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Module 3: Communicate Your Brand

Communicate Your Brand: FAQ

01. Your Magnetic About Page

I just finished my About page, but it feels a little “cut-and-paste-y.” What should I do?
Let it sit for a while, then come back and read it out loud to yourself. You’ll notice so much more when you read your own writing out loud, and you’ll see where you need to smooth out the rough bits.
My About page is still too long, and I don’t know what to cut out.

Read it out loud and listen for anything extra your target reader doesn’t need right away to connect. Remember that you’re just trying to hook their interest! If you still can’t see where to cut, try reading a few example About pages and then go back to read yours again. Watch for anything that seems unnecessary or redundant. That trick can help you see your own writing with fresh eyes.

Where in my About page should I put my name? What about my credentials?

You can fit your name in where it makes sense. Many bloggers find it works well to include their name and a photo of themselves after the first section introducing the problem and before the section introducing your Anchor Belief, as in “Hi, I’m Sally, and I believe…” Or as another example, some other bloggers end up working their name into the start of their Signature Story.

If you have professional credentials related to your topic, you can typically work those into your Signature Story.

Do you recommend that we change our About Page now or wait until the course is over?

If you have your About page fleshed out, go ahead and update it on your site now! This is one of the changes you can implement now. The only reason to wait is if you need to hire someone to help you make the changes, and in that case it may be better to wait until you have a more complete list of what you want your tech support to do while they’re logged in. But you don’t need all the bells and whistles right now. A simple About page that’s worded well is powerful.

Pro tip: Check places like your SEO meta description for needed changes to match your new branding!

I still like the elements of my old About page! Can I blend the two?

Sticking with your old About page will likely bring you the same exact results you’ve had up until this point. Challenge yourself to dig deep and cut out anything that doesn’t overlap with the specific target market you’re trying to reach.

 

Editing isn't my strong suit. Any tips for how to edit my About page?

Talk like you’re talking to a friend and avoid sounding stiff and proper. For example, “Life has not turned out” sounds like a high school essay, but “Life hasn’t turned out…” sounds conversational.

Also, try to avoid saying “our community” because it sounds exclusive, as in “You’re not on the inside.” That’s why it’s better to use “When you join the _____ community” or similar phrasing.

Finally, avoid using too many questions at the beginning of your About page. It can make you seem uncertain, and it can be hard for the reader to fully process several questions in a row. Cut it down to just a handful of questions, and change the rest from questions to statements.

What's the difference between an About page and a Start Here page? Do I need both?

Blog Smarter grads have made it work well both ways: just one About page or an About page plus a Start Here page.

You can think of the About page as the best place for a reader to go so they can connect with you and understand why your blog is the right place for them. On the About page, they want to feel seen, heard, and understood.

On the other hand, a Start Here page is where a reader may go when they’re in problem-solving mode. They might be thinking: What can YOU do to help ME? So on this page, you’ll give them a handy list of all your most helpful resources – blog posts, products, and so on – everything they need to start solving that problem that brought them to your site in the first place.

What should my Home page look like?

You have countless options for how to structure your Home page, so you’ll need to make a CEO decision on what will work best for your target market. As explained in the next lesson, you’ll want to put on your Target Market Goggles and evaluate your Home page, step by step and item by item.

For example, suppose you have a food blog and your Home page is currently set up to show the most recent recipes you’ve published. Are your latest recipes the best, most on-brand recipes that you want to elevate to prominence on your Home page? Or are they more like a random hodgepodge that send a confusing message to the reader about where they are and whether this is the right place for them?

To give you an idea of the options available to you, some Blog Smarter grads have decided to set their Start Here page or About page as their Home page. Others have put together a Home page unique to their brand using the WordPress Gutenberg blocks to incorporate elements like testimonials, a curated section of their best and most on-brand posts, an invitation to join their email list, and so on. (Side note: In the next module, we’ll talk about the best way to invite readers to join your list.)

I love my new About page! Should I be linking to it from anywhere else on my site?

If it makes sense and feels like a good fit, go for it! Your new and improved About page is the perfect introduction to your brand and what makes you different.

For example, if you have an author bio at the end of your posts, consider linking to your About page from that short bio. Or as another option, some Blog Smarter grads have chosen to link from their social media profile URL fields directly to their About page instead of just to the Home page. That helps new readers see immediately whether you’re the person they want to follow.

02. Your Visual Brand: On-Site

I’m overwhelmed. There's no way I’ll get this all done this week. Help!

You don’t need to implement everything this week. You’ll apply most of what you learn in this lesson over time. Consider this week as “vision casting” for your visual brand. Make a list of what you want to change or work on. This isn’t a race. Take the time to enjoy digging into a brand new way of presenting yourself and your blog to your readers.

I'm questioning my whole design and logo. Should I get a designer working on something new to match my new brand?

I get it! It’s so tempting at this stage. But for the best results, wait until the end of the program before you reach out to a designer. Make notes. Write down ideas. Then at the end of the program, you’ll be ready to make decisions that are on target for your brand. You’ll be glad you waited!

I have a list of the things to change now, and many are in the sidebar. However, most of my traffic is on mobile, according to Google Analytics. Those people won't see my sidebar. What areas should I focus on to best catch the attention of those people?

Especially if you have high traffic from mobile devices, make sure you’re super clear with the top portion of your site: the header and navigation areas in particular. The end-of-post area is also prime real estate because every reader who makes it through your post sees
that before they see the sidebar material that’s gotten pushed down below the content.

It REALLY HURT to remove all those menu categories that weren't directly related to my target market's interests. All those categories represent so much work! Was it really worth it?

YES! By refining your work for your target market, you’ll become a true authority in their eyes. You’ll be glad you did it! But you haven’t lost anything in letting go. You’ve only honed and refined, so you can be that much more of an authority to your target market. We’ll talk about exactly what to do with that “leftover” content in a future module – you may still be able to use some of it to your advantage.

I feel like I need a new blog title and tagline. But I’m not sure if I want to go through rebranding! Could I get your thoughts?

The decision is yours as the CEO of your blog. You get to decide. If you do decide to rebrand, keep in mind that’s something you can do in stages. It doesn’t have to be all at once.

03. Your Visual Brand: Off-Site

I manage a Facebook group. How should I align my messaging there with the rest of my brand messaging?

Just as you did with your web site, you’ll want to put on your Target Market Goggles and evaluate your Facebook group, step by step and item by item. Go ahead and reuse your core brand elements where it makes sense, such as in the group description field or if you have a pinned post at the top of the group.

As another option, Facebook has a feature where you can ask new members questions at the time they request to join your group. Some Blog Smarter grads have used their Brand Promise as a question and asked for the new member’s email address to join their email list.

What about all my emails to new subscribers? How do I to update things like that?

We’ll cover setting up your email brand messaging in the weeks to come. Hang tight!

Wow, I knew my pictures on Pinterest weren't completely consistent, but I was fooling myself into thinking I had any kind of look and feel. My Pinterest "source" feed is a mess!

Put it on your to-do list. After you decide on consistent fonts/colors, you can go back and methodically work your way through your posts and change out old photos for new, on-brand, Pinterest-worthy pins! (As a bonus, the Pinterest algorithm loves fresh pins like this.) This is a process, though. If you’re ready to start updating images, remember to leverage what’s working. Start with your most popular posts and work your way down the list. That way, the changes you make will have the biggest impact.

Miscellaneous

Do you have suggestions of websites for blog color swatches or color inspiration? What about stock photos and other design resources?

Here are a few: