I see this all the time in the Entrecard forums. “My ad only received 10 clicks”. Then I look at the website and I don’t see an ad! Oh sure, they’ve got something displayed in an Entrecard 125×125 box, but it’s not an ad, it’s an unrecognized brand. Yes, marketing majors can debate and correct me, but I believe there is a difference. Your brand is your picture, logo, site name, and any emotion or feeling conjured up by the above. An ad is a call to action, whether it be visiting a site, buying a car, or signing up for a contest. You can combine both, as Saphrym successfully has done, promoting both his brand and his contest. Think of it as the difference between a business card and a coupon.
When I see a brand I recognize, I don’t click on it. Yet the campaign was successful. How so? The owner of the brand probably sees his readers and comments steadily going up, while actual clicks on the 125×125 image may be very low. In the case of a blog, I usually already have it in my bookmarks and make a point to go there again soon. The brand recognition factor successfully reminded me to visit a familiar site.
When an ad is successful, you click it out of need, desire, or curiosity. “Win $500 in a contest!” might attract me to an unknown blog, but it doesn’t mean I will ever come back. The ad had better sell/convert me right then and there. Promoting both my brand and various affiliate ads outside of Entrecard, I can compare the difference. Each type gets about 6 clicks per 1000 page views on a good day, with larger ads getting more clicks per page view. So if a blog gets 100 visitors a day, and you get 10 clicks, that’s very good. How many adsense clicks did that same blog get that day? Think about that before begging for mercy clicks.
So why would anyone cry about performance? Some Entrecarders have no experience with advertising. They assume higher advertising costs = higher click throughs. Sure, they get the “status” thing when it comes to Johncow.com. But because they never advertised there, they have no clue an ad there gets you very few clicks. In their imagination they see themselves getting swamped with readers, like they made the front page of Digg. The other main reason is they are out of touch with Entrecard trends. Even one month ago, many people “widget surfed”. That meant you clicked on the widget after you clicked on “drop yours”. That ensured advertsing on popular blogs got you many clicks on your blog too. Times have changed, with various bookmarking systems making the rounds.
Obviously, we’d all like to have successful brands, and not just ads. Start with your logo. Valenciawebstudio.com gives great advice and examples. Keep is simple, memorable, scalable, colorful, with an ability to cross media. Oh, that’s all it takes? Don’t even bother slapping on your URL if it’s 2 miles long and ends in Blogspot.
How can you tell if a brand is successful? Answer these questions:
- Do you recognize the picture?
- What is the website about?
- What is the URL from memory?
Now, if a site passes all 3 questions affirmatively, then they have successfully branded their site. Sure, Google and Amazon pass the test, but how about the top 5 Entrecarders?
1. joetech.com, saphrym.com, ahkong.net, turnipofpower.com, fantasyleaguebaseball.blogspot.com
Of the five, I could type the URL of 4 out of 5 correctly. Beyond that I’d say the following sites have good brand recognition: orangeinks.com, evilwoobie.com, sitehoppin.com, jeancosta.com, herburban.com, yimto.com, benbarden.com, johnchow.com. Now if your blog isn’t listed here, it just means I can’t type your URL from memory after looking at your picture. Hopefully other websurfers can. There are 300 more of you that I could answer correctly questions #1 and #2 about your site. Other than your own site, how many URL’s can you type just from seeing the entrecard picture?
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25 users commented in " Branding vs Advertising "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a Trackback **********[...] the (implied) advice on Turnipofpower.com’s latest post, I have decided to make a small change to my entrecard. I think it’s quite obvious what it is [...]
Come on now, don’t tell me total web review isn’t easy to remember! Just kidding, you do bring out some great points and I think when it comes to talking about this in one of my upcoming posts on advertising I will link to your post. Seriously, could you rate my ad? I am wondering if it is the one I should stay with or should I commission another.
James, Funny you say that. I always forget your site but remember your entrecard. I visit it daily, but I still don’t tie your forum personality with your website personality. That’s an issue. Your entrecard gets an “A” for originality and remembering it, but it doesn’t reflect your site at all. Add the image somehow to your header, even if its just the eyes. Your URL is a bit long, but so is mine, in which case you did right in putting your site name on your card.
Thanks for the mention, Turnip. I was reading your post and thinking to myself, “hmm, maybe I should rethink my Entrecard image”… and then you mentioned me! However, I do use the image as my identity on each blog post and in my comments.
Some others that I can recognise easily from their avatars:
gospelrhys.co.uk
doknowevil.net
technicallyeasy.net
bloggernoob.com
problogger.net
However, the URLs are a problem when they’re not a dot com.
The good thing about mine is if you do happen to try .com instead of .info then you still get to the right place.
What do you think of the frog stack? I’ve been considering putting text in it, but the picture seems to be singular enough to stand out. Also, I own my domain, so you can get to my site with just http://astrangelife.com. Incidentally, thank you so much for okaying my ad. I know I’m not exactly a perfect match to your site material!
Well, I thought you could get to my site with that, but I was apparently mistaken. D’oh!
