Hello, AlysonHaley.com + Why I Re-Branded?

Hey there, lovelies!

Last week was a bit of a whirlwind! I was trying to get this post ready for y’all by Friday but I had been tying up so many loose ends on work collaborations, finishing up my physical therapy appointments and keeping a close eye on Chips’ while he recovers from his oral chemical burn, while also preparing to leave for Dallas for the rewardStyle conference and it just didn’t happen!

So, I am excited to finally be getting this post to you guys! I’m going to answer some questions I’ve gotten about my recent rebrand and website launch from Sequins & Things to Alyson Haley. I wanted to share this post a few weeks after the launch so that y’all have had some time to look through it and get your bearings and also allow for Justine, my assistant, and I time to clean up some of the pages you will be venturing to from now on to find content.

So, anyway, let’s get started!

What is your name? Alyson? or Haley?

Before getting into the reasons behind the change, I thought I’d talk a little bit about my name as it does somewhat pertain to the change. One of the things that always makes me chuckle and face palm myself is how often I’m called Alyson. It makes me chuckle because I go by Haley, which is my middle name, not my last name. It makes me face palm myself because I wish there was a way to make this easier for you guys. Having to tell people ‘I go by my middle name’ is literally something I’ve had to do my whole life. I was really shy when I was growing up and I always cried to my Mom about how mortifying it is to be one of the only kids in the classroom on the first day of a new school year to have to actually say more than the word ‘here’ to let the teacher know that I go by Haley and not Alyson. She always laughed and said I am being silly and that it’s really not a big deal. In hindsight, Jules was right. It isn’t a big deal. I actually find it funny that I complained about having to tell a class of 25-30 students and a teacher that my name is Haley and now I’m sitting here trying to figure out how to tell a few hundred thousand. I totally understand why so many people call me Alyson or think my last name is Haley, and I hope you know I’m never annoyed or frustrated by it.

The reason why my Instagram [and the rest of my blogs’ corresponding social media channels] handle has always been @alyson_haley is because I made it when I was living in Colorado, when I wasn’t a blogger or Instagram influencer [if that’s what you see me as]. I was just a 20-something year old gal utilizing Instagram as a creative outlet and a means to keep up with friends. Everyone who followed me know my first name is Alyson but I go by Haley, my middle name. So, it’s wasn’t strange to them. Personally, I just didn’t want my last name in my handle so I just made it my first and middle name. Over time, as I started sharing more style focused content, people started following me who didn’t know me personally, in ‘real life’, and therefore didn’t know that I went by Haley. I never bothered to change it because, well … Alyson Haley is my name and I didn’t want to change it to my eventual blog name because I felt like that might be confusing. I didn’t want to be known as a blog name. I wanted to be known by my name, even if you didn’t know I went by Haley. It’s always been a personal preference that I’ve stuck to.

So, all of this brings me to a question you may be wondering and one I was recently asked:

If you go by Haley, why did you rebrand your blog to Alyson Haley? Why didn’t you just make it Haley?

To be honest, I didn’t even think to do that. After thinking about it now, here’s why I don’t think it came to mind:

So, everyone LIVES on Instagram these days and it’s one of the biggest traffic drivers to my blog. So, since you’ve only ever known me as Alyson Haley on Instagram, I just felt like it would confuse SO. MANY of you. Think about how long you’ve been following me … I know a lot of you have been following me for YEARS! So, for years, you’ve been reinforced to see me as Alyson Haley and that my blog is Sequins & Things. If I changed my Instagram to Sequins & Things, there would probably be a little bit of like ‘wait, who is this?’ for a second but you’d [more than likely] assimilate to the new handle because you associate Sequins & Things with Alyson Haley. There was already that association. However, changing my Instagram name AND my blog name to a name most people who follow me online don’t quickly and easily associate with me … would be a little too big of a change, especially with so many bloggers out there now. You’d like ‘Who is this person? I didn’t follow them!’ *hits unfollow!* Ha! Like I said, this whole thought process never crossed my mind when I was making the decision but, thinking about it now, I just don’t think it would have been the best move for me and for you.

