Must-Have Ingredients For Venti Blog Success
Great coffee isn’t the only thing Starbucks knows. They’ve also brewed up a very delicious branding and marketing strategy! Here’s why it works so well and what Starbucks taught me about blog branding!
Starbucks is undoubtedly one of (if not) the most popular coffee shops in the world. Is it because they have the best cup of Joe? Maybe… I mean their coffee is really good, but it’s popularity is more likely thanks to their branding technique. Starbucks knows good coffee, but they know how to brand and market themselves even better. Let’s look at how they did it, and how to better brand your blog for venti blog success!
Starbucks isn’t just about coffee. It’s everything else! From the cohesive look, smell and feel of each store when you walk in, to the fun names of their drinks, to their social media presence and free wifi. It’s the experience.When it comes to branding- Starbucks is serving up a strong cup of mega success! There are over 30,000 Starbucks stores worldwide, that brought in almost $25 billion in revenue last year source.
For me, and most people, coffee is an every day essential so they picked a great product. But there’s a million coffee shops out there, so the competition is huge! You can create a better cup of coffee. I’m sure it’s been done, but to convince everyone else it’s better? That is all in the branding and marketing! The same techniques can be used for blogging success!
What Starbucks Taught Me About Branding!
What sets them apart isn’t just their coffee. It’s their branding. How can you use this as inspiration for your blog?
Blog branding is not your logo. Your brand is how people perceive you and your blog or product. Perception is everything. How do you want people to feel when they visit your site? Let’s look at Starbucks and their branding. Here are some tips to brand like Starbucks:
- Be Welcoming. Have you ever been served by a rude Starbucks employee? Not likely. Or felt out of place when you walked in? Not me! Being at a Starbucks alone has never made me feel awkward! I’ve been to many Starbucks- their color scheme, tables and chairs… their store layout, menu, even their staff presence, it all feels familiar and comfy.
- Be Familiar, But Also Different. Starbucks revolutionized the way we do coffee. They created new terms like Venti and aren’t afraid to get a little complicated… extra ho,t non-fat, caramel latte, with 2 pumps cinnamon dolce, add salt and foam topping, anyone? They also made coffee and drinks fun and beautiful by introducing colorful ombre drinks and one of my faves- the pink drink! And, Starbucks managed to have us willingly market these drinks for them, as we post pics of these sweet drinks all over social media:)
- Be Consistent. Most Starbucks stores have the exact same menu, the same color scheme, store layout and friendly employee types. Their product quality is also consistent, making it easier for people to choose them if their in an unfamiliar place and want a good cup of coffee.
- Be Engaging. Starbucks staff members always seem friendly and welcoming. They take your name, usually spell it wrong, and try and engage in a little conversation. There’s also a perception that Starbucks is a great place to meet family and friends to enjoy a cup of coffee together.
How Do You Brand A Blog?
When it comes to branding and marketing, everything matters. Every. Little. Detail. The branding process is one of my favorite interests in marketing school because there’s a misconception that it’s primarily logo design and company name. Once you realize it’s so much more than that, you can really create a cohesive brand that gives the right impression to your target audience. Your branding is how your target audience will perceive your blog. It’s all in how your blog is being perceived.
When it comes to marketing your blog, there are two important factors- the blog itself and the brand. And you can’t really have one without the other, but which one should be your main focus? You can have the best blog posts in the world, but without the proper branding and marketing of that blog- you won’t likely get very far.
Being consistent is key. Not just in terms of when and how often you post. Consistency is key in your tone, your colors, your images, your social media tone and graphics etc.
What Starbucks Taught Me About Marketing
When it comes to having a lot of options for coffee, you can’t really beat Starbucks. And EVERYONE knows Starbucks! It seems that there’s virtually a store on every corner. Bad planning or an intentional marketing ploy? It’s been statistically proven that the more Starbucks stores there are in a – mile radius the better each individual store will do. So what does this mean for your digital marketing campaign? It means that the more ‘stores’ you own, the better your main store will do.
