Blogs as brand names

You are all familiar with brand names.



Everywhere in our lives we are confronted by the Nike swish, the Pepsi ball, and everything about the auto industry.



People wear brand names on their clothing. They proudly announce the purchases of their favourite brand name products. In short, brands are everywhere.



Blogs are beginning to become brand names as well.



Well known bloggers like Dave Winer, Doc Searls, and Andrew Sullivan, among others, are already well known. Their names are their brands. Their blogs are the carrier of those brand names.



Some other blogs are establishing some solid brand names.



Professor Bainbridge, Jeremy Wright's Ensight, and Deb Yoder's The Accidental Jedi spring immediately to mind. Many other rising brand name blogs are on the horizon.



How do you establish a brand name for your blog?



First of all, you must provide regular postings. If your blog is not updated on a regular basis, it will not be regarded as a reliable brand. In many ways, a brand is a promise. The brand promises reliable consistent quality, each and every time.



That brings us to our second branding requirement. Your blog must provide constant high quality posts. When writing your daily blog articles, you have to give your readers some help in solving their problems, or provide something to give them some interesting reading. Your information, whether personal or general, must add to their lives.



Your links to other blogs must not only be to helpful information, but also provide some insight into the thinking of the linked blogger. It goes without saying (okay I said it) your links have to work. Few things are more frustrating than broken links.



A third way to build your brand is to market it. You don't develop a name brand by hiding it. Use the name of your blog everywhere. Let people know who you are and what you offer to them.



Large companies understand the need to market their brand completely. Their brand names and logos are everywhere. They cram into our subconscious as to become part of our thinking. We don't think fast food. We think McDonalds, Burger King or Wendy's.



By working continually to provide a consistent reliable blog for your readers, you are developing your brand name.



Who knows, maybe your blog will be mentioned as a blog leader.



That's when you know your branded blog has arrived.