📝 How to Build Your Personal Brand by Blogging
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Hey everyone!
With almost two million websites on the internet, competition is fierce in the digital world. If you want to have a chance at success, you need to stand out from the crowd. An effective way to do this is with a unique personal brand that sets you apart.
But how do you build your personal brand by blogging? It is not enough to just write about the things you know and care about - building a personal brand through a blog will take more planning and deliberate effort than that. This article will cover what you need to do.
What is a personal brand?
A personal brand is the perception others have of you and your blog - who you are, what you do, how you do it, how good you are at it, and how trustworthy you are.
Because your audience is in charge of forming this perception, you cannot simply declare it for yourself and expect it to be accepted. You must, instead, build your personal brand through deliberate, constant, and consistent effort that will influence others' opinions of you.
When trying to build a personal brand through a blog, the content you create is crucial. What you write about, how you write about it, and how you present it on your website will leave an impression on your readers.
Find your niche and build your brand around it
You probably have many interests. However, when you're starting a blog, you need to focus on a single niche. This niche won't only determine the topics of your posts; it will also become your brand. So ask yourself what you want to be known as.
Do you want to be a mommy blogger? Or a pop culture critic? Maybe a world traveler or a marketing guru? Successfully building a brand will depend on cohesion and consistency - you can't have that if you don't have a niche. So choose one and stick with it.
Develop your style
Even within a niche, you will likely be competing with hundreds, if not thousands, of other blogs. In order to stand out from them, you need to develop a personal style. Even when the topics you write about are similar to your competition's titles, your unique writing style should make you stand out. Use vocabulary you are comfortable with, something you can emulate in all posts.
Write your blog the way you would anything else, whether that includes short or long sentences, short or long paragraphs, lots of exclamation marks, or a detached, professional tone. Use visuals of a similar style everywhere on your blog (you can adopt a black and white theme or opt for vibrant colors, for example). Most importantly, be consistent. Consistency is key to turning a writing style into a brand.
Create a unique brand voice based on your personality
For your safety, you must protect your privacy online as much as possible (for example,you are not obligated to give out your real name or current location). But that doesn't mean you can't let your personality shine through.
Your personality should be a part of your brand - it's what makes you unique. In addition to writing about your interests, this includes adopting a tone that reflects who you are. Tough love or kindness? Professionalism or friendly advice? It's up to you!
Design your website so that it fits your brand
The aesthetics of your blog should match the rest of your brand. If you're branding yourself as an expert on finances and adopting a professional tone to do so, then a minimalist theme with a limited color palette will suit your image.
If, on the other hand, you're writing about gardening advice for young adults in a friendly and enthusiastic tone, a busier, more colorful design is more appropriate. When using a blogging platform like WordPress, you can choose from pre-made themes. However, it is always better to design your own if you want it to reflect your aesthetic.
Post regularly and stay up to date
The entire point of a blog is to create quality content and promote it - this is at the core of content marketing. What type of content you make, how often you post, and how you promote it will play a significant role in brand growth. Your content should always be related to your niche, and it should always be written in your style.
You should also post at regular intervals, never letting your blog go long without an update. Finally, develop a consistent marketing strategy. If you're promoting your content on social media and through online ads, for example, they should all adopt a similar visual style and tone.
Be consistent, even across different platforms
The key to building a brand is consistency. You want everything you do to touch on similar topics, be written in a similar tone, and include media of similar appearance, whether it's a blog post, a Tweet, an Instagram story, or an online ad.
This doesn't mean you should recycle the same things all the time; quite the contrary - you should always be original. People should be able to recognize everything you do as being uniquely yours. Developing a strong voice and style will help with this. You should, however, also consider designing your own visuals.
Start networking and establishing connections
Building a community around you can help strengthen your brand and spread the word about it. Because of that, you will want to establish connections with both other bloggers and your readers. You can start by collaborating with other bloggers or influencers and guest posting on other websites - these are great ways to drive traffic to your blog and expand your reader base.
To strengthen ties with your readers, encourage interaction through your blog. Subscriptions, comments, ratings, reviews, questions, even giveaways or competitions will create a sense of community around your brand and inspire loyalty towards it.
Why do you need to build your personal brand by blogging?
It takes time and effort to build your personal brand by blogging, but it pays off in the long run. A personal brand will set you apart from other bloggers in the same niche. It is a way to present yourself in the best possible light - show people your knowledge, skills, expertise, and personality in a way that will attract them to you and keep them coming back. When you become a big name in the blogosphere, your brand will become the first thing many learn about you, and because of that, you want it to be representative of your true self.
Until next time!
—Casey
Thank you! Fabulous points, blogging is key.
Great content Casey!