Why Branding is Vital to Earning Income with your Blog

The naming of blogs is a difficult matter. Blogs are like cats, you see. Sometimes in their lifespan, they may have three different names. Alright, enough of this theater geek moment and let’s get serious. And if you know the reference, we can be besties.

Why I Rebranded my Blog in the first place

I rebranded my blog at the beginning of the year from a cutesy and maybe whimsical name I selected back in 2004. Over time the name ended up being associated with, well, not family-friendly things when Googled, and so it had to go. I needed to get serious with my blog. I wanted this blog to be more than just a silly personal blog of a silly girl – since I was no longer that silly girl.

It was time for my blog to become professional in name and behavior, time to embark on a rebranding journey.

My new brand represents the content I was already writing. Yes, I had this blog since 2004 and had kept my history of posting through college and my early years of marriage and my career. Those posts were sporadic and of a more personal, rambly nature. Those posts are now private so they don’t get in the way of my blog’s current purpose.

Then I became serious in my blogging and saw I could make a difference, an impact, and turn my blog into something more than just a “web log” of rambles. This seriousness came about shortly after I got pregnant and completely shifted the blogging I was doing. I started following other blogs run by moms and saw potential in my blog that I never saw before.

How I Rebranded my Blog

It wasn’t until I returned to work from maternity leave that it clicked, and I realized I was already blogging in a particular “niche” – my posts were all about becoming a new mom, a new working mom, and all the struggles and joys that come with it. My blog needed to represent that and after getting some support from a lovely fellow blogger, the rebranding commenced.

I went through a whole DIY creative process to put together my new look – yes I did it myself – including a vision board with colors and styles that spoke to me. I continued to tweak the design (using the lovely theme by that very name) until this blog felt right. Until it fit the vision, I had for it. Until it was something I could show off with pride.

To summarize, my new brand:

• Represents the content I write.
• Specific to my interests and the interests of my target audience.
• Professional in name and appearance.

Almost immediately upon the rebrand, I started seeing results.

Increasing my Blogging Income after Rebranding

I’m an Engineer, so let’s use some numbers. I’m getting real here, sharing actual blog earnings. I must add, I am usually not a fan of laying out the numbers. Talking about incomes and figures can be awkward and uncomfortable, but I have seen a few bloggers share income reports. They share to help encourage other bloggers as well as set the record straight for what real blogging looks like (because some of those big blogs selling “the dream” will make you believe you’ll make thousands overnight). I wanted to be real with this post, so I’m opening up my books to you, so to speak.

In 2015, I made a total of $1,013.53 on this blog under the previous name/brand/look. I am counting actual cash flow – from advertising, sponsored posts, affiliate revenue, etc. I mean, that isn’t bad for a “hobby blog” but I want it to be something way more. As far as blog stats go, I was averaging 5K monthly page views – so you can see it wasn’t a big blog, to start.

In the first half of 2016, I have earned $3,467.86, actual cash flow. Sure, it isn’t the super impressive income these “dream” sellers boast, but it is a massive improvement for me. 242% increase, to be exact. As for stats? I dropped to about 2K monthly page views due to the change in the name and had worked on growing. I reached 10K monthly page views this week. Still growing, improving every month.

I completely attribute the income growth to my rebranding. I struggled to get approved for sponsored posts before the change. As I stated before, sponsored posts or social shares make up the bulk of my blog income. Sponsored opportunities are my still biggest blogging revenue source. However, the amount and quality of sponsored posts I began to receive approval on after rebranding has been an exquisite eye-opener.

Branding Opened me up to better Sponsored Opportunities

It took me until early February to finish all the changes associated with the rebrand (the new name, and also the design and changing links everywhere). In March I received my first two amazing (well, in my mind anyway, since the payout was in the $300 range for each of these) sponsored posts. The first was a campaign to share my Mother’s Promise for Pampers and the second was introducing Gerber Lil Beanies and sharing how my toddler loves them. Before this, the sponsored posts I got were in the $50-100 range, at best.

Let’s look at the lovely Pie chart, because numbers and visuals are all the rage. This graph represents the blog income Fab Working Mom Life has seen so far in 2016, including product values for items received for review or gift guide inclusion. Sponsored posts make up 92 percent of my income from this blog, so that is where I have been focusing my efforts.

Let’s recap.

• My blogging income increased by 242 percent from 2015 (full year) to 2016 (so far, approximately first half).
• Sponsored posts make up over 90% of my blogging income.
• I started getting hired for more sponsored posts, in quantity and quality, right after completing my rebranding.

Rebranding has focused my blog and has made it more desirable to brands and influencer companies that represent them. Seeing results and being able to make my blog work for me has helped me fine-tune my style and has returned excitement and joy to blogging.

Yes, I plan to diversify my income streams. I already have one product for sale (the nanny contract) and have plans for more. I am also focusing on improving my affiliate marketing since that stream has so many possibilities.

Have you rebranded a blog? How do you focus your brand and increase paid gigs? And please tell me if you got my reference and we can be besties.