Words of Wisdom 24/4 at Blogcamp

This Saturday that just past I was very happy to take part to the Blog Camp 2012. This year it was based in Birmingham and thanks to the lovely Sally Whittle the mother of Tots 100 website more than 100 bloggers were as lucky as I was.

It was a very interesting day with lots of workshops and things to learn about the online world. One of the biggest talks was about the Follow/No Follow debate that’s been around the Internet for the past couple of months. Wendy wrote a very comprehensive post about the above debate in What I learned at Blogcamp 2012 post. She wrote very well so please go over to find out more.

My words of wisdom today come from Muireann Carey-Campbell that writes Bangs and a Bun. She gave us some very valuable tips on how to build a blog into a brand. For me it was one of the most interesting workshops. I wished I knew the things she told us when I started blogging over a year ago.

So here are the things you should consider when you start a blog:
– What is your blog about?
– What you want your blog to be in 5 years time?

If you define the above then you should follow the below steps in transforming your blog into a brand:

1. Make your own path:

– Identify – the look: images and professional layout;
– Ethos – strong, defined, clearly identifiable – get your character across;
– Tone – friendly, snarky, informative; type of language – key words or phrases
Tip: use phrases of words often so that people can identify them with you.

2. Promote:
– Promoting offline is just as important as online;
– Attend events – be strategic;
– Pitch your brand whenever possible;
Tip: create demand for yourself.

3. Opportunities arise
– Be unique – own the street;

4. Keeping it Fresh:
– Grow, change,evolve;
– New logo/layout/design/editorial direction;
– Try new ideas;
– Develop the brand into other ideas – maybe start a new blog/site-a subject on your blog that can be developed into a new website;

Hope this helps you. They really help me!

Muireann finished her talk with
“The important bits”:
– Have a strong identity,ethos and tone;
– Promote,promote,promote!
– Keep it fresh and experiment!
– Stay open to new avenues and ideas!

A lot to think about isn’t it? Maybe this should convince you to enrols and participate to the next Blogcamp. It is a great event indeed.

I was also really happy to see my friends and to meet new people too!