Remember that I tend to visit the entrecard forums and the same 300 sites daily. That reinforces certain brands over others. Which to me is the whole point of entrecard, to become known in the community. I’d hardly think someone would buy 1000 cr from me and use it to advertise wedding dresses, but who knows? I’ve advertised certain affiliates on entrecard itself and made sales.
Karen: I recognized the frog stack instantly, but couldn’t think of what domain it went with even though I visit daily. I see the frogs on your RSS widget, but I consider you more of a cat site. Maybe stacked cats? Your widget is memorable, just doesn’t trigger the recognition for me.
I’ve been debating whether or not to branch off from blogspot…(I know your like duh) but I’m not sure on the best process and how to go about it properly…or if it’s even worth it. With reading this post it has given me a boost to get off my
a-hole and get with the .com boom and leave blogspot behind. thanks!
ps: any suggestions?
Having your own domain is important if you are into blogging for the long haul. A few people wrote posts on how to move from blogspot to your own domain, just search for them.
Do not go to a domain seach engine and type in possible names to see if they are open. They will simply be stolen.
I’ve compared various hosts long ago (http://turnipofpower.com/2007/11/03/choosing-a-host-for-your-wordpress-blog/), but prices and offers always change. Go with the host you think has the best customer service, registers your first domain free, and has a good reputation. I use currently use bluehost and have no complaints. My server does go down on occasion, but always comes back up fast and the service is good.
No mention of impNERD by others in this post? I feel ashamed, or maybe I’m just not memorable
Gary, I have the opposite issue with you. I can always spell the impnerd.com URL, but I don’t find your card memorable. If you asked someone to describe your entrecard over the phone, what would they say? I think we need to get you a mascot!
[...] also found a great post today over on Turnip Of Power about branding vs advertising. It goes well with what I have and will be talking about so if you are taking classes in [...]
I put my URL on my card, does that help or detract?
Interesting. Now you’ve got me wondering. Is my skunk memorable?
I like to pretend it is, because it goes with my header. And honestly, skunks really are gentle creatures that get the stinky end of the stick. Of course, I don’t advertise much, so widget surfers won’t recognize me. Though, maybe, forum dwellers will? I’m not sure about that.
Anyway, the cards I recognize the most are those that I see the most.
I’ve redesigned by entrecard a couple of times and I’m able to answer yes to all of the above questions. But, I know my site. I’d be interested in knowing what other people think.
Feel free to let me know.
I completely agree. I don’t mean to sound boastful, but that’s why I invested time into creating an appropriate 125*125 ad. I may not get many clicks, but my brand is still out there getting noticed.
John: Your url is http://www.johnisfit.com and your card says “My journey from fat to fit”. I think if people remember your picture they can remember your URL.
Jenny: You have the skunk mascot, but then 3 different animals on your site. Where did skunky go? fabulouslyjinxed.com is 16 letters, very long and hard to spell, so writing it on the card is a plus.
IAAdmin: I think you are going to have trouble using that “tight end”. My first instict is a NSFW site. After seeing it over and over, are people going to say “Hey, I know that ass!”
Leon: you repeated the “thought on stuff” twice, which is your URL. Your site header has that “blue claw thing”, which is tiny on the Entrecard. I guess I could type your URL from seeing the card. My opinion is screenshots don’t make good logos. When I go to alexa, I hate seeing my screenshot.
Sweet, I’ve been branded! That was actually my goal ever since day one registering that domain. I wanted something short and memorable.
I was actually contemplating changing my entrecard pic, as I’m starting to think it looks a bit plain in comparison to most others; but now I know that if I do, it will definitely have to keep the same structure and I’ll make sure it is still easily recognizable.
Thanks for the mention
Great article, keep up the awesome job!
controversialmarketing.blogspot.com
study it… memorize it… i’ve got brand recognition from NOT simplifying it… lol
Good advice for everyone else, though.
Sam
Jenny: You have the skunk mascot, but then 3 different animals on your site. Where did skunky go? fabulouslyjinxed.com is 16 letters, very long and hard to spell, so writing it on the card is a plus.
All my critters are related. One of them has to go out to work.
And my old url was fabulouslyflawed.com I’m not one that likes it short and sweet.
A guy can’t even go to work for 4 hours without getting swamped with comments.
Sam: My instict with your card is to type “samfreedom.com”, which brings me to another of your domains.
Jenny, In that case your could probably rotate critters, with your critter style being your brand. Just make sure to license them.
Cyber: Guessing your domain from your card brings me to texasrvtravel.com, which is good, but not the same. Getting a seperate URL makes no sense either. I’d make sure the 2 sites are properly linked together, so people can find one from the other.
I got http://www.razzball.com I just don’t know the first thing about setting it up. Besides the redirect which I have working, kinda.
Nice FB, So now I have to forget fantasy baseball and memorize razzball? Which is exactly the point of branding, to constantly refresh our memory about where we should be visiting, what we should be drinking, and so on. The monthly fee of a domain is well worth it for the control you have over your site. Any questions, just ask. I’ll be sure to publicly embarrass you and turn it into my next post.
Thanks for the mention Turnip. I agree with you on your comment about Sam’s website. The first thing that comes to my mind is samfreedom.com
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