To be honest, I’m not bothered by the fact that not everyone knows me as Haley. Sure, it’d be nice because that’s all I’ve ever been called in personal life but if call me Alyson Haley, or even Alyson, that’s fine by me. It’s my name and I like my name. It’s unique and different so it doesn’t bother me to be known as that.

Why did you rebrand?

The reason is pretty simple. In 2013, when I started Sequins & Things, I saw the blog as a fun hobby and I chose a name that showcased a little of what I was stylistically intrigued by at the time as well as sounded cute. There was nothing wrong with it and there still isn’t but, as time has gone by, I have grown up a little and thought a lot about what I want my blog to be and how I want it to be packaged. I’ve grown and matured. I’ve learned a lot about what I want to share outside of simply outfit posts. I’ve also learned a lot about what you all want to see from me. All in all, I want my blog to be an extension of me and what I have going on in my life and, I want what I share to honor the requests you’ve made of me, as well. I want this to be a place for us both to enjoy! With all of this in mind, I didn’t really feel like the name of my blog, Sequins & Things, portrayed all of this to the outside world, to the people who had never heard of my blog before and are asking me to tell them about it. I also noticed that I would experience feelings of embarrassment when I would have to mention what my blog name was. This was a huge red flag for me and made me realize that I was growing out of it.

I honestly didn’t have to think long about what the new blog name would be. My social media handles have always been @alyson_haley and all of you know me as Alyson Haley. My name is never something I’m going to be ashamed of and it will paint the picture clearly that my blog, named after me, is an extension of me, what I have going on in my life and what I’m loving right now.

What do you think? Do you like Alyson Haley or do you miss Sequins & Things?

How to … Tutorials

Since the new site is quite a bit bigger than the old one, I thought it might be helpful to give y’all some quick little video tutorials on how to navigate certain aspects of it. We have placed questions that we often received above each one and then share a video on how to get that place in particular. At the end, I’ll share what I hope you’ll become the most familiar with on the site and where to find those items!

How do I shop your Instagrams if I don’t have the LikeToKnow.it app?

 

How can I get to your LikeToKnow.It page from your website?

 

I’m going on a trip. How do I find out if you have travel tips for my destination?

First, head to the Travel Guides page to find the country you’re going to.

Then pick your country and explore the page for city Travel Diaries, packing tips and more!

 

I’d love to read more about your time in London. Where can I do that?

You will follow the steps from the previous question and select London.

 

I do need to get y’all more content on London and I promise. It’s coming!

I need a dress for an upcoming wedding I’m going to. How can I search for that?

 

You can also simply click on the magnifying glass at the top right hand side of the main homepage and type in ‘wedding guest’!

How can I contact you?

 

How do I find your frequently asked questions?

I encourage everyone to read through my frequently asked questions!

How do I subscribe to Ask Alyson Haley and your other newsletters?

You have a few options. The first is on the home page.

The second option is in the hamburger menu.

 

Where can I shop for the items you talk about on Instagram Stories?

 

I’m new to Alyson Haley! How do I learn more about your background?

Visit my About page here!

As a reader, what do you want me to be the most familiar with on your site?

There are a few things:

The Hamburger Menu: This is the main menu on my site and will help you get to some of the most important pages like my contact page, about me page, and frequently asked questions page! If you haven’t subscribed to a newsletter or don’t follow me on Bloglovin, you can find links to do both of those there, as well!

Search Bar: Utilizing the search bar will eliminate your need to contact me about whether I’ve done a particular post recently and wait for a response. As much as I love that y’all see me as a resource, I would love if y’all saw the blog as the main source of reference and resource material and go to it as a first line means of getting your questions answered. Questions are always welcome but I think sometimes it’s easy to forget that the blog is there for you and is constantly being updated. It’s completely understandable so no shame at all – just a reminder to utilize the search bar!

In addition to those, I’d love for y’all to become familiar with the Travel Guides page as the main source of travel information. If there isn’t a guide for a destination you know I’ve been to, there’s no need to ask me if I’m going to do one. I likely will. It’s just in the works. All of the packing guides and travel tips can be found in that area, as well.

