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As a blogger, not only do I write and share blog posts, but
I also have to make sure I keep my digital branding up to date. This is in
order to show my personal brand and my blogging brand off across my social media
platforms.
The digital branded content you may create as a blogger are as follows:
- Media kit
- Blog logo
- Social media templates
- Instagram story templates
- Pinterest pins
- Products in your branding such as Gumroad e-books
- Newsletters and emails
- Email signatures
In this post, I will be giving you some advice on how to
keep your branded content fresh and up to date. So without further ado, let’s get
into the tips.
5 tips for updating your digital branding as a blogger
1. Create a clear logo
The first thing you will want to do as a blogger is to
create an eye catching logo with your blog name on. Think about the colours you
use because you can use them in a colour scheme for your other content.
Once you have created a logo you are happy with, you can
then use this on other content you may wish to produce such as a media kit or
social media templates.
Related: 3 ways to stay creative
2. Pick a colour scheme
Choosing a colour scheme is what all brands do when creating
their content and products and bloggers should too. At the moment I tend to use
light pink as that is in my logo, and other light colours such as a muted blue
and peach. Admittedly, I need to work more on my colour scheme.
3. Choose fonts to use for different content
When creating different digital branded content, you will
need to pick some fonts to use. For example, I have one font for my logo but I
have a few other, more readable fonts for when I am writing more text like in
my monthly newsletters or for the paragraphs in my media kit. Once you have
decided what branded content you are going to create, I would suggest picking
different fonts that you will use for different things and try and keep them as
standard across your content.
Start your search for fonts by checking out this fancy fonts collection by font bundles. They offer a range of fonts for each occasion.
4. Standardise your content
Similar to what I was saying about picking standard fonts to
go across your content, you should try to standardise all of your branded
content using colour and any other signature effects you might use. This will
help people recognise you. For example, if you have a branded Twitter header
and one of your Twitter followers finds your Facebook page that has the same
branding, they may remember your branding from Twitter and be more likely to
connect with you on another platform too.
On social media, you should create pin covers for Pinterest
and Instagram story highlight covers in your branding. It is also a good idea
to create headers for Twitter and Facebook in your branding that contain your
logo. These are just small ways to make your social media channels look more professional.
If you are a blogger, your audience or brands will be more visually pleased
when seeing branding on your social media than if you don’t have any. It also
shows that you are serious about marketing yourself and blogging too.
Related: 100 Blog post ideas for every niche
5. Try and show you in your branded digital content
Try and bring yourself into your branding as much as you
can. It is promoting you and your blog so make it personal, and obviously
relevant to your niche. If you are a travel blogger, don’t be using makeup
brushes in your logo, for example.
Creating personal branding should be fun because you can
choose what you want everything to look like in a way that best promotes you,
your blog and your services.
When it comes to branding and creating content, play around.
It doesn’t have to be perfect straight away! I have had a range of logos
before, it’s all trial and error until you have found what you’re happy with
and it will feel really good when you do. I usually just play around with
things until I get it looking perfect, just try not to stress out too much
about it and have fun!
How are you getting on with your branded content? Do you
have any tips?
This is a guest post from Rachael Hawksworth.
Hi. My name is Rachael, I have a full and fun social life, a fantastic job and crippling high functioning anxiety.
Since I was a little girl I have been very talkative. I've been described as HAPPY, talkative, bubbly and enthusiastic my whole life. I attended drama school, studied dance and put myself out there to help anyone out, with anything. Anyone meeting me would describe me as confident, outgoing and friendly.
However I viewed myself as annoying. Loud, rude, in your face too much. Convinced that I talk too much, to much about myself or don't talk enough! I have a terrible habit of trying to please everyone and keep everyone happy from fear of them disliking me or not wanting to be my friend. Because I have believed for so long that no one would actually want to be friends with me, it must be because of things I do for them. Or, even worse, that if I do anything wrong then they’ll realise they don’t actually like me!
Underneath all this self doubt, I was desperately sad. But everyone always told me I was happy? Super positive!? I found myself convincing myself I was ok because everyone saw me that way.
I only realised when I was 28 that torturing myself this way wasn’t just how I was, it was anxiety. It took YEARS for me to accept and ask for help. Mainly because I didn’t realise what anxiety really looked like, the emotional and the physical symptoms are what caught me off guard. I always thought of anxiety as a strong anxious feeling! But its so much more.
I knew I had a problem for a while. I’d find myself rocking back and forth with my head in my hands, trying to soothe myself. Working in a busy, customer facing management role in hospitality, managing 3 teams of 120 people total and yet I couldn’t bring myself to leave the house sometimes, crippled with social anxiety and a feeling of severe dread for no apparent reason. I’d be going to parties with friends one weekend, then the next I’d barely be able to get my words out, stuttering and uncontrollable overthinking.
I did nothing about it. I didn’t seek help, I ignored it. Made all the typical excuses...
‘I talk to hundreds of staff and customers every week, I host parties at work and am always putting myself out there... how could I be ‘Anxious’’
I'm so confident... I can’t have anxiety? I felt GUILTY for even thinking that I could have anxiety... like I was belittling others who REALLY suffered with anxiety by comparing myself with them.
The reason I am sharing this with you and the rest of the internet is because there are bound to be hundreds, even thousands of people out there who are suffering in silence. Battling with themselves and unable to admit there is anything wrong. Could be you, could be someone you care about...
Everyone’s experience of anxiety disorders is different. Not everyone who has an anxiety disorder will experience the same symptoms.
Mental symptoms of anxiety can include:
- racing thoughts,
- uncontrollable over-thinking,
- difficulties concentrating,
- feelings of dread, panic or ‘impending doom’,
- feeling irritable,
- heightened alertness,
- problems with sleep,
- changes in appetite,
- wanting to escape from the situation you are in, and
- dissociation.
