品牌打造第101课：如何像那些名人一样推广你的博客

Branding 101: How to Promote Your Blog Like the Big Guys Do

品牌打造第101课：如何像那些名人一样推广你的博客

By Leo Babauta

原文作者：Leo Babauta

One of the reasons I was able to draw so many readers to Zen Habits within the first year was that I treated the promotion of Zen Habits as you would any other product — I branded it.

       我之所以能在最初一年内就在“禅宗习惯”的博客上吸引了如此多的读者，最重要的原因之一，是我将“禅宗习惯”用和其他产品一样的方法推广了它：我将它品牌化了。

Of course, there are other reasons as well — I really focused on creating as useful content as possible, for example — but branding is what really helped Zen Habits take off so quickly.

       当然，还有其他因素使我的博客能吸引大量的点击量，比如说，我的确在博客内容上十分注意。我尽量发表实用的内容。但是，使“禅宗习惯”如日中天的最主要的原因，仍然是它的品牌化。

When you think of your blog as you would a brand, you have to create a consistent message and have everything you do — on and off the blog — send the same message. And you have to repeat the message as often as possible to your target audience until it’s stuck in their head.

       就像一个品牌一样，你得先为你的博客想出一个持久不变的核心信息，之后，在博客内外传达这个信息。你得重复尽量多的次数，直到这个信息深深的刻在了你的目标读者的头脑里。

It’s why Pepsi and Coke and McDonald’s and Barack Obama have done so well — they’ve thought about branding and have applied the concepts of branding as well as anyone in history.

       这就是百事可乐，可口可乐，麦当劳和奥巴马如此成功的原因：他们已经将品牌化的做法贯彻在了他们的所作所为里。

Today we’ll look at some of the basic ideas of branding and how you can use them to promote your blog (or book or other business, product or service).

       今天， 我们会来看看品牌化的一些基本特征，并且会教你该如何使用这些原则来推广你的博客（或者书记，或者其他商业活动，生产或者服务）。

The Mistrust of Advertising Techniques

对广告技巧的误解

Now, many of you — like me — might be hesitant to think of your blog or writing as a “product” or anything commercial. That’s natural — you are wary of slick advertising techniques and you would rather focus on great writing and being sincere and real. That’s totally understandable — I’m exactly the same way.

       现在，像我一样，你们中的很多人或许会觉得将博客当成“产品”十分奇怪。这很自然。对于那些油腔滑调的广告技巧，你已经变得十分谨慎，并且，你宁愿创作出真挚的作品来。这我完全可以理解，因为我正是这样做的。

But realize that these advertising techniques work because they understand the way the human mind works. And while you can use these techniques to promote something fake or evil, you can also use them to promote something good. You can use branding and marketing techniques to promote family planning, health education, physical fitness, compassion and charity. It’s used by charities and other good causes worldwide — the best non-profit organizations such as the Red Cross and Unicef use branding techniques.

       可是，那些广告技巧之所以有用，是因为它们迎合了人类大脑的运作方式。一方面，我们可以使用这些技巧来做一些虚假或者邪恶的事；另一方面，我们也可以使用它们来做一些好的事情。品牌打造和市场营销的技巧可以用来帮助你的家庭计划，健康教育，甚至包括同情心和宽厚的心。它们也被世界上的慈善机构所使用：红十字会和联合国儿童基金会也运用了品牌打造的技巧。

So using branding doesn’t mean you’re doing anything fake or evil. It just means you’re being smart about promotion.

       因此，使用打造品牌的技巧并不意味着你所做的是件虚假的或者不好的事。这仅仅意味着你在用聪明的方式进行推广。

The Core Message — What It’s All About

关键之关键-传达的信息

Before you do anything — name your blog (or other product/service), write a single post, work on the design, anything — you need to figure out your core message. This is the message you want to send out to your readers/customers in everything you do. This message needs to be communicated in your title, design, content, promotions, and actions.

