*Again, people getting me on RSS feeds, so sorry about the rush of posts. I fell behind, but this is the last one needed to catch up. This was supposed to post January 15. So, in your mind, go back there with me. xoxo*
Since we’ve been talking about social media, and my thoughts on what I learned this year through various platforms, I thought I’d take a second and talk about my branding…
I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this on the blog before, because it’s definitely something I’ve struggled with.
I am a person (of course). And I’d like to be known as (hopefully) an interesting person instead of just a blogger. Granted, the blog is about my (let’s hope) interesting life… So, there is that. But still. I want to sing, dance, write, travel, and all that jazz.
So, I don’t know that I wanted to get wrapped up in specifically being a blogger. All of my handles on everything – twitter, Facebook, instagram, Pinterest – all of it, revolve around the blog. They’re all “Aurora’s Blog.”
I do that because –
a) my full name is taken in a couple of places (by Italian people who share my name, not some jerk just parking it).
b) It’s much easier to remember!
I love and cherish my last name. But, really, for new people who have no idea who I am… who’s going to remember “De Lucia?” It’s much easier to tell someone to check out “Aurora’s Blog” than to check out “Aurora De Lucia.”
However, then the question becomes, “Okay. Let’s live in my dream universe for a second. I become a mix of Bobby Lopez, Mindy Kaling, Jason Michael Snow, P. Diddy, and Sutton Foster. Am I going to want all my handles revolving around my blog? When my new sitcom is airing or my broadway show is opening, does anyone care about a blog?”
So, I guess here’s the answer I’ve come up with for myself.
a) Yeah, maybe. If Mindy Kaling had a blog, I’d read it.
b) Some celebrities have handles that aren’t their names for one reason or another. When you’re loved and you have fans, people will find you. Sure, it’s probably optimal to have your name. But you can survive without it.
c) The point is a little moot since it’s not even possible to get my name in some places. And it’s probably better to have consistent branding across platforms whenever possible than to have different names in different places (though I can’t at all say this with complete certainty and/or back it up with statistics). But, my understanding of what I’ve read of branding generally makes me think it.
d) Here’s the big one:
Andrew Keenan-Bolger is lovely. He’s very talented, a super hard worker, and I’d be happy to have a career trajectory taking off like his.
And he… is KeenanBlogger almost everywhere!
He is SO much more than a blogger. He’s a great actor and writer. And he’s doing all sorts of interesting things. But his handles revolve around his blog!
(Honestly, his blog was how I found out who he is (many years ago).) By the way, it has an incredible theme song.
Moral of the story: If Andrew Keenan-Bolger can pull it off, so can I. Right?