Failproof Guide to Brand Building Your Blog

1. Failproof Guide
to Brand Building
Your Blog

2. 2 | Failproof Guide to Brand Building Your Blog
When starting a small business, your main goal (other
than making your customers very happy) should be
getting your name out there and building trust. When
you’re just beginning, not a lot of people know who you
are, what you stand for, and what you have to offer. One
way to convey all of these things and establish your
brand and business is by starting a blog.
The articles and blog posts you share on your blog do more
than simply earn you traffic. They help people understand
what you’re about and what your values are. For instance,
the hugely popular Toms Shoes brand started out as a
small project in 2006, but has grown into a thriving fashion
mini-empire. One way they do this is through articles and
blogging about charitable and giving initiatives that reflect
Failproof Guide to Brand
Building Your Blog

3. 3 | Failproof Guide to Brand Building Your Blog
their worldview. One can imagine that these charitable stories are as effective in getting new customers as a billboard in a
busy city, or a commercial on a relevant television show.
Our eBook will lay our some guidelines to building a brand blog. If you follow these, before too long you’ll have a thriving
online community that translates into sales.
Failproof Guide to Brand Building Your Blog

4. 4 | Failproof Guide to Brand Building Your Blog
Before you even sit down to write your first blog post or think
about what you want your blog to look like, you need to sit down
and do some soul searching about your business and figure out
what you can write about that will convey both your business’s
values and offering. This is essentially planning out the story of
your brand.
Think about what makes your business unique. What need or
service are you fulfilling that few other businesses are? Are you one
of the only vegan bakeries in town? Do you specialize in planning
ecofriendly weddings and events? Once you’ve identified what it is
about your business that makes it special and appealing, it will be
easier to figure out what to write about.
Remember, you can tell your brand story in two ways on your blog:
through articles and interviews that you research and write, and by
sharing and commenting on articles and blog posts from other blogs
and publications that line up with your brand story and goals.
Planning Your Brand Story

5. 5 | Failproof Guide to Brand Building Your Blog
When it comes to running a blog,
consistency is key.
So come up with a list of goals for your
blog that will keep you on track and
help create a cohesive experience for
visitors.
You’ll want to set a few different types
of goals for your blog. One goal should
probably be increasing sales (an easy
way to track this is by linking to an online
store from you blog). You should also set
editorial goals for yourself as well, such
as posting four times a week, or working
with a certain number guest authors
each month. Once you’ve established
these goals, you’ll be able to better track
your success.
Establish Goals for Your Blog

6. 6 | Failproof Guide to Brand Building Your Blog
A little inspiration can go a long, long way.
Once you’ve found blogs that you enjoy, take
a look around and see if you can find other
brand blogs that inspire you. If you like them,
chances are others do as well, and there’s
probably something you can learn from them.
When it comes to exactly what you admire, this
can be just about anything. Maybe it’s the tone
they use when writing about themselves and
what matters to them. Maybe they use video in
a new and fascinating way. Maybe it’s the way
the blog is designed. Or perhaps it’s just a really
smart URL. No matter what it may be, make a
list of some of your favorite blogs and what you
like about them and see which of these things
may translate to you own blog in an interesting
and original way.
Find Other Blogs You Admire

7. 7 | Failproof Guide to Brand Building Your Blog
When designing your blog, think about
what will make the experience easy
and pleasurable for people who visit it.
Your articles should be easy to read and
elegant looking. Even if you’re running
your business out of your garage,
your blog should feel like it came from
an established, professional entity
that has authoritative information on
things that potential customers are
interested in.
You’ll also want to make sure your blog is
responsive. That means it can tell what
kind of device a visitor is using - a laptop
or mobile device - and lays itself out in a
way that is right for that device.
Design a Great Looking Blog
Now
it’s time to
actually build
your blog

8. 8 | Failproof Guide to Brand Building Your Blog
You’ll also want to make sure your blog has the perfect amount of branding. This is a brand blog so your brand name and
logo should be prominently featured - but they shouldn’t take away from the experience. If your blog feels overly branded,
it may be difficult for visitors to immerse themselves in your content. They may just feel like they’re being marketed to,
which will detract from the experience.
Design a Great Looking Blog

