When someone visits your site, they will often wonder what they think you do VERSUS what you actually do.
Over time, this messaging needs to be consistent.
Think Nike. Think Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Think how they used their brands, stories and marketing to educate their peeps and help their companies stand the test of time.
Yes, just do it. Maybe after you see a Nike commercial, you want to immediately start running.
So....in order to ensure that these readers stay with you for the long haul, there are important things to consider when blogging for branding purposes:
1.Be consistent
To keep your brand's message consistent, you'll need to constantly blog to build content, tell your own personal story, and educate your potential peeps how your book can help them. The bottom line - build trust.
2. Build a Brand Response
Building a brand is about evoking an emotional response. Again, think Nike. Do you want to train for a marathon? Think Coca-Cola. Do you feel happy? These reactions underscore the power that brands have over us.
What is it about your blog that will evoke a certain reaction?
3. With content, you can embed this reaction in your own readers. Give them a voice, a personality, or an image to refer to. Do this with intention, and you'll find that your brand begins to take shape.
Have you noticed the global "Giving Voice to Your Story" logo of my website? This is the image everyone sees whether it's an email marketing campaign or any opt-in offers I send out to my list.
The brand messaging is always consistent:
Just as the hand is holding the story to represent global voices and diversity, I hold the space for my clients to share their stories whether it's for a sales page, an About page or any of my copywriting or memoir writing services.
4.Define Your Audience. This is one short and sweet but alas, it has the biggest impact.
I'm going to assume for now that if you're blogging your book, the biggest motivator is to publish it one day. Right?
Consider this thought:
As Reid Tracy, CEO of Hay House says, "There are a lot of great books out there that don't sell. The reason for this is that these books don't have an audience that notices them. This is why I keep teaching and emphasizing the importance of building your platform and your audience.
When you build your platform--your following--your audience, these are the people who are going to notice your work and start talking about what you do. It doesn't matter how good your book is. If you don't have that niche audience, you're not going to sell your book."
So consider these questions as you develop your target audience:
Who are you trying to reach, and what type of content will best resonate with them?
What keeps them up at night? What are some of their struggles? What values do they care about?
Your Story Assignment
Make a list of issues and problems that plague your target audience based on the current themes of your book. This target audience is not just people who have an interest in your book, but also those who are experiencing the struggles and issues that you are currently blogging about.
For example, one of the target audiences of my book represent people who have some kind of interest in Israel. These people might be American-Israeli trying to navigate two different cultures which is my story. But then there are those who are trying to become their own person by leaving negativity, doubt and fear behind. These represent the second type of targeted readers.