       在给你的博客（或者其他的产品、服务）取名、撰写一个简单的帖子，设计博客等等之前，你所需用做的第一件事，就是想清楚你所想传达的是什么样的信息。

Here’s how to get started:

具体步骤：

1. First, figure out who your target audience is. Who are you trying to help with your blog? Who do you want to attract? It’s good to have a clear picture of exactly who these people are — working parents who have a busy schedule, tight budget, and not enough time for romance? College students not getting enough sleep and on an even tighter budget? Even if you’re going for a pretty broad appeal, it’s still good to get a general idea of who your audience is.

1. 首先，确定你的目标读者。你的博客是要为谁提供帮助？你想要吸引哪一人群？你需要知道关于你的读者的详细信息-时间紧凑，预算紧张，没时间搞浪漫的工作着的父母们？预算更紧张，缺乏睡眠的大学生？即使你的读者范围比较宽泛，你也需要大概明白你的读者群在哪里；

2. Next, figure out what desires you’re going to be tapping into. Every reader goes to a blog for a reason — some desire they have that the blog will potentially fulfill. Maybe the reader is looking for peace and happiness, or physical fitness, or success with the opposite sex, or personal growth. Figure out what desires you’re going to help fulfill — and remember to stay in line with what you’re passionate about, what you really want to write about, what you know and have to offer.

2. 之后，你得想清楚你的博客将满足人们的什么愿望。每位读者都有一个读博的理由-这个博客能满足他们的愿望。也许读者在寻找心的平静和快乐，或者他们希望有一个健美的身材，或者希望能成功的和异性打交道，或者个人成长。请想明白你的博客会满足哪一个愿望。同时也选择你所酷爱的，你的确想写，还有你知道该写些什么的方面走下去；

3. Then figure out what message you’re going to send to them that will tap into specific desires. This is key: every blog sends an unstated message to the reader. Some, with their loud designs and even louder headlines, scream, “I’m trying to sell you something!” Others are a bit meeker, and quietly say, “I’m just a nice person who likes cats.” What will your blog say to readers? What do you want it to say? Craft a message that fits with your personality, that matches what you want to convey to the world, and that also taps into the desires you plan to fulfill (from the previous step above).

3. 之后，就是决定下来你将要传达什么样的核心信息。这个信息应该可以迎合你的读者特别的要求。这就是关键所在：每个博客都传达着一个信息。有些用显眼的设计和更显眼的标题叫嚷着：“我想卖给你一些东西！”有些就很谦和地小声说道：“我只是一个喜欢猫的人。”你的博客呢？你想通过博客向你的读者传达一个怎样的信息呢？这个信息应该符合你的个性，符合你想对这个世界所传达的声音，也和你在上一步已经想好的相吻合；

4. You need to be consistent about your message in everything you do. Once you’ve carefully crafted your core message, you need to align everything you do with this message. If you do things that conflict with the message, you will be sending confusing signals. Instead, be consistent in everything: keep the same message in all your posts, headlines, comments, blog design, guest posts on other blogs, comments on other blogs, and so forth. The more consistent you are, the better.

4. 你需要在你所做的每一件事里都传达这个信息。当你确定了你所要传达的核心信息之后，你需要将它调和在你所做的一切里面。如果你所做的和这个信息相悖，那么你将使你的读者十分困惑。相反，博客的每个细节都需要保持一致：在你发的每一个帖子，标题，评论，博客设计，转帖，在其他博客上发布的评论等待里保持相同的核心信息。你的信息越是一致，成效就越好；

5. Finally, you need to repeat your message as much as possible to your target audience. A great brand with a great message is worth nothing if the target audience never hears about it. Consider the great brands in consumer products, such as Pepsi or Coke or Apple or Google … these guys do constant advertising, on TV, in billboards and the sides of buses, all over the place. The more the better. And even if people have already seen the brand (and heard the message) once or twice, it might not have stuck with them the first couple of times … but after the fifth or seventh time, maybe it hit home. With Zen Habits, I was everywhere my target audience was the first six months … I was freelancing for five different blogs, writing a couple of guest posts a week, answering interviews as often as possible, and was often seen in social media and in link posts on other blogs. And in every one of these appearances where my target audience might have seen my brand, I repeated the same message (not verbally — the message was unstated but still clear). I was as consistent as I could be, and as a result, many people who I wanted to attract were exposed to my brand and message more than once. They might have forgotten about me the first time they heard the message, but after a few times, it stuck with them.

