Branding a blog is not unlike branding a business – you want to design a brand that encapsulates your core characteristics, that makes you stand out from the crowd, and that sums up your philosophy. I’m not talking about pretty logos or a memorable slogan, however. In order to succeed in the age of Web 2.0, your brand/blog must be dynamic, beneficial and/or entertaining – or preferably all three. Today’s readers are savvy, demanding, and fickle, so there has to be substance behind the hype if you want your message to stick.

When you begin your blog, ask yourself these questions:

1. What do I want to say? Try to narrow your message down to a few sentences. Think of it as a blogging mission statement (you can put this on your about page).

2. What do I have to offer? What unique skills and knowledge do you have to share with your readers? How can someone benefit by reading your blog? This can can become the basis for your cornerstone content.

3. What is my niche? No one can be all things to all people, so focus on what you can do well. Define your niche so that your blog and brand can be tailored to it (this is also important for SEO purposes, as it helps you to focus on the best possible keywords).

4. Is this sustainable in the long run? Do I have enough to say on this topic to maintain a blog? If you are blogging about your business, (hopefully), you’ll be very passionate about it and have more than enough to say. Remember that creating a successful blog, like a successful brand, requires time and commitment.

5. What sets you apart from the competition? What makes you and your business stand out? Can you describe in a few words? Why should someone read your blog?

As an example, here are the answers for this blog:

1. What do I want to say? In a nutshell, I help bloggers make their blogs better; in particular, I teach to people use blogging to promote their businesses.

2. What do I have to offer? A finely honed writing ability combined with an knowledge of new media and web 2.0 topics, and an awareness of trends in the blogging community.  Plus, I’m patient, friendly, and a good teacher.

3. What is my niche?  Yes, I’m one of the many who blogs about blogging, but I’m focused on helping small business owners and entrepreneurs create compelling content and maximize the potential of their blogs.

4. Is this sustainable in the long run?  Definitely.  I clearly have lots to say, and the blogging community is incredibly dynamic and innovative, so there are always new topics to cover and lots of blog fodder.  I’ve developed blogs before, so I understand the time commitment.  Finally, blogging is something I’m passionate about on a personal level, because starting a blog literally changed my life (ultra quick summary – I was planning on going into a completely different field after I got my B.A., but I started a fashion blog as a hobby, fell in love with the world of blogging and online media, and the rest is history).

5. What sets you apart from the competition?  I consider myself a writer as well as a blogger (just because the web is more informal medium than print doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t put my best face, or posts, forward), and I teach people to use their blogs as a means of active communication, connection, and involvement with their readers/markets instead of just a promotional tool.  I’m in this to help other people succeed.

This post is being submitted to ChrisG on New Media’s Branding Round-up, so click the link for more posts on branding and how it relates to new media.

And a Happy 4th of July to my American readers!

No one really likes to be on the receiving end of the hard sell – it’s awkward and annoying for everyone involved, really.  Fortunately, it is easy to avoid engaging in such off-putting activities, thanks to the many promotional tools and techniques out there on the net.

Blogging, is a particularly good way to set up a passive but constant soft sell.  Now, you might be thinking: “Of course you’re going to say that!  You write a blog about blogging!” Guilty as charged, but it doesn’t change the fact that blogging can indeed be a valuable marketing tool.  It lets potential customers find you on their own time and get to know you and your products or services at their leisure.

See, blogging is a two way street.  Instead of just broadcasting your message at a captive audience in the manner of most traditional advertising, you’re communicating with your readers instead of talking at your potential customers.  The blogosphere is a community, and for your blog to be as successful as possible, you have to participate, even if you’re blogging about your business.  Actually, especially if you are blogging about your business.

The key to using your blog as a marketing tool is not to think of it as such, at least in the traditional sense.  Besides telling your readers about your business and products, share other details about your life and link to other blogs, articles, and websites that you like.  By blogging about varied but related topics you can prevent your blog from being a one-note-wonder.  After all, would you want to read a blog that only consists of tons of remarkably similar posts harping on the same product? It’s the blogging version of the smarmy, pushy salesman who gets in your face and refuses to let you leave without making a purchase – but on the web, readers can escape the hard sell with just one click.*

Think of your blog as a mini-portal to your niche.  Let your readers start with your blog, check out your latest posts, and then continue on by clicking on your links (naturally, you should link to things that support your message and your brand).  Remember that blogging is a dialogue, it is dynamic, and it is interactive, so update often and answer comments and questions.  Also, remember that your readers are probably pretty savvy and they can tell when a blog is straight-up propaganda.  The best way to draw readers to your blog is to create interesting, useful, and compelling content, and do it regularly.   Of course, that is also the hardest way – but that’s what your blogging coach is here for.

*You may have already seen this, but the Cluetrain Manifesto is worth checking out – and getting on.

Your About page may be the most important one on your blog.  By telling readers about your purpose, your background, your expertise, and your personality, it helps you create a connection with them.  It also tends to be one of the most visited pages – after all, when you come across an interesting blog, isn’t it one of the first things you click on?  People like to know who they are reading about.