And I think that about wraps it up! I appreciate you reading through this! I know it was long but I wanted y’all to know how to navigate the site! It’s really important for you to be familiar with it so you can find what you’re looking for when you need something in particular!

As a thank you for being so sweet and supportive with this launch, I wanted to spoil 10 of you with a $100 Baublebar gift card! They have SO many cute new baubles for Spring and, since shopping for jewelry this time of year is one of my favorite things, I thought this would be a fun little giveaway!

** THIS MUST BE DONE ON A DESKTOP! YOU CAN’T SUBSCRIBE VIA MOBILE RIGHT NOW. I’M SORRY! IF YOU DON’T HAVE A DESKTOP, CALL SOMEONE WHO DOES TO SIGN YOU UP! XO. **

Enter in the Rafflecopter widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Editor's Notes

I realize the dress I’m wearing is pricey. I had accumulated a large store credit due to returns made to this particular online retailer over the course of the last year. I decided to splurge on this dress as a gift for crossing the finish line of this rebrand. I’ve linked some super cute, more affordable pink dresses available right now in the widget above!

If you do happen to be interested in purchasing the dress, it does run true to size. I am wearing a 34 and it fit me to a T. I believe they follow French sizing so they run a bit smaller than usual dress sizes. I would go one size up from your normal.

I purchased my Chanel brooch at Selfridges in London a couple of years ago. You can likely find similar at any Chanel store location but, I can’t link to it online.

thoughts?

47 Comments

  1. La Bijoux Bella | by mia wrote:

    Always a beautiful post! Love the new look. ?????

    ??LA BIJOUX BELLA ??| By Mia | A Creative Lifestyle Blog

    Published 4.23.18 · Reply
  2. Gina Heuerman wrote:

    Wow! You look absolutely stunning in these photos! Congrats on the new brand!

    Published 4.23.18 · Reply
  3. Jackie Michelle wrote:

    I love your rebrand and the reason behind it. I’m quite similar and use my first and middle name as my blog name and didn’t want to put my last name out there.

    Published 4.23.18 · Reply
    • AlysonHaley wrote:

      Thank you so much, Jackie! xo.

      Published 4.23.18 ·
  4. Jessica Camerata wrote:

    The site looks BEAUTIFUL! Victoria and Lisa can do no wrong!

    Also, so envious you have a cute short name. I’ve always wanted to rebrand my blog name but have NO idea what it would be. Just your name would be so easy but not when it’s as long as mine! Congrats on the new look I bet it feels amazing!

    xo Jessica
    My Style Vita

    Published 4.23.18 · Reply
    • AlysonHaley wrote:

      Thanks, Jessica! I totally agree. Victoria and Lisa are a dream team and make the whole thing so easy!

      I totally empathize! I can imagine it would be tough when your name is longer. I’m sorry, girl! I hope a good name comes to mind for you soon so you can move forward with a rebrand! xo.

      Published 4.23.18 ·
  5. Jess wrote:

    Your new website is fantastic, and I love the rebranding!???

    Published 4.23.18 · Reply
    • AlysonHaley wrote:

      Thanks, Jess! xo.

      Published 4.23.18 ·
  6. Michael @ Mile in My Glasses wrote:

    I love the rebrand, Haley! I think your blog looks absolutely beautiful!

    Happy Monday!
    Michael
    https://www.mileinmyglasses.com

    Published 4.23.18 · Reply
    • AlysonHaley wrote:

      Thank you, Michael! xo.

      Published 4.23.18 ·
  7. Ashleigh Valenza wrote:

    I love the re-brand and I love that you went with your name! The blog is so easy to navigate and has been so helpful. And can we talk about the you in those pictures! Loving that dress!

    Published 4.23.18 · Reply
    • AlysonHaley wrote:

      Aww, thanks, Ashleigh! It was so fun to get super dressed up for this post! xo.

      Published 4.23.18 ·
  8. Rach wrote:

    I love that you broke it down on your thought process on the re-branding and the navigation of your site!

    http://www.rdsobsessions.com

    Published 4.23.18 · Reply
    • AlysonHaley wrote:

      Thanks, Rach! I appreciate that you appreciate my meticulousness haha! xo.

