The Best Business Branding Blogs to Read in 2013
When you think of "summer", renovation projects like office redecorating and kitchen makeovers come to mind. Well, what about a brand makeover?
The summer is the perfect time to sit back and focus on your business' brand: how is your social profile looking? When you search for your company in search engines, are the results positive? More importantly, when potential clients think of your brand, do you they think of it the way you want them to?
In business, branding means everything. That's why I've compiled a list of resourceful business branding blogs that can help you with your company's brand. The following ten blogs cover all areas of branding a business: name selection, promotion tips, reputation management, networking and more.
I've researched, selected and ranked the following ten blogs based on their content freshness, blog age, social media presence and most importantly – their engagement with readers. The top six were kind enough to offer business advice on managing an online reputation.
Congratulations to all the bloggers selected!
#1 Branding Strategy Insider
The first word that came to mind when I came across Branding Strategy Insider, was "diversity." The blog clearly has a focus on "branding" yet manages to create content on the tiniest aspects of what that term entails. By clicking around, you'll find branding information on everything, from the history of branding, to language and terms, to even insight on current trends.
In a time when every business knows that "content is king," Branding Strategy Insider does an amazing job at not only creating quality content but diverse content as well.
"The success we have enjoyed stems from our origins," explains Derrick Daye, Managing partner of The Blake Project and Publisher of Branding Strategy Insider. "From the very beginning of our brand consultancy, The Blake Project, to the launch of our blog Branding Strategy Insider seven years ago, we decided we would commit to being a value-creator brand. A brand that strives to create new value rather than competing for the value created by others."
How do you manage your online brand reputation?
In managing brand reputations, it's important to remember that the power of brands lies in focus. Branding Strategy Insider exists for one purpose: to help marketing oriented leaders and professionals build strong brands. We do this by consistently giving marketers the clarity and confidence they need in brand strategy as they strive to build brands for the 21st Century. In keeping this focus, we solidify our own brand reputation.
Relationships are built on trust and reputation is built on delivering on your promise.
Success and failure is decided in the minds of target customers and audiences. And so you must start with the minds of those that are most important to your brands future. Define what unique, compelling and meaningful thing you can own in their minds and have the discipline to focus on meeting their needs better than your competition.
Today in our over-communicated world, points of difference that are function and feature based are no longer sustainable. Consumers are tuning out marketing and tuning in to those brands that represent shared values. Forward thinking marketers recognize their brand building initiatives must focus on relationships and reputation.
Nothing else really matters.
#2 The Engaging Brand
Let's face it: there is a lot of content out there related to "business branding." Probably, one-hundred blog posts for every topic. The Engaging Brand's blog founder, Anna Farmery, doesn't write on the unoriginal, however. She writes on the tough topics. And that's why she's on this list. She answers the questions and concerns you haven't even asked yet.
"Ideas need to breathe, ideas grow when shared...so I started writing The Engaging Brand to inspire people to think about the social business world and to engage people in the change to a social business model," Anna explains. "I started it in 2006 and it was inspired by the death of my Dad who had been very successful in business and engrained in me the passion for giving back to business. In a sense it is a way of keeping Dad's legacy alive and if it engages just one person to start thinking about how business is changing, then I know my Dad would be happy."
What readers will find most enjoyable about Anna's blog posts is that they aren't just informative, but they are also inspiring in the way she writes them. She doesn't say, "Your business needs to do this." Instead, she says, "Your business can achieve this and here's how."
How do you manage your online brand reputation?
My online reputation hopefully mirrors my offline reputation. I believe that the more you give, the more you think about the value you can create for others the better.
One tip Dad always said to me was: when you meet someone always ask, "How can I help you achieve your dreams?" As he always said to me, "We may all live busy lives but we all have dreams and the world needs more dream creators...so you will never be short of work or friends."
#3 More Than Branding
When your blog has been around for half a decade, it's important to "spice" your content up every once in a while so readers continue to find the content engaging. More Than Branding's founder, Maria Elena Mor�, does this effortlessly.
She delivers information on branding in a variety ways, via blog posts, videos, infographics and graphs. The number of content types she presents to her readers keeps them both informed and engrossed.
"In 2009, after years of searching for a place to vent out my thoughts, I founded More Than Branding," Maria explains. "Since then, it has sought out to bring readers a profound and holistic look into the subject through articles, brand studies and analysis, rankings and interviews. More Than Branding seeks to discover what lies beneath excellent (and sometimes not so excellent) marketing performance. It is driven by the appetite for identifying the methods through which brands create solid bonds in the hearts and minds of everyday people."
How do you manage your online brand reputation?
When it comes to brand reputation, I rely on social media to connect and share with readers and fellow colleagues. Never has there been a greater opportunity to get your brand noticed.
In the end, it's all a matter of establishing your very own "positioning" and making sure everything you do or say is consistent with this. Best of all, online platforms allow us to reach every corner of the earth, make friends and share our passion for what we love to write and read about.
#4 Client Focus Blog: Perspectives to Help Businesses Build Connected Brands
Rob Wolfe is currently a Business Advisor to small business owners and entrepreneurs at CONNECTED Brand Management & Marketing. So as you read his blog, you'll find it impossible to ignore the years of experience and knowledge that exists in every post. And that's what makes Rob's blog so valuable.
In his posts, Rob doesn't just say "do this" or "this is a trend." Instead, he explains each point and backs it up with his own experience. This type of storytelling is extremely valuable to readers who are searching for advice they can trust.
