When I set up this blog a few years back, I had a lot of experience in blogging from my movie blog The Book, The Film, The T-Shirt. So the whole process was a lot easier and I’m really happy with the results. I think it’s a modern, uncluttered look that I was aiming for (and is the exact opposite of my life at the moment).
By comparison, my movie blog looks awful. I set it up when I had no experience with WordPress and a logo I made myself. I cringe when I look at it now, so I’m in the process of planning a brand overhaul now.
Here are five ways I’m looking to refresh my blog’s branding.
Have a new logo designed
As a marketer, I know the cardinal rule of branding is that it is much more than a logo. Your brand incorporates how you position yourself, your tone of voice and how all the style elements of your website and communications look. I’m pretty happy with the brand of the blog in terms of positioning, but the logo definitely needs a bit of a makeover. I’ll be paying a professional to do it too!
Change to a new website template
My blog’s homepage is too busy and the fonts too small and difficult to read. I used a WordPress theme for the site which isn’t really looking the part any more. So I have chosen a much cleaner, sophisticated theme called Journo which I’m currently customising. If you’re looking to update your blog, then something as simple as changing the type and size of the font can work really well.
Level-up your imagery
Good quality images are a must on blogs. I’m very lucky that with my movie blog, the imagery is already created by the movie studios, so I don’t have much of a headache in that respect, but when it comes to Instagram or this blog, I need to work harder to make the images better quality and more entertaining.
If you take your own photos for your blog, then there are some great online resources that show you how to take better photos. If you’re creating social media banners and Pinterest posts, then sites like Canva are a lifesaver. You can also find fonts for free website where you can find an amazing range of modern fonts to take your graphics up a level.
Learn how to write great blog titles
Good post titles serve a number of purposes. Firstly, they tell the reader what the post is about, but they are also great for SEO, and getting your blog found online. However you plan your content, you want it to be seen.
Be careful not to fall into the trap of clickbait headlines. Yes, it might encourage some clicks on your article, but it can also frustrate people and give them a lower opinion of your blog as a whole. Don’t destroy all of your good work with clickbait.
Create a branding guide
A branding guide can be invaluable, even for solo bloggers. It usually includes the logos, fonts, imagery and colour scheme that you use for your blog. It’s great to have it to refer to as you work.
You might think, but it’s’ my blog, I know about the branding but even the best bloggers will gradually start to creep away from their core branding every once and a while. A slight font tweak here, and a different kind of image there, and before you know it, you’re way off-brand.
There are many great free brand guideline templates online that you can use to set yours up. You’ll feel way more professional too.
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