How To Stand Out In A “Me Too” Society
This is a guest post by Robb Sutton.
If you have been around the web long enough, you have seen that everything has already been said, done and hashed out time and time again. There are a few light bulb style new ideas that hit every now and then, but for the most part…we are operating in a “me too” environment, and that makes it difficult to stand above the rest and realize success through this medium we call blogging. So there you sit…with your blog…looking for attention. Where do you start and how do you get it?
This is a guest post by Robb Sutton.
If you have been around the web long enough, you have seen that everything has already been said, done and hashed out time and time again. There are a few light bulb style new ideas that hit every now and then, but for the most part…we are operating in a “me too” environment, and that makes it difficult to stand above the rest and realize success through this medium we call blogging. So there you sit…with your blog…looking for attention. Where do you start and how do you get it?
How To Stand Out In A “Me Too” Society
I have found the best way to explain this theory is to use my own personal experience with Bike198.com. For the longest time, I fought the need to report on the news of the industry. With multiple press releases hitting my email inbox a day, I didn’t want to be another cookie cutter site online that provided the same content as everyone else. I wanted my site to stay unique in its content and value as that is ultimately what grew my business.
However, these same news reports and press releases were generating a ton of pageviews and unique visitors for the other sites, so…unless I wanted to be left behind…I needed to find a way to capitalize on this highly searched for information while not stepping too far outside the ideals that had brought my corner of the web so much success over the years. Then I remembered the one key to blogging that most bloggers know, but often forget…
Blogging is successful because of the 1-on-1 relationship between blogger and reader.
That personalization and personal attention to each and every one of your readers is what makes a blog successful and profitable when backed with solid business foundations. I needed to bring that personal touch to bland content to see the best of both worlds.
So what did I do?
I started providing the same press releases and news information, but I started every single one of those articles with my thoughts, short reviews and general information before the press release or news story. I didn’t just copy, paste and publish. I brought my personal touch to the information that everyone else was just rehashing.
The result…
- Higher search engine visits.
- Higher pageviews from current visitors.
- More affiliate sales from product-centric articles.
- Increased exposure from companies looking for product reviews.
- Retained respect of my readership.
With those results…it is quite obvious I achieved my goal.
But How Does This Apply To Your Blogging?
In the blogging world, across all niches, we see bloggers who start off unique and then give into temptation and become just another “me too”. I started my blogging experience with the goal of becoming a blogger that others would want to become a “me too” instead of being seen as just another copycat.
By staying true to the unique qualities that you bring to the table and transforming content into that uniqueness, you can build a brand and a readership that begins to rely on your opinions, thoughts and guidance. That is a foundation and audience that not only generates revenue, but inspires growth over time.
The trick to successful blogging is to bring your own, unique, personal experience to your content. That is what people are going to connect with and that is ultimately what is going to grow your real estate online. If you are planning on being the next David Risley, Darren Rowse, or John Chow, you are going to be constantly living in a shadow. Wouldn’t you rather have other bloggers want to be the next you?
About the author: Robb Sutton blogs about blogging and how to make money online, through his experience with Bike198.com, at RobbSutton.com. He also teaches people how to get over $100,000 per year of free review products with blogs in Ramped Reviews.
This is a new idea to me. so I am a slow learner. A one on one with a reader is just great. For the blog I want to create this would solve many of the questions I have, because I could be helping as the reader was doing. Thanks
I don't think you have any issues with being unique!!
J/K
That authenticity is what will keep people coming back for more. There are too many copycats out there anyway and that will always be a second rate business model.
Sure thing Inez! You can build off of that uniqueness and back it up with solid promotion and smart decisions to really build a sizable following. Keeping that at heart will keep the success coming over time.
I don't think you can stress this enough. Hell, I've been (or had been) blogging for over 2 years and I still found myself not being as authentic as I could be.
One of the issues with that is that people, if they're authentic, might not have enough to bring to the table, at least if they want to sell something. In that case, find a way to bring something to the table.
Just starting to contemplate entering the world of blogging…should I or shouldn't I? Thanks for the push!
VonniB!
Hi –
I liked this article a lot because it hit home with me. I am fairly new to blogging, and kind of had a difficult time getting started. My turning point was when I decided to just “Do Me”. That was so simple, but it really gave me the freedom to do my thing in my own way and say what I had to say in my words.
If what I had to say was valuable, the readers would come and they are slowly, but surely.
Thank You for the confirmation that I am on the right path.
Inez Aldridge
Afraid I'm not an antipodean, but if I were I'd be rattling my chains in agreement.
yours
Marchamont
Complete agreement from me. People will come with their ideas based on the space they think we are working in – and then we need to show our uniqueness in this space.
You put it very clearly. Many thanks.
Ironically, last time I visited IncomeDiary, even Dunlop changes the design of his lightbox ad now. Not even using his own design anymore, probably because so many others are now doing it.
I, too, am rethinking it.
Jean…it is really only prevalent in the blogging industry. It has me thinking about switching mine as well. In industries that don't know about plugins…Wordpress…or “bloggers”…it can work better because they are not hit with it on every site.
Exactly…I think too many people try to please everyone…and that is just not possible. What you end up doing is being so bland that you please no one! The world is large enough to find an audience you can connect with.
Absolutely Eric. Everyone has something to offer…it is sticking true to that belief that is the hard part.
You can only be the best you.
Excellent post!
It's important for us to remember that we DO have something to offer. I feel that's a big part of the problem is that we work hard to be the other successful bloggers out there because we want the same fame or money they have.
The problem there is that we can never achieve that. Not because we're not good enough but because we're not them. Sure we can probably make decent money (some more than others, maybe) blogging or such but we'll truly see and experience the success we could have when we be ourselves and become known for who are and what we have to offer from our own end of things.
After all, people don't want to come to YOUR blog to see what David or Darren are up to. They come to your blog to know what YOU have to say and share. Why give them anything but your best self?
I like the tips to connect through your own perspective, and not try to imitate others. At the end of the blogging day, there is no 'everyone.' If people don't apprecate your uniques perspective, they can find someone else's.
Your kids are adorable, btw.
I really noticed the 'me too' when I was doing the initial search for blogs to invite to The Daily Brainstorm. So many are simply clones of Darren or Leo. Plus, even though I respect the reasons for using Pop-Up Domination, the plugin is so prevalent now that seeing it gives a 'same-old-same-old' feeling to a blog that is otherwise unique.