Hey there, it's @ddrfr33k, coming at you on the official @vimm blog! I'm going to be doing a bunch of posts like these down the road. Why? Because as part of my role at Vimm, I'm going to help our streamers grow. I've been streaming consistently since 2016, though I started back in 2014 off and on. I started on Twitch, moved to Smashcast, then dLive, and now I'm here on Vimm. Well, okay. I simulcast to other sites as well, but who's counting? The point is, I've been around the block a few times, and I have a reasonable understanding of what to do and what not to do.

So without further ado, let's dive into this post's topic:

BUILDING YOUR BRAND

I'm sure a lot of you are looking at me thinking, "wait a minute, ddrfr33k. I'm a streamer. What does branding have to do with me?"

The truth is, it has a lot to do with you. When you stream, you're a brand. All of our big streamers? Their names are their brand. @calimeatwagon is a brand. @bembelmaniac is a brand. @katiulrich is a brand. And yes, even @ddrfr33k is a brand. When you stream, everything about that stream is your brand, your identity. If you use a camera, your face is part of your brand. The way that you lay out your game footage, the borders, the overlay, the way you set up your chat window? It's all part of your brand.

And that's why it's so important to spend time putting your best foot forward. If your stream looks clunky, bland or worse, unpleasant, people will not want to watch your streams. A simple, neat stream overlay is infinitely more appealing than one with lots of busy information all over the screen. But that will be a topic for another time.

With any brand, you need to treat it like you would a business. You have to tell people about it. You have to advertise yourself. Obviously, you don't want to spam, but you want to tell people who want to know about your streams. There are people looking for someone new to check out, someone who does something fun. You want to be someone that these people want to find. You might have to reach out to them, which is where that advertising section comes into play. I will do a whole separate post about advertising, because there's so much to cover on that topic alone. Look forward to that one!

Even if you've already been streaming for a while, think about what your brand is like. Are you a retro streamer? Do you run a podcast? Are you more like a talk show? Do you play Fortnite and try to get that victory royale? All of those are good things! When making your brand, however, focus on one or two specific things you want to do. Being a variety streamer is fine, play whatever you want to your heart's content. Make that your schtick. But if you're playing Fortnite all the time, and one day your viewers tune in to see you're doing your own rendition of The Joy Of Painting, they're going to be really confused.

Be consistent in your stream decisions. Take time to find your niche. And if it's not working, then rebrand. That's a good thing, especially if your current brand identity isn't working. The one caveat to this is that you don't want to rebrand too often. People might like one brand identity but not another. If you change your brand identity too often, people won't want to tune in.

One very important thing: you have to remember that your brand has value. The content you create, the games you play, they have value. They bring value to someone else. You're an entertainer for someone you may never meet. They go home, eat dinner, grab a beer, and tune into your stream. You bring value to their day. And you bring value to your own content. Don't ever forget that.

I know I'm glossing over a lot of details, and the business majors are looking at me like I'm crazy, but I'm here because I genuinely want to help you guys improve your streams. If you're around the Vimm Discord, don't hesitate to ask for advice. Myself, the other devs, and the community managers want to see you succeed on our platform. I'm going to be making lots of posts like these. Until next time, keep on streaming!

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