"I started my Client Focus Blog in 2008 with the purpose of sharing my leadership perspectives and expertise, as well as those of other experts; to challenge business owners to really get to know who they are, where they are going and why they are doing it, and what makes them and their offering unique based on approaches that have made others successful," he explains. "My hope is that readers will enjoy a unique and enriching experience on my site that prompts them to look at and think about business issues a little differently, and leave the site with multiple resources to help them jumpstart business growth."
How do you manage your online brand reputation?
I manage my online brand reputation by posting articles on current and relevant business topics, always keeping in mind my own core values: Collaboration & Maintaining Ongoing Relationships, Integrity and Trust, and Sharing the Thrill of Success. I try to express my passion for brand management, marketing, and helping small businesses in everything I write, post, and share.
I write and post articles on several related business sites (listed on and accessible from my blog). I rely on social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to promote my site and my articles, and I continually work to grow my network of connections — people who work or have interest in the same business areas, or who I feel would be interested in my site's offerings. I constantly monitor site and article views and visits on my own site, and those trending on other sites, to come up with ideas for fresh content.
Finally, I view my site not only as a place to post and promote my own articles, but as a place where readers can access other valuable resource sites and gain insights from the content on those sites, and I regularly share great content published by other business professionals on my various social media sites.
#5 Blade Creative Branding – The Branding Blog
Keeping up with trends is tough. Keeping up with current events and writing a blog post that offers insight and advice is even harder. Nevertheless, the blogging team at Blade Creative Branding do it, and they do it well.
Readers will appreciate how the team stays focused on keeping their content fresh, pulling in real-life examples of brands currently in the news. This is extremely effective for readers; being able to read about brand issues that are happening in present time.
"Our clients have always appreciated that we explain what we do in a way that makes sense to business owners and entrepreneurs," explains Patrick J. McGovern, Principal, Chief Strategy Officer, Blade Creative Branding Inc., "That's the kind of blog we envisioned right from our first post more than two years ago."
How do you manage your online brand reputation?
We're proud to say it's a true team effort, reflecting the insights of experienced specialists in each of four categories: Branding, Integrated Marketing, Modern Design, and Social Trends. Our mission is to produce smart, concise content that readers can, at the very least, learn from - if not act on directly.
#6 Brand Insight Blog
John Furgurson, brand strategist, published author and owner of BNBranding.com, may not publish a blog post a day but when he does publish on the Brand Insight Blog, he makes it count. Each post goes in-depth on an enlightening branding topic, whether it's social media, marketing communications or branding strategies. Each post is well-researched, well-written and on a topic business professionals should know about.
"When I started the blog, I had just three thoughts in mind: Sharing knowledge is good for my business and good for my career. I'm a firm believer that when you give, you get back; If I write well and tell good stories, an audience will present itself; Quality over quantity," John explains. "I didn't want to just jump in and start churning out 'content' just to say I had produced something. It had to be good, original, and well-crafted."
How do you manage your online brand reputation?
Handling your online reputation is no different than branding in general. It hinges on three things: Relevance, Credibility and Differentiation.
Your content needs to be relevant to your target audience and to your area of expertise. You have to be credible, both in the claims you make and in your delivery. And you have to do something different than what everyone else is doing. Different demands attention.
#7 The BrandBuilder Blog
Olivier Blanchard, founder of The BrandBuilder Blog, has a resume so long (and impressive) that he even turned it into a "shmancy timeline." His marketing experience and journalism background is evident in each post he publishes, as each post is rich with helpful content but more importantly, is honest.
Why?
Because he doesn't follow an editorial calendar. Olivier may be an expert on branding, but it's because he's passionate about it – and that's how his blog posts come across.
Unlike your typical business blog, this blog includes a number of curse words and a few scandalous comments – but that's what makes it so great. You'll get solid insight on important branding topics like community management, PR, crisis management and more; however, you'll get it delivered in a completely different tone.
Sample post: Why it worked
#8 Building a Brand Online
What originally started in 2010 as a way to teach business owners how to build a blog from scratch turned into something more. Today, Building a Brand Online is a blog that helps professionals expand their business and brand online.
This blog differs from the rest on the list because the blog team consists of various contributing writers with different professional backgrounds. Readers will still get valuable branding advice but they'll get it delivered a different way with each author.
For instance, you could find the same brand topic presented via video, infographic or in-depth post. Readers will find this really useful as they can pick which format works best for them.
#9 CoreBrand Blog
CoreBrand specializes in brand building. More importantly, how brands can better themselves so they can ultimately help their own clients. As a result, their blog is the platform where they can showcase their expertise and offer insight.
What readers will enjoy most about the blog is the fair and mellow tone of each post. It's easy to go on a rant and criticize brands but it's much harder to write a well-thought-out argument explaining a brand's actions. This type of thinking will help readers understand trial and errors and possibly prevent them from making similar mistakes.
Sample post: The Cost of Brand Favorability
#10 Brand Flakes for Breakfast
Most of the time business owners don't have more than five minutes to catch up on reading; for professionals like that, Brand Flakes for Breakfast is the right blog.
This blog organizes all the creative campaigns well-known brands have recently done. Each post is quick and to-the-point but still covers all the important highlights. What readers will really enjoy is the creativity associated with each campaign.
For instance, after reading what a brand did and why it did or didn't work, readers can't help but feel a little inspiration creeping into their minds on how they could do it – but better.
Sample post: Functionally Smart Advertising
There you have it! The ten best business branding blogs that you must bookmark right now. Congratulations to all the blogs selected! Don't forget to collect your Best Business Branding Blogs Badge!
Stay in the know on what well-known brands are making headlines in the retail, industrial and security industries by checking out our new series: Industry Insights.