      Published 4.23.18 ·
  9. Jenn Lake wrote:

    Congrats on the re-brand, lady – love it! Also, it was SO good to finally connect while we were in Dallas. I wish we could have chatted all afternoon! Safe travels!

    Published 4.23.18 · Reply
    • AlysonHaley wrote:

      Aww, Jenn! It was SO SO nice to finally meet you! Even in the two minutes that we chatted, I could tell that we could have gone on for hours! I adore you and appreciate you taking the time to comment on today’s post! Hope you made it home safe and look forward to future run-in’s! xo.

      Published 4.23.18 ·
  10. Sabiha wrote:

    Congrats on the rebrand Haley! I absolutely love your dress in this post – so beautiful x

    http://www.franklyflawless.com

    Published 4.23.18 · Reply
    • AlysonHaley wrote:

      Thank you, Sabiha! xo.

      Published 4.23.18 ·
  11. Taylor wrote:

    I love your blog because I feel like it’s so “clean” & organized. I love that if I’m looking for something I can come here and find it so easily. Congrats on all of your accomplishments lady!

    Published 4.23.18 · Reply
  12. Alexis de Armas wrote:

    As always, another fabulous post. Your blog is so genuine, honest and true – I think thats why its my favorite blog of all time. It has been fun following your blogging journey, I think I have been following since 2015-ish… All the best to you.

    Published 4.23.18 · Reply
  13. Natali wrote:

    I think that you did an amazing job with rebranding and redesigning. I think that you have developed/ eloped as a blogger and as a person since I’ve started to follow you and this new look agrees more with who you are now and your style than the older version one. Well done and keep up the great work!
    Also, do I even need to mention how grand you look like in this majestic Springtime dress?!

    https://lartoffashion.com/how-to-wear-a-denim-jacket/

    Published 4.23.18 · Reply
  14. Constance wrote:

    Love your blog and your travel tips! I’m traveling all over Europe this summer and your travel posts have been so helpful. Cheers to your new look! Xo

    Published 4.23.18 · Reply
  15. Ashton wrote:

    Absolutely love this look! Congratulations on your rebrand!

    Published 4.23.18 · Reply
  16. Rebecca Jones wrote:

    I love the new brand and site! Congrats!

    Published 4.23.18 · Reply
  17. Crystal wrote:

    I legally have 2 last names separated by a hyphen, I only use one because the other is an embarrassing adjective (its on my passport & that’s it) the first day of school was always painful so I feel ya!!!! I love the new site and the emails to alert me to a new post!!!

    Published 4.23.18 · Reply
  18. Ashley wrote:

    Everything looks great! My only suggestion: how much trouble would it be to add one of those arrow buttons on the page in the bottom right that when you click it, it immediately pops you back up to the top?! Thanks for making everything so easy to search for!

    Published 4.23.18 · Reply
    • AlysonHaley wrote:

      That’s a great suggestion! Thank you! I will absolutely add this to the list of things to chat with my designer / developer about next month during our call! xo.

      Published 4.23.18 ·
  19. Alice Rivera wrote:

    This was awesome!! Thanks for your hard work Haley! And safe travels.

    Published 4.23.18 · Reply
  20. Erica wrote:

    I love that you’re always thoughtful and considerate of including budget options! Love this splurge though, and very much deserved! It looks perfect on you!

    Published 4.23.18 · Reply
  21. danielle wrote:

    Love the idea of rebranding! I feel like it’s such an extension of you and I get how you feel about when you started and it just being a creative outlet. Your blog is so easy to navigate I love it. Best of luck always! xoxo

    Published 4.23.18 · Reply
  22. Elle Elisabeth wrote:

    Beautifully written, Haley! I love your rebrand and I think it totally suits your happy, bright personality!

    – Elle
    http://www.styelled.com

    Published 4.23.18 · Reply
  23. Annaliese wrote:

    The rebrand looks beautiful, Haley!! Congrats on the newest chapter. And so kind of you to host such a generous giveaway to celebrate! <3

    xoxo A
    http://www.southernbelleintraining.com

    Published 4.23.18 · Reply
  24. Amy Bohannan wrote:

    Haley- I love the meaning and intention that you put into everything you do! I look forward to the emails I get in my inbox each week from you. When there isn’t a new post, I find myself looking back at old posts and dreaming about the amazing vacations I want to go on! Thanks for sharing a peek at your life with us!

