Have you ever wondered why people actually choose Apple over Microsoft or Kenneth Cole over Michael Kors, or why most of us are so willing to pay so much for a name?
Certainly, individual taste has much to do with it, but the bottom line is this: a good, memorable brand is safe. It’s reliable and accountable. Most people don’t care to invest their time or money into something without a brand because it leaves so much to chance. A bland brand is unaccountable, unreliable, and worst of all forgettable.
How do you make your brand memorable, then?
- Decide on a logo. Many people brand their websites and blogs with their names or some variation thereof. Take Julie Gabriel, author of Green Beauty Recipes, for example. This is blunt, honest, and simple in a classy way. You can’t run from your own name, so you must be pretty confident about your site if you’ve got your name splashed across a banner, right?Other people make up a name or phrase that fits their business or niche. Think, The Daily Green. This can be effective and more memorable than a name, especially a common name. It can also help to get the purpose of your site across, which is what we come to next. ..
. - Decide on a tagline to define the purpose of your site. Don’t give your viewer more than a split second to figure out exactly what your site is about, why they’re visiting it, and why they shouldn’t just hit the “back” button. Discretion and coyness will work against you here.Leo Babauta from the hugely successful Zen Habits blog suggests keeping this in mind: ISM (informative, simple, memorable). Take a look at these sites that followed his advice. Julie and Brandon both used their names as logos in addition to a simple tagline. The Daily Green and The Big Red Tomato Company decided on simple logos (both focusing on colors, incidentally) to accompany their simple taglines...
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- Prepare an About Me/Us page. A brand builds credibility by sharing who they are and what they represent to the public. Guests to your blog want to get to know you and want to trust you, but how will they do that unless you give them reason to? Explain on this page who you are, what put you on your chosen path, and what makes you different from everyone else in your overcrowded niche. Try to resist writing a novel here but don’t be too brief, either. Get your point across in as few words as possible, maintain professionalism and respect for others, and sprinkle a healthy dose of charm….
. - Thank your supporters. Okay, this is more than five steps, but this step is crucial. Taking the time to dedicate an entire blog post to your readers and friends is a surefire way to make them feel appreciated and develop a greater trust in you and your brand…
Born and raised in North Carolina, Heather Green has worked as a fashion and beauty consultant as well as freelancing for various wedding, fashion, and health publications. She currently acts as the resident blogger for Online Nursing Degrees where she’s been researching professional nursing organizations as well as RN to BSN programs.
