it’s all in the name

On By Peggy BereIn Margber, Musings, Uncategorized

branding_cow

Branding.

What’s all the fuss lately?  I seem to run across article after article referring to “branding yourself.”

I started my blog casually. I saw my handsome hubs, Clark, doing something witty one day and just decided to write it down for all the world to read!

OK, not true.

The real story ~ I was prompted a bit by my dear friend, Bonnie, to write.  Well, prompted a lot.  Come to think of it, she was borderline abusive about it.  But I digress.  Sweet Bonnie encouraged me to write.  She saw something in my stories.  Thought I had a gift and should be using it rather than letting it sit stagnant.  So, I wrote.

Who in the world would have ever thought it would have turned into this little obsession of mine a year later?  There’s so much to think about.  Who knew?   You don’t just sit down and toss out some thoughts onto your keyboard and hit “post.”  You start to live and breathe it.  (Yes, I know, never end a sentence with a preposition)

Creating a brand means essentially to think of some cohesive core values that represent you and your blog.

Branding.  You must start off with a catchy title!

Huh?  How about Twenty Thirteen!  Hmmm.  Not so catchy, but hey!!… that was the year I started!  So there’s that.  It will be self-explanatory years from now!  People will identify that I have been blogging since wayyyy bacckkk thennnn!

To-blog-or-not-to-blog_943_426068_0_14072635_500I certainly do not take myself too seriously when writing a post. So why in the world do I want to work on creating a brand for myself that speaks to my audience?

Well, I guess because the longer you blog the more you become obsessed with it.  You slowly start to want to build an audience.  Blogging grabs a hold of you and all you can do is think about is your next post.  I constantly have blog material going through my head.  I can be out do anything, with anyone, and think to myself (and often out loud… ) “oh, that’s great blog material!!” It becomes your mantra.  And part of your daily routine.  Especially when you find humor in simple, ordinary events that happen on any given day.

Face it people!… you are just one huge, humorous blog post waiting to happen.

So, as I often do, I have caved in to the pressure.  *shame*   I have decided to create a fab, new title for my blog!!

Will this create an identity crisis between myself and my readers?  Will they still recognize my blog if the old “twenty thirteen” is replaced by something shiny and  brand new?

Or, Is it actually really necessary to change my title?  I havvveee become a bit fond of it.  Even tho it is a bit vague and generic.  It just feels like….mine.  It feels like home.

blog_award

Hey, wait just a minute.  Maybe I AM home!  Maybe Twenty Thirteen IS my identity and my brand.  It does feel comfy like an old sweatshirt.  And, people have already become wildly fascinated with it.  OK, I exaggerate.  But they DO know it’s my blog title.  : )

So, maybe all the fuss about creating a catchy title and developing your brand is just hot air. Maybe, with time, you DO develop a brand simply by being consistent with posts, writing good, solid content and taking care of your site on a day-to-day basis.  Perhaps your brand evolves into something spectacular all by itself just by being yourself and blogging your little heart out.

 

Hmmm, I must give this more thought.  Is it too late in the game to change my title?  Is it even necessary now that I have been blogging for a year?  Do you all know what you are coming to read when you visit my page?  Do you feel you have a handle on branding?   Do you feel you’ve branded your site well and has it served you in a positive way?

Thoughts?

old-typewriter copy

 

43 thoughts on “it’s all in the name”

  1. Have you considered changing the name, but only by addition? Twenty Thirteen Plus or Twenty Thirteen and Beyond or….something? So a change but still connected with your original title.

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  2. I had someone I followed for nearly a year recently change the title of her blog – and it confused me for maybe a second. I’m very new to your blog, but I like the title. It’s eye-catching.

    My blog has a bit of a brand, but it has expanded. Luckily, it’s a strange premise, so I have a lot of creative license!

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    1. Yes, hence my dilemma. I DO like my title. I have grown into it and most readers identify me by this name. However, on some leve, l feel it is too common. Let’s face it, there’s a blog theme with the same name. Not good. I just need to noodle it around in my head for a while. Most likely?…I’ll end up keeping it. : )

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  4. I’ve been involved in branding on a professional level for much of my career, and have now seen my own art and writing websites through a number of minor rebrands as my interests (and the market) have changed over the last 5 years. My conclusion (and you can see a few posts I’ve done on this at my blog) is that you just can’t anticipate everything, so be cautious about defining a small niche at first, and try to create an umbrella for yourself to “future-proof.” I’ll admit to confusion over your blog name; I always thought it referred to the popular WordPress theme. Whatever you do, don’t lose the typewriter!! That visual is a stronger identifier than what’s typed on the paper. If you want to change it, try “morphing” it instead–you could design it in numerals with an addition, for example

    2013: Phrase or Catchy Words about Blog

    Hope this helps, looking forward to seeing what you do!

