21 WAYS TO STAND OUT AS A TRAVEL BLOGGER OR INFLUENCER
If you’re a travel influencer or blogger then welcome to the big bad world of running a business. You’re now a brand (even if it is a personal one) so everything you say, do and post about matters. The key to being successful in any industry is figuring out how to differentiate yourself and stand out from the crowd. Yes, there is competition in every market but since travel blogging and influencer marketing is a relatively new industry the good news is there is still room for everyone!
Here at Sidewalker Daily we work with travel bloggers and influencers and understand how challenging it can be to figure out everything you need to know to be successful in this industry. As one of the original travel and style communities on Instagram, we’ve grown up with the travel influencer industry and have seen it all. We’re giving you 21 tips on how to stand out as a travel blogger or influencer so you can know what it takes to make it happen!
21 Ways To Stand Out As A Travel Blogger or Influencer.
Here are some of our favorite tips (in no particular order) to stand out as a travel blogger or influencer:
1. Brand Yourself
You need to brand yourself, period. Why? Because every company does and yours is no different.
Think about why someone would want to follow you or take your advice over someone else? When it comes to choosing a blog name or social media handles, think about the future – is this a name you will be good with in a few years…or is it going to be one of those AIM or Myspace names that you cringe at the thought of now?
Also, you need to make sure you can protect it legally. We always recommend doing a trademark search via the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) website to make sure you’re in the clear plus a little sleuthing around the interwebs to see if someone else is already using that name. When you’re just starting out it may not be a big deal but once your social media celeb status, you’ll want to be able to prevent people from using your brand name.
The next important thing when branding yourself is choosing a font, brand colors and theme that represent you and then stick with them. Being cohesive from the start can help you create a look and feel to your site. We recommend choosing two brand fonts that are complementary – one for your main titles (headers) and one for your sub headers and then you’ll have regular text too.
As for colors – try to stick to a palette of 4 (max!). You can go to an online HTML color picker and save the codes of the colors you choose so that you can keep everything uniform both now and in the future.
Have a logo? Great! If you don’t – you may want to invest in one. There are tons of free logo making tools on the web as well as independent designers on Etsy or Fiverr you can find to help you out. Another option is using the website, 99designs, which sources potential logos from graphic designers from around the world based on what you request. Creating an amazing logo is how to make your travel blog stand out from the crowd because it’s a great way for people to remember you.
2. Take It Offline
Online stuff is cool and all, but the real magic happens offline. How many times have you sent a pitch and heard nothing, but then met someone in real life and sparks fly? We’re huge proponents of encouraging our community to get their networking game on and pitching themselves in real life. Whether it’s through travel conferences or messaging people on Instagram to meet for a coffee, just get offline! Trust us on this one – it works wonders.
Networking in your community is also a good idea so you’ll be a local expert in your field. You may get invited to speak at events, conferences, get to shoot with local photographers, or even get work helping local companies with social media. Put yourself out there – you never know what good things will come your way!
