Ok guys, in my last post Branding Your Blog- My Experience, you gave me a lot to ponder last night and this morning. I was flattered that you guys think I’m funny yet it wasn’t conveyed in my new logo:
And your right, it’s not conveyed. I began to read additional articles on branding and I think I went about this wrong. I was looking at my logo as the brand and it’s not. I conveyed that message to you guys in the last post and it was wrong. It’s a puzzle piece to the brand but not the end all. I’m learning that branding isn’t just the logo, it’s how my site makes a reader feel, my values, my sense of humor….I don’t know if I’m explaining this well enough. Of the many articles I read last night, here is what I’m trying to convey: Top 5 Ways to Build Your Brand. I mean, unless I add a tag line of “….I shit my pants at work one time.” It would be impossible to convey humor, I think. If you guys have a way to convey the humor, I’m all ears. If you think I should add the tag line “I shit my pants at work one time.” I’ll consider it, but we’ll have to take a vote because I’m not necessarily sold.
I regret now not putting in my last post about Miss Ellie. Part of this branding project was to receive approval from the owner of Miss Ellie to use her picture for my branding 
strategy (don’t I sound all douchebaguette- branding strategy. What’s next? Ed Hardy jeans?). I fell in love with Miss Ellie and tried off and on to find the owner to ask permission. I succeeded last week! Miss Ellie is part of my brand for many reasons. She’s hilarious for one. She shows the beauty in our imperfections, and conveys a value I find important for Hot Mess Memoir: she’s perfectly imperfect! I toyed with the idea of adding Miss Ellie’s picture or silhouette to my logo but thought it would be too busy.
Am I making sense at all or completely babbling here? They don’t teach this shit in schools and thank the baby Jesus for the internet. I was set on my logo until I received your feedback, now I may have to adjust it. I’m not one to think my shit doesn’t stink (trust me, it does, read Ali Be Damn. That’s the story about shitting my pants at work) and appreciate feedback.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you subscribe that branding isn’t just the logo but all the things I mentioned above and then some?
Hi Angela, I think the unique thing about your brand is YOU. A snazzy logo – shit your pants tagline or not – may draw a new reader in, but it is you and your writing that will keep them hooked. I believe a brand is about being consistent – not with content necessarily but with your style and what readers come to expect. I heard UK blogger Vix Meldrew give a talk recently, and she suggested you pick three words which describe you and your blog, and make sure they come across in every post. So put it out there… what three words would your readers use to describe your blog? That’s your brand.
I’d totally go for honest, hilarious and relatable x
Bless you Emmalene! Bless you! It excites me even more to do this branding exercise with all this wonderful feedback. I’ll try to find Vix Meldrew to see if I can find that talk. That seems like another logical puzzle piece to the whole branding experience: 3 words to describe you and your blog. I use 2 already in my tagline: a humorous, honest, hot mess approach to life! You all are amazing! This is why I love the blogging community!