannot be achieved by a snap of a finger. You need to sit down and put everything on your blueprint.
Once you have decided on what name to use for your branding, always think that the name will be the representation of who you are and what you will be for your audience. If the branding is effective, they will remember you by that name and will call you by that name, too.
It is something that you will be identified, so, it is just too fitting to say that you need to really plan and plan and plan for that brand name that is unique and strategic at the same time.
5) Know your premise
If you brand yourself as the “Techie” or the “Trendy”, you need to live up with it. Again, your brand name is who you are, and if your audience will not see it in you, you might have the difficulties in letting them stay and follow you on social media. Much worst to that is the possibility of losing a huge number of following.
Blogging is not something that “you please everyone”, because the fact is you cannot. You should not. Your mindset to blogging is something that you giving out information and providing them things that they know nothing about and you being someone who is the source of the information that interest them.
6) Be good with your brand aesthetics
This is a challenging part. As a blogger, you wanted to try something else outside the brand. However, since you want to stabilize your brand name and you are required to be true to your brand, you become limited from either engaging to the opposite of your brand or extending the branding.
If ever you will be encountering these things, you can integrate something else and connect it to your brand. Make a good collaboration of your brand to other things so you can widen the coverage of your blog and somehow achieve the possibilities of increasing your audience.
7) Strategize and plan on your communication
When you blog and establish a brand, create a persona that is easy for your to portray. If you love to travel, plan out your travel schedules and communicate it to your audience. You may write about ways on how to travel and spend less. You can even share your ideas on the next travel destination.
Planning out your next engagement to your readers and followers needs strategizing. You need to plan ahead so you can make the best of it.
Your means of communication must be considered as well. The choices of communicating to your audience vary from different platforms and tools. Social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter can be something that you need to think about. Instagram is also a good way to promote your blog posts and your brand using photos.
8) Be consistent
You need to stick to your own ticket to gaining and retaining your followers. From what I have mentioned earlier, you need to be true to your brand so readers can remember you. There might be times that you engage in other things, but always keep in mind to go back and connect them to your branding.
Consistency is the key. If you are able to achieve this, people will know where to find specific information online if you are consistent to what you post or share on your blog. You can even become their primary source of information if your brand is consistent and relevant to what they need.
ALSO READ: Why Blogging?
Always remember that you need to decide first your niche when you want to start blogging. Then, you need to plan and strategize your branding. However, the following must come in secondary because you cannot achieve this if you are not stable with what you brand yourself.
Never think that following and fame sustain what you do, because if you have a brilliant brand everything else will follow. – Alem Garcia (Ukay-Ukay Diva)
If you like topics like these, please leave your suggestions in the comment section below. You can also follow my Facebook and Twitter accounts and check previous blog posts. For random photos, join me on Instagram.
Check my Blogging 101 Series for more tips on blogging.
You can follow Ukay-Ukay Diva on Facebook for more details about him and his work as a blogger.