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Whether you’re monetizing your blog and want to turn it into a proper business or you have started to finally get some clout and want to make the best possible use out of it, the next evolution is to turn it into a real brand. There are countless ways to do this. These are but four steps successful bloggers can take to build their brand from their blog.

Use your personality as a jumping point

Aside from the content you post, your blog has one thing that’s unique to it: you. A lot of blogs benefit from being closely tied to the personality and the vibe of the person running it. If that’s the case with you, then consider building a personal brand, whether it’s through guest posts, taking speaking opportunities, or simply putting a more personal take on more of your posts.

Start getting out there

Your brand isn’t just for getting to know your readers; it’s for building professional connections, too. These connections might be with other bloggers or with businesses that see cross-promotional opportunities with your blog. Attending conferences and trade shows, bringing goodies with services like t-shirt printing near you, and taking the time to network with other blogosphere professionals can all help you establish yourself in the market. Additionally, these partnerships can lead to opportunities to raise your platform even further with your readers as a direct result.

Start sharing your content more widely

A lot of the best-known bloggers do not stick strictly to blogs. One of the most popular tactics is to write an e-book. This lets you expand on some of your best-known topics with the kind of insight and depth that cannot fit into a single blog post or a series of posts.

Though it takes more effort and time, turning your posts into YouTube videos may help even further. Compared to YouTube, traditional blogging platforms struggle with discoverability. It may be more effective to branch out and gain readers by converting them from viewers.

Engage, engage, engage

It’s a tip that a lot of new bloggers are very diligent in following… at least for a few months. However, as time goes on and the blog starts to get bigger, it’s easy to forget to build positive social proof and encourage word of mouth by building a relationship with your audience. Ensure you’re not only responding to comments on your posts but also using social media in a way that’s appropriate and helpful for your goals. But don’t just share your own content; share from the community and spend time getting into and starting conversations.

These tips are just a starting point. Which tools you use and how you make use of them will determine your success.