Internet Branding Basics

I, as someone who promotes his creative works online, actively engage in internet branding. I strongly suggest that anyone else who wishes to promote their creative works or their business online consider doing so themselves. I can suggest a few methods of doing so in order to help you get started with some internet branding basics.

I have a number of websites, a few Blogger.com blogs, a few social networking accounts and a HubPages account. There are some things that I do on them that involve a certain level of branding. Branding is defined as the process involved in creating a unique name and image for a product in the consumer's mind, with a consistent theme. So in other words, I try to use certain images and themes to create a consistent look across the various sites that I am involved with.

One example of branding on social media sites is that I use the same background for my HubPages profile page, my Blogger.com blogs and my various other social networking profile pages. I also include links on each of those pages to each other. So if you were to click on the link to my HupPages account from one of my Blogger.com blogs, you go to my HubPages profile page, which has the same background. There will be no mistaking whose HubPages profile page it is at that point.

You may have notice that I have referred to some writing sites as social networking sites. I do so because many of the various writing sites have an online community where the members can follow one another just like other social networking sites. But, let's get back to the subject of branding.

So, if you were to click on a link to one of my Blogger.com blogs from one of my websites. You would also see the same background there. This is the consistent look I just mentioned above. But that is not all that I do. You see the profile image that I use for my HubPages profile page and account? Well, it's not the only place on the Internet where I use it. There is a reason for that. It's called branding. You know, that unique name or image thing I also mentioned above.

I use the same cartoon character for my Facebook pages, some of my Blogger.com Blogs, some of my websites, some of my Twitter accounts and so on. I basically use that like a big name company might use their logo. It's like when you go to buy a box of cereal at your local grocery store. You may see the Kellogg's logo on the box. Why do they do that? It's to create a familiarity with their brand. That familiarity helps to give their various products credibility because, over time, you become familiar with their name brand.

So if you become familiar with my logo and the consistent look I try to create across the Internet, it creates the impression that I have a large presence on the Internet. Although, to some extent I really do. You see, I have over 4,000 pages on the Internet on my various websites. I created and uploaded each and every one of those pages. Now it took a number of years to do so but I did it.

One website alone has over 3,000 of those pages. It is DrPsychotic.com. Doctor Psychotic is actually a cartoon character I created. He's sort of a mad doctor bent on world conquest. Well, guess what he looks like. He's the guy I use for my profile pictures on my various accounts and websites online. So he's more than just a pretty face, he is part of my branding. Or maybe I should say that he is most of my branding.

I also try to use an image with him in it for some of my posts on my various social networking accounts. I even use an image of him from time to time with my online articles. I do it all to create a certain familiarity with him which can also be linked to me. So, basically, in a sense, I am the mad doctor in question.

I use that cartoon character like some companies may use a cartoon character for branding. Remember the Pillsbury Doughboy? Pillsbury uses him to help promote their products; just as Lucky Charms uses the lovable leprechaun and Kellogg's Corn Flakes uses Tony the Tiger. I'm really not doing anything new here.

I also do an online comic strip called the Punksters.net comic Strips Series. I will also place an image of them from time to time in some of my social networking posts as well as some of my online articles to try to build a certain familiarity with them as well. You may have noticed that with some of my articles if you have seen them before.

I believe that everything that I do can be used to promote the various other things that I do and yet still have some value itself. What I mean by that is that my articles can be used to build brand awareness as well as promote my other various creative works while still having value themselves. What gives the articles value is that they provide what I hope will be helpful tips to others. Some of those tips are how to do some of the things that I have done.

So this article could be helpful to others in the sense that it will assist them by giving ideas for internet branding but also use some examples of what I have done myself for the purpose of internet branding. What better way is there for driving a point home? And by doing so, I also bring attention to my other creative works. So this article is much more than just a commercial for myself, it actually provides living examples of the points I am trying to drive home and provides a better overall lesson by doing so.

My articles on HubPages are pretty consistent with the type of articles I have written on other sites. They are primarily instructional in nature. I think that is where I do well as far as writing goes. I am not much of a writer of fiction. That is not where I excel as a writer. So I do try to make a point of providing some lesson in each article I write.

I also try to use my experience in various areas to illustrate the various points I try to convey in my articles. This helps to give me credibility regarding what I write about. Then I try to combine that with some level of online branding and you have what I hope will be the full package. All those elements work together as well as complement one another to hopefully be more effective.

So now what I do as part of every creative endeavor that I take part in is some level of branding. I strongly urge each and every one of you out there to give it some consideration yourself. I believe it maximizes the potential for success in each and every one of your efforts. Something to think about, isn't it? Oh, did you happen to notice who is in the image provided with this article? There's that branding thing again. I just can't seem to help myself.