Want to add a little window dressing to your blog?  Why not add a favicon?  A what?  Yup, A favicon.  Short for "favorite icon" it’s a small icon that appears in the address bar of browsers when they are visiting or have bookmarked your blog.  If you’d like to learn more about it, check out typepad’s support page on the topic.

I noticed when using my NetNewsWire (an amazingly easy reader if you don’t already have one) that some people had little icons next to their blog name and others just had more generic google or typepad icons.  So I did a little legwork…and stumbled upon a post at Pajama Market.  If you don’t know this blog — you’ll want to.

It a favicon necessary?  Of course not.  But, it’s a little window dressing.  And that makes good marketing sense.

Remember, whether we are talking a blog, a deli, a dry cleaner or a tech support services company, you have a lot of competition.  Your potential buyers are looking for clues as to how you might be different from the others.  They want to have a sense of you. Your window dressings (elements that are more style than substance) can tell them a lot about your organization’s personality.

It’s human nature to seek out people/companies that feel comfortable. Birds of a feather an all.  So by giving your potential customers a peek into your attitude, it allows them to make a better choice.  It’s the difference in choosing Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby ice cream versus Kemp’s Old Fashioned Maple Nut.

Any time we can help a consumer decide to choose us OR not choose us, we win.  We earn customers who are a good fit and avoid those that aren’t.  Isn’t that what branding is all about?  Helping people know whether or not you’re a good fit?

So what will your favicon say about you or your blog?

As for this blog’s favicon?  Considering the name, I opted for this visual.  I found lots of stopwatches, but I liked how this one was looking at the watch from a different angle and looking more closely at the watch’s details.  That description felt like a good fit for my posts and thoughts.  What do you think?