Earning and Protecting Your Reputation BLOGS

Whether or not your brand is relevant to your content, it will quickly develop one relevant attribute: a reputation. Everyone who reads your blog will come away with an impression, either good or bad. They will like it or not. Surprisingly, that’s not the most important issue for your Blog Empire, because no reader, not even your most loyal, is going to like or agree with everything you say. The important issue is whether that reader believes your blog to be important. If a reader does not find a blog important, she will probably not return even if she liked a story or two: there are simply too many other blogs to see. If a reader finds your blog insightful, entertaining, and relevant, she will return even though she disagrees with your commentary or doesn’t like your layout. In order to be a serious empire, your blog must exude seriousness. That doesn’t mean your subject must be serious, but you must be serious about your subject.

Branding Idea Generator for your blogs

The question immediately arises whether your name needs to be descriptive of your content, and the answer is, unfortunately, “maybe.” Sometimes it helps, as no one going to Red State would expect anything other than GOP-friendly commentary. The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler is descriptive of both commentary and style. Post Secret says everything there is to say about the blog.

On the other hand, many successful blogs have names that are simply memorable. Little Green Footballs, with more than 100,000 visitors a day, is a political blog concerned with the War on Terror. BoingBoing describes itself as “a directory of wonderful things.” Both have memorable names; neither has a meaningful one.

Branding Idea Generator

Develop a Blog Theme like a pro first

Every successful blog has a theme - the idea or subject your blog is about more than anything else - that makes it a go-to site in the minds of readers. In order to make your blog a success you must be able to contribute something unique, and that something is going to make up the theme of your blog. It might be a comical take on the news. It might be in-depth tutorials for a certain software package. It might even be rumors you hear in your daily job as a top-level political analyst. It may be short stories or fascinating photographs. But you have to find that certain something that only you can contribute and that people want to read or see.

What do you have to offer the millions readers who will join your Blog Empire

Let’s take a look at what you want to build. The first step in that process is looking at who you are, what and who you know, and what you love. What do you have to offer the millions of potential readers who will join your Blog Empire while they sip their morning coffee?

To find out we’re going to answer the most important question for your future success: where you’re going to build your capitol, the headquarters of your own Blog Empire. Basically, we’re going to brainstorm and free associate. There are no right answers, no wrong answers, and nothing is too crazy to write down at this point. Remember, if you love it, someone else probably loves it, too.