Let’s think of these ‘stores’ as links to your website. You want good quality stores and the more links you have, the more exposure you receive.
Here’s a real-time illustration: if you have a main website and five incoming links, you’ll get traffic to the main site from five places. Now this doesn’t mean you need five additional sites along with your main one, these five incoming links are from other websites that often won’t belong to you.
Guest blog posting, commenting on other blogs and posting on social media is a great way to boost your traffic and build your links.
Networking Sites To Grow Your Blog
The next option for getting more ‘real estate’ is to start your own social networking page. You can use sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Tumblr. These sites can all offer you a way to connect not just with other people in these social networking circles but also gain a valuable incoming link to your site.
Here’s 11 Great Networking Sites To Join As A Blogger
Article syndication is another great way to get more links. Most of us know and understand the article syndication process. You write an article of 500-2,000 words and send it (called syndicating) to sites like: EzineArticles, ArticleCity and many others. Remember to include your byline in the article with a link back to your site.
Commenting on blog postings is another way to drive links back to your site. The more you comment, the more links you’ll get. The secondary benefit to this is virtual networking: getting to know bloggers in your market is never a bad thing.
Gaining valuable ‘real estate’ and building your “stores” isn’t as difficult as you might think. It takes time, persistence, and some research skills to find the right sites. In the end, the benefits far outweigh the amount of work you’ll do. Gaining exposure online will increase traffic, build platform, enhance exposure and grow your bottom line.
So take a lesson from Starbucks and start building a store on every corner. You’ll be glad you did.
On that note- I’ll take a grande iced caramel macchiatto with extra drizzle, while I sit back and enjoy the free wifi as I work on my blog posts and building my own brand.
Fun article but also very true. Now I’m hungry for coffee!
We each have our own way to look at a brand. But to me, the best way to branding is to treat it like bringing up a child. How to you want your child to be seen by outside people? Obedient, polite or naughty ?
I like that comparison! Also you need to nurture it and it nearly takes as much time as a child!
That’s an excellent lesson I learned about blogging from you. It’s so original and exciting. Good many thanks.
Fun comparison but very effective. Starbucks, however, is not my favorite coffee shop. Here in my country, many coffee drinkers use it as a status symbol.
Somewhat of a status symbol around the world. But I Drink it cuz I like it:) I love the variety and fact that I can customize my drinks:) also the ombré drinks are fun lol
Ha! Very creative post! I definitely struggle with growing my blog, always helpful to hear new ideas!
There’s a great learning curve and I’m here to help:)
So many great insights. And so true! I do blogging for fun, but can’t help wishing I had the drive and know how to truly take it up a notch more. Maybe some of these ways will help.
Absolutely! Hobby blogs are great too 🙂 I’ll be sure to check yours out!
i was amused by your analogy using starbucks to explain blog marketing. one of the things that makes it hard to get back links through ‘mentions’ by other bloggers (for me personally), is that it is sometimes hard to find bloggers in your niche who are willing to collaborate.
Back links are a challenge but are so important if you want to increase your domain authority! They are the number one key! Use Mix and Flipboard to gain easy backlinks as well:) also join the bloggers traffic community they have lots of backlink opportunities! And it’s free! You can join here https://members.bloggerstrafficcommunity.com/share/pt9I_lRmy_LT8QZa
I thorougly enjoyed reading this article. Starbucks is a great brand to use as an example.
what a great article that was well written. With true facts about branding your blog. I really enjoyed it. And yes consistency is the key to success, also enageing too.
Fun article. I had never thought to compare a blog with a successful company and try to emulate it. As a new blogger, I’m still trying to iron out the kinks and the tips are useful.
A fun and eye opening read. It’s unbelievable how well you have compare a world famous brand with blog.
Starbucks is a great example of good branding. When you think of their name or see their logo, you know exactly what they represent and what they have to offer. It’s something to aspire to as a blogger.
Backlinks are such tricky things to get. And you want ones where they are follow links and not no follow links if at all possible. You have to do a lot of networking and relationship building.
