Branding – Developing a Name and Image That Will Stick With People

A Blog Empire has many subjects but only one theme.

Every empire has a name. It may be regal enough that “Rome” says everything there is to say. It may try to ride off the success of others, as the “Holy Roman Empire” attempted in the Ninth Century.

Whatever name you choose, however, will establish your brand. It will be the name that people remember, and it will be with you forever. Think it’s not important? Just imagine what would happen to Coca-Cola if its name was changed tomorrow to Sparkie’s Soda. Would you still buy it even if it tasted the same? Would they still be the most popular cola in the world? Their name, built carefully for more than a century, is the most valuable asset they own. Your brand will do the same for your Blog Empire.

Need Brand Be Relevant to Content?

The question immediately arises whether your name needs to be descriptive of your content, and the answer is, unfortunately, “maybe.” Sometimes it helps, as no one going to Red State would expect anything other than GOP-friendly commentary. The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler is descriptive of both commentary and style. Post Secret says everything there is to say about the blog.

On the other hand, many successful blogs have names that are simply memorable. Little Green Footballs, with more than 100,000 visitors a day, is a political blog concerned with the War on Terror. BoingBoing describes itself as “a directory of wonderful things.” Both have memorable names; neither has a meaningful one.

Develop a Blog Theme

Every successful blog has a theme - the idea or subject your blog is about more than anything else - that makes it a go-to site in the minds of readers. In order to make your blog a success you must be able to contribute something unique, and that something is going to make up the theme of your blog.

It might be a comical take on the news. It might be in-depth tutorials for a certain software package. It might even be rumors you hear in your daily job as a top-level political analyst. It may be short stories or fascinating photographs. But you have to find that certain something that only you can contribute and that people want to read or see.

Your blog’s theme can be summed up by what you want you blog to be famous for, the one unique thing your blog presents or contributes.

Pick three or four key words that describe your content and your presentation of it, based on your skills, abilities, and knowledge (e.g. “satirical partisan political commentary” or “sentimental love poetry”).

Then complete your theme:

Blog Theme: My blog is known and respected as the best place on the internet to find: ______________ ________________ _____________ ____________