From the good looking man you try to ‘accidentally’ bump into every morning on the 7.45 to the office, to that lady down the road who collects teapots shaped like frogs, nowadays it seems that everyone’s at it. Blogging, that is. Name a subject, no matter how whimsical, and millions of bedroom authors are furiously typing about it at this very moment. With the humble blog, budding writers have been offered a ready made publishing vehicle, and in theory, an audience; but the blog can be much more than an outlet for creativity. Indeed, there are numerous cases of bloggers generating their own bona fide fame, usually shooting to stardom via the inclusion of call girl-esque confessions (fancy Billie Piper playing you in the TV version anyone?) and there are many who blog professionally to generate additional income in the form of advertising and sponsorship. Along with blogging for fun, today we’re going to put these varieties aside to discuss the power of blogging for your brand.
From running a jewellery line, to running a marathon, blogging is an essential way to pass on information, generate interest, and gain exposure. Blogging is free and low-tech in nature – sign up at Blogspot or WordPress and you can be published in the time it takes you to boil the kettle. Choose a simple default template that best reflects the look of your company, and keep those ‘wacky’ designs for your own time. For those who wish to go a step further, web designers are now fully versed in creating custom templates in order to integrate your blog seamlessly into your main site or brand aesthetics, or if you’re handy with the html, there are endless amounts of new designs waiting for you via Google.
Once you’re set up, blog regularly. If you have products to sell, post new items, special offers and shoots, or if it’s a talent you’re promoting, such as music, modelling or photography, write about your latest projects, events and press coverage. If you face a dry spell with factual posts, incorporate your personality by adding a few lines about your inspirations, motivations and future plans; it’s best to keep these more ‘personal’ posts related to the genre of your brand, writing about your latest boyfriend troubles is best kept separate. Posting regularly will also boost your productivity; even if you’re the only person reading the thing, seeing tumbleweed float across the space where you haven’t blogged for three weeks will motivate you to achieve something to fill it with. Another advantage to religiously adding updates is that in recording and categorising your accomplishments, you’ve done all of the ground work when it comes to CV building or pitching your business; in fact, think of your blog as your active CV, as when your audience builds, there’s no telling who may be checking your progress and what opportunities may come your way.
When your blog is established, get promoting. Place a link to your blog upon your official website if you have one, tell people via your mailing list, or search for rss applications on Facebook which can show your friends what you’re posting. By far the most effective way to gain a new audience for your blog is by becoming active in the blogging community. Add a blogroll to your page and add blogs that are of interest to you, and comment their articles whenever you can; when you’re feeling brave enough, get in touch with the owners of said blogs and let them know that you’re linking to them, and many will be happy to reciprocate. The most effective form of link swapping is to approach blogs in the same genre, and of a similar standard to your own; mailing Vogue and telling them you have them in your blogroll probably won’t result in you being placed upon their multi million pound website for instance. In this vein of featuring to get featured, be generous and turn over a post to showcasing a fellow blog, designer, musician, etc that you’ve enjoyed visiting and let them know; not only is it likely that they’ll promote the piece you’ve created about them, but they may offer to return the favour; if they don’t, don’t push it, the idea is to get your blog on the radar, not get a reputation. If you’re serious about having a well publicised blog, consider running a regular feature and allowing people to submit, or approach people for interview. This can of course be time consuming and move your blog away from its intended purpose of blogging about your own brand, so be careful to keep a balance and weigh up the pros and cons of this approach before embarking on creating a blogzine. If however, someone blogs about you, always take the time to post about the piece with your thanks, and recommend your own readers visit the site in question; it’s just good manners.
So hopefully this introduction to the importance of blogging has got you itching to get started, although unfortunately I’m not on commission from Blogspot. I’ll be mentioning blogging frequently within this column in the assumption that you’re taking advantage of its benefits for your business, so look out for more coverage soon, or get started now so that you can follow the advice as we go. In the meantime, why not check out my own example of blogliness at sarahjaneadams.blogspot.com! Happy blogging!
Beauty and the Blog: spotlight on Portia Freno, celebrity model
Pictured in her underwear she may be, but Portia Freno is a business woman through and through. Determined to stand apart from the countless generic models swamping the industry, Portia has tapped into her extensive fan base to transcend her images and become a brand in her own right. Having come across her via her blog, we’ve since struck up a variety of collaborations, which just goes to prove a blog’s worth! I was instantly impressed by the insight this driven young star has into the power of keeping in touch with her admirers and recognising that it is her grassroots support that will determine her A list success. Through regular blogging, Portia keeps her fans up to date, and interacts with them directly, which in turn encourages them to purchase her website’s VIP membership for those who wish to see exclusive content. portiafreno.blogspot.com is a great example of blogging to maintain and inform an audience or fan base, and the power of self promotion; read it and become inspired now!
Cover image courtesy of Annie Mole on Flickr
Sarah-Janes writing is powerful and her advice is inspirational!! Thankyou, i’m off to make a blog! x
“Bedroom authors” – I love that!