Be unique.
Differentiate yourself.
Stand out from the crowd.
Create a purple cow.
Don’t be like everyone else.
If you’ve been reading up on blogging tips for a while, you’ve probably heard at least one of the above sayings.
No matter how you say it being unique can help you succeed. More people are jumping on the internet and trying to make money online. The internet is get more and more crowded. Niches that used to have low competition are now saturated with many sites vying for the same eyeballs and dollars.
Also, getting people’s attention is will only get more difficult as webmasters get more savvy with marketing and monetization strategies. By being unique, you can avoid being unnoticed.
Yet many blogs are simply clones of the most popular blogs in their niche. Think of the many TMZ clones out there. How many bloggers are trying to copy John Chow or Darren Rowse? I’m not too familiar with the tech blogosphere, but I bet there are many Engadget clones.
Here is the huge problem with clones. Why would someone go to a clone blog over the popular blog? If I’m a tech fan, why would I go to an Engadget clone blog if I can go to Engadget. There’s no point in me going to clone blog if I can get the same information on Engadget.
Now that we’ve established the importance of being unique, here is a simple method to help you avoid being a copycat blogger.
Create A “Buck The Trends” List
It’s a simple two-step process.
First, think of the trends and practices in your niche. Then, consider ways you can do things differently from those trends and practices. Also, make sure your actions will add value to your niche.
I did this simple exercise for a new blog that I’m starting in a couple of days. It’s in a gaming niche. Here are four trends in my niche and the things I plan to do to make my blog different.
1. Lower The Post Length
Current Trend
The average post length is 2000 to 4000 words.
How I’ll Buck The Trend
Write shorter posts – around 300 to 700 words. With short posts, I can reach the casual gamers as well as the gamers with short attention spans.
2. Use Video To Cover Subtopics
Current Trend
Video is not widely used. I only know of two regularly updated video blogs. One is a variety show with mostly news and interviews but not much strategy tips. The other one is filled with screencasts of actual games. There are two formats, or ways to play the game. The second video blog only covers second format.
How I’ll Buck The Trend
Create at least two videos a month. By using video, I’ll stand out from most of the sites. Plus, my niche demographic visits YouTube often, so there is definitely an untapped audience. I’ll differentiate myself from the other video blogs by focusing on strategy tips rather than news and by producing screencasts with actual games from the first format instead of the second format.
3. Link Out Liberally
Current Trend
Links don’t flow freely at all. Most of the sites in my niche are old static sites. They are operating under the old assumption that you should not link to your competitors. However, it’s better to make your competitors your friends and share traffic by linking to each other. The blogs seem to be copying the old static sites by not linking out.
How I’ll Buck The Trend
Link out like a loose lemon. Linking out is a good tactic for many reasons. People can save time by just going to my blog to find out important information from other sites. Also, I’ll be able to network more effectively because I’m helping other webmasters.
4. Create And Market An Email Newsletter
Current Trend
There are only a few email newsletters. They are run by the ecommerce sites so they’re filled with product pitches. None of them are marketed well. For example, the newsletters don’t have prominent places on the main pages of the sites. They’re on the sidebar or footer with a bunch of other links.
How I’ll Buck The Trend
Build a list. Also, mention it in my blog posts and link to it on a prominent place on my static home page. I won’t be selling anything for a couple of months so my newsletter will not have product pitches for a while. A big email list is one of the best long term assets any online business can have. If someone gives you their email address, you’ve got their attention long term. You can inform and sell to them over and over again.
Your Turn
Ok, so you’ve seen my list of unique actions. Why don’t you do exercise to see if you really have a unique blog or just a clone? If you create a “Buck The Trends” list and post it on your blog, send me a private message (you have to be logged in; click here to register if you don’t have an account) and I’ll link to your list from this post.
Please write at least 300 words and make sure to have at least 3 trends and unique actions on your list.
3 thoughts on “Here is a Method That is Helping Bloggers Become More Unique”
It’s cool being different once you are successful and everybody appreciates you for being different. But on the way up it’s a bear. There can be a lot of “unreturned emails”. But there are always nice people in the world. That’s why it’s a good idea to pick your friends while you are on the way up and keep them close once you become famous.
So you all have a great opportunity here. Because I have not quite yet arrived.
Onward and Upward
–C.S. Lewis
Virginia Breeze/davidnotes.com
My Photoblog /photolinklove.com/
Thanks for the example. When it comes to unique blogging, you have to be able to look back and say like Frank Sinatra, “I did it my way”.
I think that’s part of my site’s success. When I started, there were a few blogs in my niche, but nobody did it the way I wanted to do it. Now, my site is unique in its niche and is enjoying great success because of it. I could have been a me-too site but I made myself unique and that helped me rise to the top.
Comments are closed.