If you dissociate you might feel like you are not connected to your own body. Or like you are watching things happen around you, without feeling it.
Physical symptoms of anxiety can include:
- sweating,
- heavy and fast breathing,
- hot flushes or blushing,
- dry mouth,
- shaking,
- hair loss,
- fast heartbeat,
- extreme tiredness or lack of energy
- dizziness and fainting, and
- stomach aches and sickness.
What is High Functioning Anxiety?
If you feel like this is you, then I hope you might feel a sense of relief. Like you finally have permission to accept that you are struggling! Your feelings are validated and your not just ‘broken’ or ‘crazy’ - BOTH things I told myself for YEARS.
Human beings are not perfect, no one of us is! You don’t have to try to be. You can seem like a social butterfly and still suffer from a inability to even leave the house some days.
What to do if you recognise the symptoms of High Functioning Anxiety in yourself...
- Reach out for help!
It is not weak to ask for help, its the strongest thing you can do. Family, friends, loved ones who you can trust are great ones to reach out too but there are also lots of websites and organisations that you can speak too for advice.
Anxiety UK
Charity providing support if you have been diagnosed with an anxiety condition.
Phone: 03444 775 774 (Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5.30pm)
Website: www.anxietyuk.org.uk
CALM
CALM is the Campaign Against Living Miserably. A charity providing a mental health helpline and webchat.
Phone: 0800 58 58 58 (daily, 5pm to midnight)
Website: www.thecalmzone.net
Men's Health Forum
24/7 stress support for men by text, chat and email.
Website: www.menshealthforum.org.uk
Mental Health Foundation
Provides information and support for anyone with mental health problems or learning disabilities.
Website: www.mentalhealth.org.uk
Mind
Promotes the views and needs of people with mental health problems.
Phone: 0300 123 3393 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm)
Website: www.mind.org.uk
Rethink Mental Illness
Support and advice for people living with mental illness.
Phone: 0300 5000 927 (Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 4pm)
Website: www.rethink.org
- Recognise and address symptoms as they come up. There are plenty of grounding techniques and mindfulness & breathing exercises to do.
- Start journaling!
There is a journal for everything nowadays - productivity journals, daily, weekly or monthly journals, mindfulness journals... anything that you could want or need to track and plan - THERES A JOURNAL OR PLANNER FOR IT! Feeling organised and physically writing down your thoughts and ideas helps ease anxiety symptoms SO much.
Often times your heads a mess with over thinking and your not able to focus... writing everything down, getting it out of your head and into physical form means you can make sense of it all.
- Speak to your doctor and consider counselling
Anti-depressants and anti anxiety medication has had this stigma around it for so long, its very annoying!! If you had a illness in your body and you need help, you go to your doctor no they prescribe medicine. This includes your mental health! Your doctor will go over all your options, they are highly trained in dealing with mental health and can advise you in any way you need. Plus they can refer you to local mental health organisations and even for counselling.
If you know someone who has High Functioning Anxiety or you think might have then speak to them about it. Be gentle and kind, understand that they may not be ready to talk about it but showing them that you are there to listen when they are ready to talk will make the biggest difference!
Most of the time someone with a anxiety disorder really needs to just talk, they need someone who will listen to them and let them vent and feel what they are feeling! It’s easy to try to say things which you THINK are helpful but that’s really not...
Things NOT to say to someone who is suffering from a anxiety disorder...
‘’It could be worse, other people have it way worse than you’’
‘’Cheer up’’
‘’You’ll be fine, you’ll get over it’’
‘’But your so happy, are you sure its anxiety and your not just being dramatic?’’
What may not seem like much on the outside, could be significantly effecting someone on the inside. No doubt the person who is opening up to you about their anxiety disorder, already has been telling themselves all of the above! The fact they feel comfortable speaking to you about it and opening up is a HUGE step.
SANE Provides emotional support, information and guidance for people affected by mental illness, their families and carers.
Textcare: comfort and care via text message, sent when the person needs it most: www.sane.org.uk/textcare
Peer support forum: www.sane.org.uk/supportforum
Website: www.sane.org.uk/support
YoungMinds provide information on child and adolescent mental health. Services for parents and professionals.
Parents' helpline 0808 802 5544
AD - This post features my monthly advertisers. If you are interested in advertising with me then please contact me or find out more information on my advertise with me page.
Welcome to my March Advertisers post. In this post, I will be sharing with you all of the blogs that you need to check out this month.
Posts you need to check out from Sarah
Start by checking out these posts
Amy's posts you need to see
Here are some posts you should check out:
Start by checking out these posts:
Here are some posts from Our Favourite Jar to check out
This post contains affiliate links, meaning if you purchase a product through my links I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
I am graduating university this year, probably at the worst time for jobs with the pandemic so I may be freaking out a little bit. However, I am determined to get a job after I finish so I have been trying to find ways to enhance my CV and LinkedIn profiles to try to make me stand out a little more. I thought I'd share ways I try to enhance my CV with you as I know a lot of other students and graduates will probably be in the same boat as me. It's more competitive now for graduate jobs than ever before so we are going to need to find ways to boost our employability and experience (I say we because we are in this together).
So here are some tips on what I have done, plan to do or what I think would help you enhance your CV and make you more employable.
Top tips on enhancing your CV
1. Gain as much experience as you can
2. Volunteer
3. Start a blog
4. Attend Webinars
5. Complete online courses
Related: 3 tips for staying creative
6. Enhance the layout of your CV
7. Use LinkedIn
Related: What now? A life after graduation
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