This was an excellent and informative post! Back links are so important and I am currently in the process of building an adequate amount.
Interesting concept. I’m personally not a huge fan of the franchise, but I definitely get your point. To keep with the metaphor, perhaps it is better to be a one off coffee shop- something people can’t get anywhere else. 😀
You’ve got a good point! But what I like about Starbucks is that it is unique, yet widely popular! It’s hard to manage that:)
Your post is very insightful and has given me inspiration. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and ideas!
Great article! Love the way you wove something in that everyone knows about! So impressed with how many comments you get too!
Thank you Clarissa for reading!! Everyone knows Starbucks! I appreciate every comment:)
Starbucks should sponsor you for this post! Brilliant! And now I want an iced drink LOL
XOXO
CarnationDreams.com
Branding is important in blogging. This gives us identity and authority in the niche topic we belong.
Very creative of you and an interesting read. Starbucks should see this. Very insightful.
You bring up so many good points here about blogging!
I was expecting you gonna be like Carrie in the Sex in the city…😂
Fun article, not a fan of Starbucks personally, but I like blogging in other coffee venues.🙂🙂
These are some great tips and Starbucks is a cool brand to pattern your blog bran after.
I love how Starbucks have different bottle. I love commenting on others blogger. It makes the engagement better too.
Wow, just got a dose of your social pie Steph! Pure fun! BOOKMARKED! P.S. – used to be a Starbucks fan but now I am in Vietnam and they sure know the definition of good coffee!
So sweet of you to say:) thank you so much! And I’ve never been to Vietnam!
Thanks again for the sweetest comment 💕 made my day!
Loved this article! So unique but on point. Loved how you broke it down and linked it back to blogging too 🙂
Thank you 🙏 I’m obsessed with branding and how effective it can be in growing your business or in my case – my blog! Branding is a process! It’s taken me 6 months to get it right, but I’m always evolving:) thanks for stopping by!
Hi Stephanie – as always – love your blog! Can you explain to me how commenting on other blogs gives me more backlinks to mine? I’m learning and this really intrigues me. Thank you!
Veronica
Thanks Veronica! I love your feedback:) so the links I’m talking about are usually not the dofollow links most bloggers strive for, but that doesn’t mean they’re not valuable! You can leave a link to your blog when you comment on other blog posts! Some bloggers even use a plugin like commentluv, which does provide a more valuable dofollow backlink!
Good article
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Great post. Loved how you used Starbucks as your example for brilliant marketing strategies. I also enjoyed reading about the benefits of backlinks also!
Thank you for the feedback 🙂 Gotta love Starbucks… and Backlinks!
[…] Blog Branding | What Starbucks Taught Me About Branding My Blog […]
Great post thanks for sharing your amazing information with us all. It’s nice to see that you’re sharing your experiences to enlighten your audiences and help them in a great deal. Good work keep it up.
SEO is also one of the only online marketing channels that, when set up correctly, can continue to pay dividends over time. If you provide a solid piece of content that deserves to rank for the right keywords, your traffic can snowball over time, whereas advertising needs continuous funding to send traffic to your site.
Very informative post!! Thanks for sharing this post here with us.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I have been blogging for years now and have never heard of syndicating posts. Thank you! I signed up with Ezine and credited you for “where I heard about them.” I feel like I should read way more of your blogging articles b/c you obviously know things I do not.
Awesome! Thanks:) glad you’ve learned something new! There’s always so much to learn!!
Thank you for sharing this blog post I also started blogging recently.
Good luck!! 💕
Branding is how people feel about your business, and Starbucks defiantly hits the mark with this! Great example of how a killer brand creates those feelings!
Couldn’t agree more!
Quite elaborative and informative post about branding.
Glad you shared this post
nice information thank you for sharing
this is awesome
Thank you!
Backlinks have been a part of blogging I keep putting up because I was under the assumption it was something entirely different. I have started adding backlinks to my own blog! This post is very informative and interesting all the points are very useful regarding blogging as well as backlinks. Simple but very effective article.