    Published 4.24.18 · Reply
  25. MrsStyleChiq wrote:

    This giveaway is so exciting!

    But you know I never really thought about your name/last name thing everyone has mentioned. I always just assumed like everyone else though that your first name was Alyson. But no difference to me. I love your blog and Instagram no matter what the name is. You choose what works best for you and I think it’s great.

    I love how you incorporated a Newsletter concept, because it really show how engaged you are with your followers and how much you value our opinion and answer questions without hesitation depending on what type of question it is. I’m not saying other bloggers don’t engage with their followers, they definitely do for sure. They just do it differently than you, but this idea of a Newsletter is pretty neat.

    Published 4.24.18 · Reply
    • AlysonHaley wrote:

      Thank you so much! Happy to hear you like the idea of newsletters to keep in touch with my readers! I think it’s really fun to catch y’all up on stuff and send y’all exclusive content. It’s really fun to put together! xo.

      Published 4.24.18 ·
  26. Jennifer wrote:

    I love the rebrand!! I’ve been wanting to rebrand to my name but of course my first/middle and first/last are taken empty websites. Maybe their host will run up soon so I can snatch it! I love that dress so much. It’s gorgeous!

    Jennifer
    Effortlessly Sophisticated

    Published 4.24.18 · Reply
    • AlysonHaley wrote:

      Hey Jennifer! Mine wasn’t available either. I had to hire a company to negotiate on my behalf to purchase it from the previous owner. So, that is an option if you’re really set on that being your future site name. xo!

      Published 4.24.18 ·
  27. Elizabeth wrote:

    Love your site! And the new rebranding is FLAWLESS!

    Published 4.24.18 · Reply
    • AlysonHaley wrote:

      Thank you so much, Elizabeth! xo.

      Published 4.24.18 ·
  28. Maria wrote:

    I’ve had a similar issue with the name thing except it’s with my nickname. My family has always called me Mimi but with work and school I’ve always gone by my real name and with new friends it would confused them as to who “Mimi” was when one of my family members was referring to me.

    And I love the new layout of the site. It’s easier to navigate and the links are so much easier to find/get to! Well done!

    Published 4.24.18 · Reply
    • AlysonHaley wrote:

      Hahah, I’m glad I’m not the only one who has had confusing name issues! 😉

      And, thank you! I’m so happy to hear you say that. That’s literally what I was wanting for you guys when you went on my site! xo.

      Published 4.24.18 ·
  29. Kim Jarriel wrote:

    Love your rebrand! My husband went by his middle name, i can relate to the confusion. So sweet to do a giveaway, thank you! I bought 2 rings from Bauble Bar, one was the heart pinky ring you have and i love it. It is so comfortable i kept forgetting i had it on and would panic thinking i lost it, nope it was still thete lol!

    Published 4.24.18 · Reply
    • AlysonHaley wrote:

      Isn’t that the cutest little ring? I misplaced mine but I did really love it! 🙂 xo.

      Published 4.24.18 ·
  30. Heidi M wrote:

    Congratulations! Love the new site and branding… wishing you all the best!
    xo Heidi

    Published 4.24.18 · Reply
  31. Allie McCarty wrote:

    Beautiful! Love following you Haley 🙂

    Published 4.24.18 · Reply
    • AlysonHaley wrote:

      Thanks, Allie! Hope all is well with you and the fam! xo.

      Published 4.24.18 ·
  32. tamara p. of thentherestwo.com wrote:

    I SO wish I had seen some of these choices when my kids got married within a year of each other! I really struggled to find a great dress. Perfect colors, perfect desgin….just LOVE! And you look so pretty.

    *BTW…I had little daschunds too. I love the names you picked out for your cuties.
    I also love. love, love to travel. I used to live and teach
    in China waaay back in the 80s! Many Blessings!<

    Published 4.26.18 · Reply