Branding

Branding is the way in which you create your identity on the Internet. Really not too different than creating a brand name in marketing, Web branding gets you quickly recognized.

When publicizing yourself and your Web site, you want to make sure you include several aspects of branding:

Favicon -The favicon is the small little graphic you see nestled on the tab of the browser displaying the Web page of interest. It is a little 16 x 16 pixelated mini-icon of your web page. Every web page can have one, but many do not.

It is a simple little file "favicon.ico" that gets uploaded to your Web page. Try favicon.cc to generate your own favicon. It is free.

Avatar - An avatar is either a picture of yourself, or something used to represent one's self, be it a caricature or small image. You should choose an avatar, or image, that will become synonymous with your name, e-mail address, and Web site. Wherever your name appears, you should associate it with your avatar.

My own avatar is a picture of me with a blue scrub top and an untied surgical mask. The blue color is easily seen when quickly scanning a computer screen. The scrub top and mask quickly identify me as a doctor. This instantly gives me credibility as an authority figure and his helpful for my Web site on retinal diseases.

I would suggest using a picture of yourself. Since we are in a personal service industry, people like to see who you are. That's why every health site has pictures of their contributors. Try it yourself, read an article with a picture of the author and read one without. And don't change your avatar.

Signature -While your signature is not really branding, it is where you can say a few words about who you are and what you do. Readers interested in who you are will look for your signature.

The signature is usually found beneath your name (with avatar) at the end of an article or post. It may have a few comments about who you are and should contain a few links to your own Web site, etc. It is a simple way to identify yourself and promote your sites/articles in the Web 2.0 world.

Logo -We have all had a logo at some point in our professional lives. For the same reasons you need a logo on your stationary and business cards, you need a logo for your Web site. Your logo can actually serve many functions for your branding strategy. It can be used as a favicon and be a portion of your signature.

Branding is a quick and easy method for allowing your readers and followers to find you in this fast-paced ADHD world of the Internet.