Don’t be afraid to depart from the standard bio/resume format.  After all, being too formal can make you seem boring – and we’ve already established that no one wants to work with robot.  Tell your readers about your life, share your passions, let them know what is important to you and include a few quirky details.  For instance, check out my About Page – I include some of my favorite writers, other blogs and sites I write for, and a few fun facts about me.

I also link to a “100 things about me” list that I wrote for my personal blog.  Making a similar list (it doesn’t necessarily have to be as long, but once you get started, you may find yourself on a quite a roll) can be a good starting point even if you’re blogging for your business.  It humanizes your blog and makes it memorable.  Think about the details that you’re likely to remember about someone else, and try to include those on your About page.

Of course, you do want to show off your business chops at the same time, so you should still should include the more prosaic aspects of your life (credentials and such), but even that doesn’t have to be boring.   If you’re passionate about your work, what you’ve created, and how you can help others, that will still probably come through in your writing.  On a related note, the About page is also a good spot to put links to a few of your best posts – your flagship content.

Think of your About page as a online press kit, as your own corner of the blogosphere, and as your elevator pitch to potential clients.   It is where you let readers know the key information – who you are, what you do, where you are (contact info), how you can benefit them, and why they should read your blog.

Many bloggers are experts on a particular topic, and they rightfully promote themselves as such.  However, in order for readers to believe in your expert status and to have that translate into gigs, sales, and subscribers, you need to prove it.  Essentially, you have to convince the internet you’re an expert.

So how do you prove your worth?  You give as much as you get.  Let me explain – by sharing some of your knowledge and skills, you let your readers know that you really are an expert.  Blogs are an excellent way to do this; a few possible options include writing a series of how-to posts, creating an online portfolio (this works best for creative types like graphic designers, photographers, and writers), or even penning a downable e-book.

If you have a product or service to promote, you can include insight into how the product works, testimonials from satisfied customers and any other details that a potential customer might want to know.  Testimonials can be especially powerful if they answer specific questions and silence possible objections; for example, you can feature testimonials from customers who describe how your product solved their problems and/or improved their lives.  Use testimonials to provide concrete evidence as to why they should buy your product or enlist your services.

However, for those of us who are blogging to promote ourselves and our brands, it’s a little trickier.  How-tos work well because they not only prove that you know your stuff, they’re useful. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – one of the key ways to get repeat readers (and to get those readers to send your link to others as well as getting other bloggers to link to your blog) is write content that is in some way beneficial to them.

Want to get the most out of your blog?  Share your skills, be a giver, and good things will happen.

Blogging is all about building relationships – with fellow bloggers through linking and commenting, with readers by providing compelling content, and with potential clients, customers, and employers though marketing yourself (and your product if that applies).  This post from Guy Kawasaki’s excellent blog reminded me of the importance of expressing your personality and how sometimes the best PR is result of simply being yourself.

Here’s my favorite part:

“You don’t have to seem all grown-up and boring. Every entrepreneur feels vaguely disreputable. Maybe you drive a crappy car. Maybe you never went to prom. There are enough stuffed suits in this world to fill fifteen Wall Street Journals a day. As anyone who watches American Idol will tell you, what this spun-out, over-hyped world is absolutely famished for is a little genuine personality. And, outside of your technology, it’s probably the only thing you have. So stop trying to be like IBM and just be yourself.”

It’s simple advice, but in the effort to seem professional and organized we often forgot that sometimes the PR spin machine sacrifices personality for slickness and a fancy first impression.  In the end, however, your clients and customers aren’t doing business with your publicists, they’re doing business with you.  Blogging is a hands-on way to build a personal connection with your readers – and it’s really, really easy once you get in the blogging groove.

Besides the all-important relationship with your readers, blogging lets you reach out to other bloggers in the same industry or niche.  Commenting on other blogs – don’t forget to put your blog’s URL in the appropriate blank – is one to make a name for yourself in the blogosphere.  By maintaining a blogroll (a list of your favorite blogs in the sidebar), you can promote other talented bloggers, and they can promote you on their own blogroll.  Once you become an established blogger, you also can volunteer to do guest posts and create blogging carnivals relevant to your subject matter (I’ll be discussing both of these strategies in future posts).

Blogging is also immediate and candid – you’ll be able to update your blog as often as you want and share news with clients and customers almost as soon as it happens. Besides, keeping your own blog will give you some “internet street cred” within the blogosphere and social media networks, and that’s increasingly valuable in the Web 2.0 era.  However, this isn’t the main reason to start blogging.

The two biggest reasons that blogging is an excellent PR move are:

1. Transparency.  Blogging makes you accessible and open, and this fosters trust from your readers.   After all, if you’re willing to share the details of your business and your life with them in an unfiltered manner, you’ve probably to be an honest, real person to do business with – and in business as in all things, it’s better to be liked for who and what you really are, than hated (or worse – ignored!) for what you are not.

2. Passion.  No one will ever be quite as passionate about your business as you are, especially not a paid-for publicist or PR agency.  People respond to passion, so don’t be afraid to let it come through loud and clear in your blog.