Branding is something that we think about a lot when it comes to small businesses. Branding is important for the small business, or for any size of business. Branding is what makes Pepsi “Pepsi” and what makes Pat’s IGA the preferred grocery store for locals in Kawkawlin, Michigan. Branding is what makes you want to purchase, or avoid purchasing, something with the Martha Stewart name on it.
| Branding is what sets you apart from everyone else. | 
photo credit: Cavan Riley |
So, what does branding have to do with your profession as an Internet writer? Branding can bring you several benefits, including:
- Increased sales and volume
- Increased marketability
- Higher rates for your writing
- Increased traffic to your web site or blog.
| Branding gives others confidence that you know what you are doing. | The Writing Journey, 2008 |
How do you establish your branded as an Internet writer? In my experience, there are four essential keys you need to implement in order to establish your brand:
1. Narrow your writing focus.
| If your brand is not focused, how can your clients be sure you have what they need? | photo credit: Vilhelm Sjostrom |
Early in my writing career, I set of fell into a very specific niche topic. I wrote literally thousands of articles on pregnancy, conception, breastfeeding, infant care and raising children. (And, for those of you who are already thinking it, yes: I know way more than I care to about episiotomies, artificial insemination and engorgement.) In the process of building credibility as an authority on these topics, I had to establish my brand. Having this narrow focus, and having produced a large volume of writing in this topic area, I was able to develop relationships with several clients, and provide a great deal of web content. For a time, my alter ego (I used a pseudonym) was in very high demand for parenting and pregnancy websites. I was even able to parlay that brand into writing for some print publications in the niche. While I have since moved away from that niche (mainly because I know way more than I care to about episiotomies, artificial insemination and engorgement), the continued popularity of my alter ego services as a reminder to this day of the power of branding.
2. Tell people about your brand.
| If you don’t blow your own horn from time to time, its likely that no one else will either. | photo credit: kees0r |
To establish your brand as an Internet writer, you need to include that branding in everything that you do. Look for a moment at my Helium.com About Me page. It is similar to the About page on this blog, as well. In these pages I talk about, and use the phrase, “Internet Writer” frequently. I talk about how I like to help other writers improve their craft. My goal is to establish my brand as an Internet Writing guru. Everything I do related to this blog and my other Internet writing, from the voice that I use when commenting on other blogs to the choice of key words with which I populate my articles, is designed to help develop this brand. To that end my signature file, vcard and even my business cards all say “Internet Writer.” For people to trust me as an Internet Writing guru, I need to remind them at every possible step that Internet writing is, indeed, my area of expertise.
Maybe you want to be the “mp3 player king.” How do you get there? Blog about mp3 players, but also submit articles to directories reviewing those mp3 players. Gear your “About Me” pages to reflect your expertise on mp3 players. Set up a Squidoo lens on mp3 players. Get involved in technology-related chat rooms or message boards and write there as if you are an authority on mp3 players. Write reviews about mp3 players for Amazon.com and other web sites. Whatever your brand is, you need to incorporate that into whatever you do on the Internet.
3. Demonstrate your expertise.
|Don’t claim to be able to ski the K-12 when you crash and burn on the Bunny Hill. | photo credit: Neil Rickards |
You can talk all day long about being an mp3 expert, but if you write a single article that contains factual inaccuracies about mp3 players your branding is going to be suspect . If you are going to claim to be an expert, make certain that you are one. This holds true in my case; if I write an article about using good grammar in your Internet writing but it contains grammatical error, my credibility is ruined. On the other hand, if I blog about how to get good ratings writing at Helium.com and can point my readers to examples where I’m at the top of the ratings heap, I have demonstrated my expertise.
4. Create peer relationships.
| Becoming peers with others in your niche increases your credibility. | photo credit: sachama |
Chances are that you aren’t the only one out there in your niche. I’m not the only Internet Writing guru and you’re not going to be the only mp3 Player king. But the good news is that, in terms of the Internet, there are enough clients and enough traffic for those other experts to share. Take the example of Darren Rowse of Problogger.net and Brian Clark of CopyBlogger.com. These two top bloggers have shared traffic between them, trading links and readers for years. It hasn’t hurt either one of them, and it won’t hurt you. Creating relationships with other experts in your niche can only help to establish your brand. When another writing blogger quotes one of my articles, it adds credibility to my brand.
Be careful here, however. Chances are not good that, if you contact the top writer in your niche today, that you will receive a response. Unless you have been writing about your topic for a long time, have a huge volume of material, or have developed a reputation it just isn’t likely. Instead, focus on writers in your niche that have about the same reputation as you, and you can build your brands together.
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There are many other things that you can do to help your branding. Doing guest posts at other blogs or in e-mail newsletters, using customer testimonials, developing a specific writing voice, being published in print publications, press release marketing, and utilizing pen names or pseudonyms for specific brands are other tactics that I have tried with varying degrees of success. It is these four things, however, that have proven to work for me time and time again.
5 comments ↓
It amazes me how I came across your work at exactly the right time.
Lindsey
Hi Bob - This is a really useful post. I think it’s far easier to brand yourself on the Internet than offline. Did you use a female pseudonym for the pregancy and childcare articles?
@ Cath - You’re absolutely correct, on both counts! Gold star.
[...] that is something I should be doing a better job at doing." For example, his article 4 Keys to Establishing Your Brand as an Internet Writer reminded me of the fact that this blog, Inklit, had yet to settle on what it wants to be when it [...]
Thanks for a great post! I do extensive writing for my offline consulting business as well as my offline consultant business. I have the unique opportunity to write for both sides of the fence. This information will come in handy as I continue my branding efforts.
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