Photos: Cassidy Hopkins
Outfit Details:
Dress: Yumi Kim | Purse: Currently 50% off! Red Dress Boutique | Wedges: Chinese Laundry (similar) | Sunglasses: Quay
Well, hello again! A few of you mentioned how much you enjoy my blog or business centered posts, so I figured I’d share more of what I’ve learned! Like I’ve mentioned before, the blogging world is pretty saturated. How do you make sure you stand out against the competition? It all comes down to your personal brand and how you market yourself.
A personal brand is how people identify you. It’s not just your logo or your blog name, but the words that come to mind when people think of you. After a few polls on my Instagram stories, Snapchat, and Twitter, I had multiple people describe my brand in 3 words. Wanna know what they came up with?
After 40 responses, I received multiple answers using the same adjectives.This is a HUGE success! Scroll back up through the photos in this post (or take a look at my Instagram feed ) and see if you agree. I’ve always been drawn to color and positive energy and wanted my blog to reflect that!
I would suggest doing the same thing! Ask your friends and family or your followers on social media to describe your branding message. Ask yourself: What do you want to be known for? Are you a fashion blogger with an edge? Our feeds should look very different. Are you a travel blogger with more photos about food? You should rethink your posts. Also, it’s ok if you don’t know! It might take a moment as you’re developing your business model, website, or even as you mature as a student.
Starting a business without a solidified branding message is a big mistake. If people don’t understand what you stand for, there’s no reason for them to consistently return for more content! How confused would you be if Coca-Cola started using blue cans instead of red? Their message remains the same across every campaign. Consistency makes brands more likely to work with you and readers more likely to trust you. I’m still learning this one myself, but I definitely see improvements in my engagement on posts when I’m true to my original messaging (no matter how many times I want to post photos of my plates at brunch).
Once you’ve discovered your personal brand, interact with those in your niche! Play up your SEO to include a few of the adjectives you want to describe yourself. Reach out to companies that align with your goals and refrain from taking every project that comes your way. I’ve been approached by a plethora of companies that offered me nice compensation, but wouldn’t have made sense to share with my audience. Your following is there for a reason! Don’t disappoint them by sharing things that aren’t catered to them.
Jot down a list of 10 similar companies or brands in your space that you admire. Study their strategies and learn from their content! See how you can grow as a brand and connect with others you want to align yourself with! Need more help? If you want to know more, I’d be happy to jump on the phone and have a consultation with you! Feel free to comment below if you have any questions and let’s talk strategy.
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Loved this post! Have you ever thought about writing advice for small fashion bloggers? I’ve been following your blog and insta for a while now and know your advice would be great. How you grew, do’s and don’t, etc. I think it would be very helpful!
Thank you so much Kat! I’m definitely thinking about doing that in the future.
Outstanding branding and blogging tips, my dear. I’m going to put your great advice to work immediately. Xo Jonet
Loving this blog post. Everyone needs to know how to brand themselves. Love your dress by the way!
Thanks Meagan! I appreciate it.
First, you look gorgeous! Second, this post is so helpful! Thanks for sharing!
Love this post!! Branding is definitely super important!
Liz
http://Www.lizzieinlace.com
Such a great post and so important!
absolutely loved this post and definitely agree with you!
This is so helpful! Thanks for sharing! :)
http://www.thefitbrunette.com
This was so helpful thanks!!
Yessss girl! Such a good post. You bring up such important things and I learned from this!
Megan | http://www.pipmegan.com
I agree with all those words and I love this post! I often hear folks talk about creating a personal brand, but I appreciate that this explanation was more flushed out. Thank you!
No problem! Glad I could help!
I only wish I was able to read these tips before I started blogging. They would have prevented me from making so many mistakes!
Right?! So many brands and photos I tried to do that were very…. questionable lol
that dress is so adorable!!
Loved this post Tomi! You truly are so authentic to your personal brand and it’s so inspiring to me to see an Auburn grad (War Eagle!!) excelling in the blogging world. This post was so helpful both as a blogger and a student.
xoxo, Cecilia // sunnysidececilia.com
💗💗
Super cute dress girl! And I love these tips! Sometimes I need to hear tips like this to make sure im staying on the right track with my blog!
Xo, Steph || http://www.sassandsun.com
First of all…Love your dress! You are so right, branding is crucial! Thank you for the tips x
First of all, I LOVE that dress, girl. You look stunning as always. Second, you are so RIGHT! Personal branding has been very difficult for me over the past few years because my style can be consistent, but it also changes from day to day. Over the past few months, I’ve realized how important it is to stay consistent, so I’m always trying to develop and improve a better definition of my personal brand.
Thanks for the wisdom!
great points! love that dress!
I legit just sat down to refine my blog’s business plan when I saw this post! Talk about good timing. I love all of these tips AND the outfit photos! Your brand definitely aligns perfectly with those photos. Consider yourself good to go!
xoxo,
Dannie
http://www.stilefotocibo.com
Thank you so much Dannie, that’s good to know! And if you need someone to sound ideas off with about branding, feel free to reach out to chat!
Such and insightful post! I love your pictures! I’m bookmarking your blog for future reads. :)
Cheers!
Parul
http://girlinchief.com
I’m glad I could help, Parul! You can follow me on Bloglovin’ to never miss a post! 😊
So much good insight here! Branding is the backbone of having a successful blog (I believe). I feel like the ultimate goal is having a photo come up on someone’s Instagram feed and being able to instantly identify whose photo it is – without even checking the username!
Thanks for the tips! <3
Xoxo
Kelsey
Your exactly right! That’s honestly one of my favorite things about branding on Instagram. Glad you enjoyed it! :)
Thanks for the great advice! I’ve known for a while that I needed to find my branding but wasn’t sure where to start! This is super helpful and also makes me feel better knowing I am not the only one who struggles with this! XO
Definitely not alone, Allison! So glad I could help. :)