5. 最后，你需要向你的目标读者多次重复你的核心信息，次数越多越好。如果一个顶级的品牌拥有绝妙标语，可目标顾客却从没听说过，那有何意义呢？让我们拿些已经打响的品牌举例。百事可乐，可口可乐，苹果公司，谷歌等等公司都会持续的在排名榜上，电视上，巴士表面等许多地方为他们的品牌打广告。广告越多越好。也许人们已经听说了这个品牌一两次了，可是它却没给人们留下深刻的印象。但是，或许是在第5或第7次的时候，这个品牌才真正为目标顾客所熟识。在搞“禅宗习惯”的时候，我花了半年时间到处寻找我的目标读者。我曾是5个博客的自由作家，每周为友情博客写一两篇文章，尽量及时回复采访内容，并且我的博客链接常常显示在公众媒体网站和其他博客上。在每一个我的目标读者可能去的地方，我都重复着同一个核心信息(并非用的完全一样的措辞和句式，但是其内容的核心始终如一）。在每一个地方，我都尽量保持一致。坚持这样做的结果就是，我想要吸引过来的人群都不止一次的注意到我的“广告”。也许在第一次听说我的博客时，很快就忘记了，但是几次重复的信息之后，他们就能记住我的博客了。

Sending Out a Consistent Message

始终保持如一

Consider an example from the world of politics … with the flap about vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s $150,000 wardrobe (paid for by Republican donors). The problem wasn’t that there was anything ethically wrong with buying such expensive clothes … the problem was that these purchases conflicted with Palin’s message of “I’m just a regular American gal”, and as such, it hurt her message to the public.

       让我们来看看一个政治里的例子吧：萨拉佩林的衣橱里挂着一共价值约15万美元的衣物（这些衣物的费用来自共和党人的捐款）。这里，问题并不在花大价钱在衣服上是否道德；问题在于，这堆衣服与佩林向公众传达的核心信息“我只是一个普通的美国女生”相悖，而这样做的结果是，她所传达的核心信息在公众中的接受度大打折扣。

Conflicting messages weaken your branding efforts. If you are trying to send a message of peace and love, don’t start attacking your readers in the comments. Don’t write posts about how much you hate John McCain.

       相悖的信息会使你的品牌打造效果大大减弱。如果你想传达“爱与和平”的信息，请不要在评论里攻击你的读者。不要发帖告诉人们你讨厌麦肯恩。

Stick to your core message in everything you do. That includes:

       在你所做的一切事中都要保持和你的核心信息一致。这包括：

    * Title and subtitle of your blog. Zen Habits, for example, is a title that sends a message of peacefulness, being in the moment, doing one thing at a time. What message does your blog title (and subtitle if you have one) send to readers?

       *博客的名字和副标题。比方说，“禅宗习惯”所传达的信息是“平和”“处在当下”“一次只做好一件事”等。你的博客的题目和副标题（如果有的话）传达着怎样的信息呢？

    * Design. If your blog is about simplicity, you need an uncluttered, clean design. If it’s about kids, you might have fonts that look like they were written in crayon (for example). The colors, layout, ads, and every other design element send a message to your readers — and it should be consistent with your core message.

       *艺术设计。如果你的博客主张简约，那你需要给博客一个简洁的设计。如果这个博客和孩子有关，也许你会想用“蜡笔”效果的字体写帖子的题目。颜色，样式，广告和其他设计都会向你的读者传达一个信息，而这个信息应该和你的核心信息相吻合。

    * Content. The topics and titles of your posts, as well as the images and other content you use, should all be consistent with your core message. If you write a post that conflicts with your message, you will weaken your brand and your blog. Think about that with everything you write and everything you include in a post.