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  6. Hey there. Great post. I myself have been considering doing some revising to my blog too. The whole branding thing and all. What I had originally planned to blog about isn’t happening. It’s actually turned into something totally unexpected, but I’m liking it. I just started blogging last August, and I think I’m more sure now as to what I want my blog to be about and what I want to represent with it.
    Thanks for this post.
    🙂

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    1. I would guess that a lot of bloggers have this same experience. I can see how intentions to blog about one thing could easily turn to something totally different after you jump in and get your feet wet. Good Luck with the branding! 🙂

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  7. It’s so hard, isn’t it? This whole “who am I?” in the blogosphere. I can’t tell you how many nights of sleep I lost just going over and over in my head the title I wanted. To be honest, I was more concerned with the name of my blog then what I was actually going to write about lol. Even now, I am happy with it, but, and there is always that infamous ‘but’, I still feel it could be perfected and if and when the time is right I will likely edit it a bit. 🙂 I like the name of your blog, but if you feel it needs a change, maybe you should evaluate your past blog posts and see if you can find a theme in them, then, maybe work a new blog name out of that them. Just my two cents 🙂

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    2. It’s so hard to come up not only with a creative name blog title that fits you, but also with one that is not already taken. I have also spent many hours thinking about this and I always end up right back where I started. Teenty Thirteen! Thanks for your two cents!! 🙂

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  9. I, for one, love the typewriter. That says ‘serious writer’ to me. I love how you selected the name. At least it allows you to write about whatever you want; you are not stuck to a specific topic. I like your title as is–picture and all.

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    1. Thank You, Loisajay! I do love the fact that I have a wide umbrella in which I can write under. After all, that is the purpose and I guess, my “brand.” Mine is a blog about just about anything that can happen on any given day.

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  10. I feel that “developing a brand” is more about developing your voice – writing posts from your heart and head in order to let readers become familiar and know who you are. I’ve thought about changing the appearance of my blog, but not the name. It’s how my fellow bloggers know me and what to expect when they visit my page.

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  11. “Face it people!… you are just one huge, humorous blog post waiting to happen.” So true! Since blogging, I see the world through a slightly different lens now…Is it blog-worthy? How would I write about this? Haha. I have to admit, when I saw your title, I thought it was the name of the theme of the template you used via wordpress. Having an explanation in the “about” would help. Gail

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    1. Yes! That darn theme! Having my title the same as a WP theme was what prompted me to consider changing mine in the first place. You hit the nail on the head. Thank you for your input. Im still deciding what to do. I have had many, many people ask me not to change it. Mostly people I know IRL. So, there’s that! Unless, I want to hide from them, of course. 😉

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  12. Hi – just wanted to chime in here to share what I felt when I stumbled on your blog. Not sure how I stumbled on it – But I thought it was a blog from last year that was now inactive. I have come across many blogs that are just sitting there as resources – and I think I even know someone who has one for each year – and when you go to their profile it lists the 2013 one.

    and I think you should keep the name – and maybe play around with it – because it is also two – zero- one – three – and that has a ring to it. 🙂

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    1. Yes, the title in and of itself seems limiting. However, it can also point to the year my Blog was born, the year I overcame Cancer, the year I became a blogger. So I may just keep it as is. 🙂 Thanks for Stumbling upon my blog!

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      1. well when you put it that way- this title has some extra warmth because it sounds like a very special year! and 1993 was one of those special years for me….
        take care – and looking forward to seeing what you decide…

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  14. I think when we start blogging we fall on a catchy name and avatar without thinking long term. And as “Branding” seems to be the latest must-do – who the heck came up with that as the latest thing to bother the heck out of us! – we could well be giving ourselves greater thought. But you know what, to heck with what you should or shouldn’t be doing, do what feels right for you. Sermon ended 🙂

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  16. A friend has gone through multiple names for their blog. Long as the address is the same, the name doesn’t matter all that much.

    BTW, I discovered your photo blog. Excellent work there.

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  17. Hi there,
    I have published all that I intend to on blog branding in my blogging tips blog post Branding on the Blog and Beyond the blog. While it’s seductive to think I’ll just blog on and forget about branding, It’s not too late to change your site title and/or tagline to help potential new readers using search engines to locate your blog and recall the title after they click out.

    Due to the wide range of subject matter found in personal blogs they are the most difficult to develop a branding strategy for. As at least 30% and of all traffic to successful blogs comes from search engines so it does make sense to think about the keywords that describe the content best and place them in the site title and/or tagline.

    Once you are clear on who your target audience is, and what your main message is, you can ask yourself which keywords and/or keyword phrases you would type into a search engine to locate your own blog.

    As you have noted, WordPress has a theme by the same name as your site title. The reality is that and it will always outrank your blog in search results. That’s why I think changing the site title is a good one. That said, it’s your blog and your decision to make and I wish you well with it.

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    1. Thank You Timethief for your input. I am taking the Blogging 201 challenge and I have tweaked my “brand” a bit. I am pleased with the way it is shaping up. Between your blogging tips and posts on Branding and the 201 challenge, I am slowly adapting to some much needed changes.

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