10 Ways to Humanize Your Brand in 2021

Happy 2021! 2020 was...interesting to say the least.  Of all things that happened, I feel like the underlying energy leading into the new year is growth, awareness and some form of togetherness.  When you can’t see the ones you love, it makes you appreciate the times that you had even more.  All the technology in the world can’t make up for the human touch from a hug or even a high-five.  Human interaction is such a basic concept, but so important possibly now more than ever.

I often speak of automation and how it can be a positive thing in your life as a blogger/business owner.  While this is true, I feel that going into 2021 and beyond, humanizing your brand is crucial.  Of course use automation still, but lets talk about the things that we should start putting more focus on in the new year.  Here’s how to humanize your brand in 2021, because we all need to do it!

1. More collaboration

Collaboration over competition still rings true.  Don’t focus on other brands being your competition.  Think of a way that you can collaborate and win together!  There is room out here for everyone to thrive mostly because we’re all unique and our unique qualities is what attracts our audiences to us.  Don’t get down on yourself for not being where someone else is (or “appears” to be); instead, reach out and work with them!

2. Show up on video

We all know that video content is consumed and received much more and better than still photos, so why are we so afraid to get on camera?  It’s likely because we’re self-conscious, talk down to ourselves, and/or don’t want to look dumb in front of an audience.  We have got to get past this negative self talk.  Like, throw it out the window and keep it moving.  It’s getting in the way of our progress and success.  I find myself more interested in the raw, real, behind the scenes content than the well planned, curated content.  I mean, who doesn’t love a beautiful aesthetic, but these are the things that cause people to be self-conscious because they feel they don’t have it all together like the next.  We also know social media is a huge facade, so why are we even giving it that much influence over our progress?  When the negative self talk pops up, just know that you're not alone, and people that post video content also have the same thoughts in their head.  The difference is they don’t let it stop them.  You should do the same.

3. Make a conscious effort to easily interact with your audience

The best way to be human is to interact with people.  You should want to get to know your audience and have interesting, funny, thought-provoking, etc. conversations with them.  It’s a great way to get to know them and for them to get to know you.  Instagram makes this easy and fun with the question stickers, polls, etc.  Use these tools to open the dialogue with your audience.  Also, ask a question in your feed posts to get the conversation going there, too.

4. Open up

Humanizing can be uncomfortable because it involves opening up and stepping outside of your comfort zone.  Telling personal stories gives your audience more insight into why you do what you do, believe what you believe, and who you are.  They will feel more of a connection with you especially if they can relate to you.  People like to feel and know that they aren’t alone when it comes to feelings and thoughts about things.  You opening up could be just the thing someone needed to hear to help them to continue on.  You never know who you could touch just from showing up.

Another way to open up is to share your family every now and then with their permission.  Seeing a family dynamic and the different family obligations you have is a way to show you wearing your mom, wife, etc. hat.  It’s nice to see the family behind a brand as well.

5. Go for it (aka don’t be scuurred)

Stop the self-doubt.  Screw your follower COUNT and focus on engaging with them regardless how many you have (1 is just as important as 10,000).  Start pitching brands because you know the value you will provide, not because of the number of people following you.  Stop talking yourself out of opportunities that are there for you.  I don’t have a “large” following, but I have secured speaking engagements and brand partnerships.  My follower count didn’t do that...my value, individuality and guts did that.

6. Post more pictures of yourself

I always say people don’t just want to know the brand, they want to know the person behind it, too.  That not only means engaging, but also sharing photos of yourself.  Post more pictures of yourself on your feed!  It’s a fact that photos of people get more engagement and likes than photos of things (this is based on my own research from my feed stats and friend’s stats- all pointed to higher engagement on self portraits).  People like to know that there is actually a person behind a brand name.  They like to see you in your natural surroundings.  They like to get to know you and it’s easier to do this when there are pictures of you on your feed.  As I mentioned earlier, forget the negative self talk.  We’re our own worst critic, so push that negative voice to the side and post those beautiful pictures of yourself!

7. Share and shout out other’s content

We’re all in this together.  If you see a post from someone that really resonated with you or you loved the message, share it!  It’s a great way to encourage community and gives that person a boost…and it literally costs you nothing to do.  It’s also a way to get their name out there and open them up to new followers.  All of these things are appreciated, and again, they’re all free.