       *内容。帖子的题目和内容，包括附图和其他你用到的材料，也应该传达出统一的信息。如果你把与核心信息相悖的信息放在博客里，则会损害你的博客的品牌效果。在做任何添加、改动的时候一定要考虑清楚了再行动。

    * Comments. When I’m tempted to respond in anger or with sarcasm to a rude commenter at Zen Habits, I take a deep breath and remember what my blog is about. An angry comment from the writer of Zen Habits would be a deeply conflicted message. Every comment you write on your own blog should be consistent with your message.

      *评论。如果我在做评论时正起在上头，或者正冲动的想要挖苦讽刺一番，我会在写评论之前来个深呼吸，回想我的博客所要传达什么样的信息。

    * Off-blog comments. Similarly, you are representing your blog every time you comment on another blog. What message are you sending when you do so?

       * 博客之外的评论。每次你在别的地方发表评论的时候，你都代表着你的博客。你希望能以怎样的形象面对他人呢？

    * Guest posts. This is probably the most important branding you do, so be sure to keep your core message in mind as you write

       *友情发帖。这是品牌打造中最重要的一步。写稿的时候一定要牢牢记住你的核心信息。

    * Emails etc. Even when you send emails to other bloggers, readers, advertisers and the like, you are sending an unstated message … and it should be in line with your core message.

       *电邮等。甚至当你给博友、读者、广告商等发信的时候，你也同时发送了一个潜移默化的信息，这个信息也得和你的核心信息相同。

Repeating Your Message Often

多次重复你的核心信息

You want to be everywhere your target audience is … so think about what other blogs they read, and what social media/bookmarking sites they might use. This is where you can reach them with your brand and your message.

       你的目标读者在哪里，你就在哪里。想想他们会访问哪些博客、媒体网页、书签网页等。在这些地方你都可以向他们介绍你的品牌和你的核心信息。

Now try to find as many ways as possible to get your message and brand to these sites and blogs. That’s not always easy, I know, but it’s worth a try. Some ideas:

       找到越多推广的路子越好。这并不容易，但是值得一试。以下是一些建议:

    * Guest posts. These are my favorite ways of getting a brand to your target audience, as you might know by now. I’ve written dozens of guest posts for many blogs — all of them with an audience that I’d love to reach. Write as many of these as you can — aside from creating great content at your own blog, guest posts are the most important way you can spend your time as a blogger.

       *友情博客上的发帖。你应该已经发现这是我最青睐的广告手段了。我为许多友情博客写了几十篇帖子，同时，这些友情博客上的读者也是我的目标。在为自己的博客创作绝妙的文章之余，在其他博客上的友情贴子写得越多越好。花在友情贴子上的时间是你能为你的博客所投资的最重要的时间。

    * Comments on other blogs. This is an easy way to get to your target audience, although not as effective as guest posts. While people will rarely click through your comment to go to your blog, the important thing is not attracting a lot of traffic through commenting, but getting your brand and message out. If people see your brand and message often on the blogs they read, it’ll start to stick.

       *在其他博客上的评论。尽管这个吸引目标读者的方法在效果上略差一筹，但是做起来很容易。一般来讲，人们很少会点击你放在评论里的链接，但是我们的目的是将你的品牌展示给大众，而非吸引点击率。如果人们常常在他们所访问的网站上看到你的博客信息，久而久之人们就能记得了。

    * Links from other blogs. When a blogger links to one of your posts from within a post — whether it be a link post or other content — these are gold. Not as good as a guest post, because you don’t control the message, but still great because it attracts traffic to your blog and also gets your brand out there. Try emailing other bloggers with your best posts as they’re published, and politely suggesting they might be interested in sharing the link with their readers. Don’t do this too often with the same bloggers, as they’ll tire of it, but once in awhile doesn’t hurt.

