What is Brand Name?

By: Collis Ta’eed, Creator of Envato and Tuts+

A brand is a collection of elements that help define what your product is. For a blog, a brand will include the blog’s name, its logo, the tone of voice and style of writing, the types of articles, the look of the website, the imagery it uses, the way it markets itself, and even the style of headlines!

When you create a brand for a blog it helps readers remember who you are, what you stand for, and how to find you. If the brand is representing a great product - like a blog readers enjoy - then the brand provides the handle to recommend the blog to friends, to link to from other sites, and provides leverage that you can then use to create other products and services.

People naturally categorize their experiences of the world, and a brand is a label that they can attach to something when doing so. Strong brands representing good experiences are very powerful, particularly as they can be applied to new products and still carry all the connotations of the brand.

That’s why Apple can release a new product and have everyone excited about it, even if they’ve never used or experienced the product first-hand. Take for example the prominent tech blog brand Tech Crunch. After starting out in 2005, founder Michael Arrington has slowly built a company and leveraged the brand to create other blogs such as Crunch Gear and Mobile Crunch, events like the Tech Crunch 50 and the Crunchiest, services like startup wiki Crunch Base and job site Crunch Board. They’ve even started venturing into products with a short-lived tablet PC called the Crunch Pad, and research papers from Tech Crunch Research.

Why would anyone use all these products and services, or go to those events or read those blogs? Because they’ve already connected with the Tech Crunch brand and come to trust and know it. Make no mistake, branding can be very powerful, and it’s important to take it seriously early on so you can build on your business later.