8. One-on-One

Personally email one email subscriber and/or follower each month and ask how you can help them.  The personal touch is so important.  We all know when we receive an email newsletter, they are sending a mass email with merge tags that place your name in it to make it appear as if it were written specifically for you.  But guess what...when we get an email that isn’t personally acknowledging us, we look at it like “huh??”.  We still feel like those emails are personally for us specifically from them.  Well why not kick it up a notch and actually do it?  If you have an email list, pick one of your highest engaging subscribers and send them a personal email asking them how you can help them.  They will appreciate it.  If you don’t have an email list, you can send a DM to a follower asking the same thing. Bonus points for sending them a video or voice note to make it even more personal!

9. Talk about things that matter to you

If you feel a certain way about something going on in the world and you want to speak on it, go ahead and do it.  You might lose a follower or two, but you shared your opinion and views and being true to yourself is worth way more than keeping a few followers.  There’s nothing wrong with having a difference of opinion, and it’s a great way to spark a conversation.  The thing that matters to you may not even be a controversial topic.  It may be something small, but if you feel strongly enough about it and want others to know as well, share it.

10. Post and discuss your routines

I enjoy viewing daily routine content.  Seeing the person (people) behind a brand go through their daily routine helps you get to know them even more.  I love watching “GRWM (Get Ready With Me)” posts, and coffee making posts.  It gives you a glimpse into the minor details of the face cream that someone uses to the coffee mugs they drink from.  Getting a glimpse into everyday life and readers knowing that you are human and get dressed just like they do everyday is just plain relatable, and relatable content is King.

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What are some ways that you would like to humanize your brand this year?

9 Basic Things You Need to Start a Blog the Right Way

I often hear the question, “Is blogging still relevant?”.  Sharing content can be done in so many ways, and sometimes people wonder if having a social media presence is enough.  I’m here to tell you, blogging is still huge!  The internet is still thriving, and carving out a space for you to share content whenever you want is always a necessity.  One major reason to have your own space is because you own it and the content on it.  You do not own your content on Instagram, and if for some reason Instagram was to shut down, all of your content and following would be gone right along with it.  Also, Google searches are still a real thing, so if someone is searching for content that you provide, they can find your website.

Now that we’ve established two main reasons why blogging is still relevant, let’s talk about how to set one up the right way.  If you’ve ever considered starting a blog, I will be discussing 9 basic things you need to start a blog the right way.

1. An Endgame

Before you start blogging, the first thing to do is decide why you want to start blogging.  When you know the purpose and endgame for your blog, it is easier to build your content and marketing strategies around it.  Maybe you have a passion for health and wellness and want to share ways for busy people to live a healthy lifestyle.  Maybe you want to work with brands related to health and wellness and eventually create a line of cookbooks.  Or maybe you have a passion for illustration and just want to showcase your work- no brand partnerships or teaching.  Both goals have different paths to get there, so you need to first brainstorm and know your “why”. This is the most important thing; if you don’t know why you’re blogging, it will be difficult to keep up with it and know what to do next.

2. Your Niche

Now that you know what the purpose of blogging will be for you, next you need to determine what your niche will be.  What do you want to blog about?  Blogging is hard work, so you should be blogging about something that you genuinely love.  Your readers will feel your passion through your posts, and on the flip side they can also tell when you’re really not into what you’re posting about. Because of this, make sure that when selecting your niche, it is something that you won’t mind obsessing over 24/7, lol!

You should also select 3-4 categories that you will post about on your blog. You want to have focused content so readers will see you as a go-to person in your niche rather than being unclear on your expertise, confused and ultimately losing interest. You can’t have a specific brand message when your content is too broad. For example, if you are a lifestyle blogger, your categories may be home decor, family, travel and food. Lifestyle has so many possibilities, so niching down well help you stay focused on what you should post.

3. Target Audience

Speaking of readers, next you need to determine who your blog will be for.  Who is your target audience?  This is a crucial part of starting a blog and will be a pillar behind why you create the content you do, when and where you post on social media and the look and feel of your content.  You have to know who you want to read your blog, and no, it’s not everyone.  By saying you want to appeal to everyone, you ultimately appeal to no one.  When you have a specific audience in mind, it is easier to find them and attract them to your content! When deciding on your target audience, consider things such as their favorite things to do on the weekends, if they have a spouse and/or kids, pets, if they work full-time, the kind of food they eat, their mode of transportation, etc. The more specific the better because it will be easier to find them, and easier for them to find you.

4. Blog Name & URL

Now it’s time for the fun part...naming your blog and choosing your URL (i.e. website domain name)!  Naming your blog can be a challenging thing because you want to name it for longevity.  Keeping your ultimate goal in mind, what kind of name will stand out and still appeal and align with your target audience and niche?  There is so much to consider!

