Branding Your Blog: The Basics

I've made no secret of the fact that I think branding correctly is the key to blog growth, so much so that I've made the topic a regular feature on this blog. I see so many people talk about their blog not "going anywhere" when their blog, Twitter and Facebook accounts are totally mis-matched and all over the place. For me, the two words that I think will see your blog increase in popularity if you use correctly are branding & consistency. They apply to each other - make sure you're consistently branding & your branding is consistent. Make sense?

W H A T   I S   B R A N D I N G ?
Branding is the process of what I like to call 'making your blog yours'. It means that everything from your layout, icons and fonts are consistent amongst all of your social media platforms so that you're recognizable and unique. A bit like Coca-Cola, you see their advert everywhere and you can recognize their fonts meaning their customers are able to spot them anywhere. Making your blog gain in popularity means your blog can become a brand. Once you begin to see it as a brand, branding starts to make a little more sense - it's a brand (or blog's) identity!

W H Y   I S   I T   I M P O R T A N T ?
Branding is key when expanding your blog. I've been recently getting more into Pinterest and the amount of photos I see like the one above when you type "blogging tips" is amazing. I follow that many blog branding boards that it can sometimes get a bit confusing when it comes to remembering who posted what. Branded blogs that have a similar type of photo, colour and fonts are recognizable and it makes the whole blog experience easier & less confusing for the reader.

W H A T   E X A C T L Y   N E E D S   B R A N D I N G ?
I think everything on a blog needs tailoring to suit you. I'd say generally all of your social media icons are the same (including the photo in your sidebar!) are similar; your headers are the same on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube & you have your own, unique photography style. Fonts and colour schemes also play a huge part. If you're in need of some inspiration for photography that I can recognize a mile away, Milk Bubble Tea & Couture Girl are great for beauty lovers. More graphic design-related blogs that I think are great examples of branding are xoMisse & JennyPurr.

I also like to 'brand my personality'. This sounds like an odd one to begin with but I try to keep my personality the same across all of my social media networks & speak in a similar tone, express the same interests and keep everything uniform. For example I won't act like a "girly-girl" on my Twitter account & then post grungy photos on my Instagram. Simple as that :)

That's it! A very brief post on the basics of branding a blog. Have you branded your blog? What's your best tip?