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This is part of the the book BLOGTASTIC! Growing and Making a Difference Through Blogging. You can read the table of contents and follow the book on this page:
See the table of contents for the book here: BLOGTASTIC project
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BLOGTASTIC: Brand Building vs Brand Extensions
Some people think that they can create a brand simply through their blog. While that can happen, it is more of an exception than a rule.
There’s a huge difference between building a brand and extending a brand.
In the world of marketing, a brand extension takes an existing brand and places it into a new context.
Let’s look at brand extensions for a moment.
Crest is known for its mint-flavored toothpaste, but they also have launched cinnamon and citrus flavored toothpaste. The new flavors are extensions of a well-known brand. However, if Crest launches a mouthwash, that would be a brand extension into a new but very related category. The brand is connected through the concept of “oral hygiene.”
Note: There is a limit. If Crest decides to offer carpet cleaning services (for whatever reason) then using the Crest brand will be a stretch. Consumers won’t mentally link the two brands. Clean teeth and clean carpets don’t go together.
When you launch a blog, your blog is typically a brand extension. It becomes an electronic platform for your existing personal brand. A blog is a vehicle through which you are sharing a piece of yourself with the world. If you have a strong brand in the offline world, then it will be much easier to establish your brand in the online world. Who you are, when you enter the blogging world, matters a lot.
There is no shortcut to building a powerful personal brand. You will have to work online and offline for a long time
A blog is a great way to extend your brand online. With the right content, you can augment your personal brand. Your blog offers virtually unparalleled reach with minimal cost.
I can think of two influential people who started blogging late—Guy Kawasaki who is a venture capitalist and entrepreneur and Tim Sanders who wrote books like Love is the Killer App (one of my favorite books) and The Likeability Factor. Both Guy and Tim started blogging in 2007. Of course, they both saw a huge following almost immediately. While they write great content, the fact is that their fans were waiting for them to blog. Their strong personal brands created instant traffic for their blogs.
Blogging Tip: Focus on building your personal brand–online and offline
Whether you like it or not and whether you want it or not, you already have a personal brand. This identity presents “who you are” to the world. By living in this world and interacting with people around you, you are making a “promise” to the world and that promise is your personal brand. You can’t escape having one.
So, the key question that you should ask yourself, “how effective is your personal brand today and what can you do to make it more powerful?”