If you need guidance on naming your blog the right way, check out my workbook, “The Heck Yeah! Guide to Naming Your Blog/Biz”.

You should also be selecting the URL for your website at this time.  Once you find a name that you love, reserve your domain so no one else will swoop in and take it!  You can sit on domain names for as long as you want (as long as you keep renewing the ownership of them), and they are so inexpensive these days!  I love Google Domains because their domains are $12 for one year and they come standard with private registration (meaning your personal name, phone number and address won’t be exposed online as the owner of your URL!).

5. Social Media Name

At this point in the process, you don’t even have a website, BUT it is so important to choose your social media handles as soon as you choose your blog name and URL.  This is because you want to claim your profile name before someone else does!  You should be using the same handle/name for all of your social media accounts to make it easier for people to find you.  For example, my social profile names are “@LaurenMyersCo” and “/LaurenMyersCo” everywhere, so if you go onto Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook, you will find me by searching for LaurenMyersCo.  It’s so important to keep your name consistent across social platforms, so this is a major step in starting your blog.  Yes, earlier I mentioned that social media isn’t the end all be all, however, it is free marketing and a great way to be found by your audience and even brands!  Every blogger should have a social media presence if it aligns with your niche and audience.

6. Branding

Now that everything is reserved, it’s time to expand on your brand name visually.  As a beginner blogger, you don’t need to go all out by hiring a graphic designer (and I’m saying this with a graphic design background and degree).  These are the kinds of details that will keep you stuck and slow down your launch progress!  Yes, a brand is totally important, but having a perfect logo is not.  Stick to a simple text logo to start and no more than 3 colors to represent your brand.  As far as fonts, stick with no more than two types- a combination of Serif and Sans Serif is always good, or Sans Serif and script.  Keep it simple and keep it clean.

Note:
Serif fonts have the little line extension from each letter.
Sans Serif fonts do not have extensions on each letter.
Script fonts look similar to cursive handwriting.

7. A Website

Now onto the next fun part...creating your website!  I recommend beginners take a more hands on approach to their website by using a service like Squarespace that offers various website templates that are easy to customize and look professional.  The great thing about Squarespace is that the web hosting is built into your cost, so you don’t need to purchase separate hosting for your website.  They are also already mobile optimized (a separate set of complicated coding otherwise), so readers will be directed to the mobile layout of your website when they view it on their phone.  Mobile optimization is a crucial part of every website because readers are using their mobile devices more and more to view websites.  You want your site to be appealing and easy to navigate on a mobile device as well as standard computer because you want readers to enjoy their experience and come back to your site!

Related: Squarespace 9 Months In

8. A Custom Email Address

To add that extra professional touch, use a custom branded email address containing your domain name.  Example: You@YourURL.com

This is something so simple and affordable to set up through Google’s G Suite!  The basic plan is only $6 per month and will give you that professional feel from the start!  When you sign up for G Suite, you get the following which are AWESOME to have as a blogger:

Gmail- Professional email
Google Docs- Word processing
Google Drive- 30GB of Cloud storage and archiving
Google Slides- Presentation builder
Google Calendar- Shared team calendars
Google Forms- Survey builder
Google Meet- Video and voice conferencing
Google Sheets- Spreadsheet builder
Google Chat- Team messaging
Google Sites- Website builder

Related: How to use G Suite as a blogger and 10 Ways that Professional Email From G Mail Got My Life Together

9. An Editorial Calendar

Now that you are armed with your goal, niche, name and more, you need to start planning out your content. It’s great to start using a blogging editorial calendar from the start so you get into the habit of using one. This is what will keep you on track and you will know what to post when. You should be planning your content in advance, and it’s easier to do when you have your niche and categories set.

I love to use digital tools for my blogging processes, so I use Trello as my editorial calendar. I love to use Trello because I can create boards for different blogging related activities and notes. For example, I have a location in Trello where I keep all of my blog post ideas and they are organized by category so it’s easier for me to pick content from that list when it comes time to plan my content for the month. I’ve even created a “Blogging Schedule and Editorial Calendar” Trello template if you don’t know how to even go about setting one up! Check it out here.

Some people do not prefer digital tools, and that’s perfectly fine. If you’re more of a paper planner kind of girl, that’s great! As long as you have a system in place to keep track of everything, you are good to go.

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Now that you know the basic things that you need to start blogging the right way from the start of your blogging journey, it’s time to take the plunge!  If you have been thinking of starting a blog, what has been holding you back?  Let’s talk about it in the comments below!