       *其他博客上的链接。当一个博友在他的帖子里包含了你的博客的链接时，无论他所链接的是你的博客还是其他的内容，这都是极好无比的一件事。还有一招，你可以给其他博友发送邮件，并且在邮件里留下你所写的最棒的一篇文章的链接，之后有礼貌地询问他们是否有兴趣把这个链接分享在他们的博客里。注意，这一招不能用得太频繁，否则博友们会对此感到厌倦。偶尔这么做还是没问题的。

    * Social media. While it’s not easy to get popular on a social media site, understand that this is a good way to get your brand out there to new readers. Only some of these readers will be in your target audience, but the ones who will take notice of your posts on social media sites will likely be your target audience. I suggest focusing on delicious.com and Stumble Upon as it’s easier to get popular on them than on, say, Digg.com … and they’re also more likely to reach your target audience (Digg has a very specific audience that isn’t always what you’re looking for).

       *社会上的媒体。尽管要想在媒体网页上有较大的关注度是件困难的事，但是这是将你的品牌展示给新的读者的极好的方法。在媒体网站里，只有部分读者是你所想要吸引的，但是会注意到你的发帖的人有可能会是你的目标读者。我建议你使用 delicious.com 和 Stumble Upon,因为，在这两个网站上出头比在其他网站上要容易些，比如说Digg.com。并且，也相对更容易找到你的目标读者（Digg.com 上的读者类型较集中，在那上面的你的目标读者也许并不多）。

Conclusion

结论

All this talk of branding might not sit well with some bloggers who see it as crassly commercial or manipulative. And I can see those points. But I don’t think branding means you have to do things that are not true to yourself, or write about things you’re not passionate about. It just means you think carefully about your message, try to be consistent about it, and try to get out there to the people you’re trying to reach.

        也许对于一部分博友来说，这番看上去像是广告推销的讨论会让他们感到不舒服。我也能理解他们这样的看法。但是我认为品牌打造并不意味着做违背自己的事，或者写些你毫无兴趣的东西。品牌打造，仅仅意味着你会仔细斟酌你所要传达的信息，并且试着保持如一，还有就是试着寻找你所想吸引到你的博客来的人。

As a writer, you have to be self-promotional to some extent, or people will never read your stuff. This is true with book authors as well — they have to get out there and promote their books. It’s also true of journalists — the most successful journalists are in themselves a brand, and they promote their brand pretty well. If you’re going to be self-promotional, as you have to be, it’s just best to do it in a smart way. That’s all branding is.

       作为一个作者，你必须在某种程度上学会推销自己，否则人们永远没法知道你的作品。这对于著书的作者们而言也是一个必须面对的事实-他们必须走出门去，向人们推荐他们的作品；新闻记者同样需要自荐-最著名的记者们本身就是响亮的品牌，而他们也确实擅长于推销自己的品牌。如果你反正都得自我推销，何不用聪明的方法呢。品牌打造其实也就是这么回事儿。

And it works. I used it consciously with Zen Habits, and I’ve seen it put to use by other successful bloggers as well — whether they’re aware of it or not.

       品牌化的效果也是显著的。我在“禅宗习惯”上有意识地使用了它，而且我看到其他成功的博主们也使用了它（无论他们是有意识的还是无意识的）。

Still, there’s one thing to remember: all the branding in the world will not work if you don’t have amazing content to back it up. If you get people to come to your site because of branding, and they see a paucity of content or a bunch of posts that are poorly written, not interesting and not useful … you’ve destroyed your brand. You’ve sent the reader a message that ultimately says, “This site is a waste of your time.” Don’t send that message — send a message that says you love what you’re writing about, that you are professional and thoughtful about your writing, and that you genuinely want to help the reader.

       最后，我想提醒一点：这个世界上的所有的品牌打造技巧在面对糟糕的产品时皆会失效。没有优质的产品，再精彩的品牌推广都毫无办法。如果你通过品牌打造的技巧使人们拜访了你的博客，但是你的博客里只有零零散散的几篇博文，或者文章写得马马虎虎，即没意思也没用处，那你就毁了自己的品牌。读者们所接收的最终信息，是：“来这个网页是浪费我的时间。”不要传达这个信息。相反，传达这个信息吧：“这个博主热爱他所写的东西，并且他对此十分在行，在写作的时候也十分谨慎、认真，他也是真心想要帮助他的读者们。”

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