9. We’ve talked about how consistency is key when running
a blog, and this line of thinking is why you need to have
an editorial calendar. An editorial calendar allows you to
plan out your content far in advance so you can use your
articles and blog posts to craft a cohesive message.
When planning your editorial calendar, think about what
cadence works best for you and your brand. Posting every
day might not be necessary if you can’t think of enough
solid topics to write about every day. In this case, you may
want to post two or three times a week. No matter what
you decide, just make sure to maintain that cadence so
your blog appears lively. There’s nothing worse than going
to a brand blog and seeing that it hasn’t been updated in
months.
Also, be sure to take note of upcoming holidays and events.
Chances are you’ll be able to leverage these through the
lens of your business, and maybe even drum up some
extra sales. For instance, if Thanksgiving or Christmas are
coming up, what can you add to the conversation? You can
also think about more serious holidays like Black History
Month, Veteran’s Day, or National Women’s Day. It’s all
about being part of the relevant conversation and helping
people understand your brand’s perspective.
9 | Failproof Guide to Brand Building Your Blog
Create an Editorial Calendar

10. No matter what your business or industry, chances are
there are other people out there that share the same
audience, values, and purpose. If any of these people
happen to have a blog, why not invite them to guest blog
on your site?
Asking someone to write guest articles and blog posts
for your brand has a wide range of benefits. First off, it
gives your audience a fresh voice and perspective. Think
about your favorite blogs, magazines, and newspapers -
very few of them use only one writer.
Having guest bloggers also conveys a sense of
professionalism and community. Very few successful
business owners and entrepreneurs exist in a bubble. They
go out, meet people, and trade ideas. By inviting guest
bloggers to participate on your site, you’re showing your
community that you’re looking to expand and learn.
Lastly, guest bloggers will help you get exposure all over
the web. If someone notable guest blogs for you often
enough, they’ll start to be a popular search term that leads
to your blog. Chances are that most of the people you
invite to put guest posts on your blog will share their link
on their own blog and social networks, exposing you to a
whole new audience.
10 | Failproof Guide to Brand Building Your Blog
Use Guest Bloggers

11. 11 | Failproof Guide to Brand Building Your Blog
The quality of your blog is only
part of the equation when
it comes to getting noticed
online. You also need to have a
smart strategy for sharing your
articles and blog posts with your
community.
If you have a small business and
are running a blog, you should
definitely also have a presence
on social media. Platforms like
Facebook and Twitter are perfect
for linking to your blog, and also
sharing content and commentary
Get the Word Out About Your
Blog Through Social

12. 12 | Failproof Guide to Brand Building Your Blog
on things related to your industry.
Depending on your line of work, Instagram can also be
helpful. For instance, if you’re a baker looking to share a link
to a frosting tutorial, you can put up a picture of a frosted
cake and include a link to your blog in your bio (right now
that’s the only place you can put a clickable link on the
platform, but hopefully they’ll soon allow it in captions and
comments.
Also, don’t forget that using social media in general is
always great for search. This is extra true for Google+ since
it’s a social network that is owned by the search giant.
Get the Word Out About Your Blog Through Social

13. 13 | Failproof Guide to Brand Building Your Blog
Let’s face it: some of us aren’t numbers
people. But numbers are the best way to
see which of your content is performing the
strongest. Check your blog to see which pages
are getting the most hits and being shared
with others. Also, be sure to monitor the
comments on your site so you can see what
people think about your content. Are they
loving it? Finding it boring? Offering lots of
opinions about it?
Once you’ve examined your analytics, think
about how you can tweak your strategy to
increase engagement. For instance, if you find
that blog posts and articles that show how to
do something are performing well, you might
want to post more of them since they clearly
resonate with your audience.
Look at Analytics

14. 14 | Failproof Guide to Brand Building Your Blog
Building a successful brand blog
takes time, so don’t be discouraged
if you don’t garner a lot of interest
and followers at first. If you think your
blog could be better, try new tactics.
Post more, or post less. Change up
your design. Think of up new topics,
or figure out a different way to talk
about your subject. Then, track your
analytics again and see how much
interest your getting. Whatever you
do, don’t give up! Before long you’ll
have a great blog that builds your
brand and connects you with the right
customer.
Don’t Be Afraid To
Tweak Your Strategy
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