We’ve all heard the saying “content is king”. Well in my case, content is Queen. Let’s face it, there are a million and one online service provider and how many of them offer the same services as you? I’m not trying to crush your hopes and dreams – just enlighten you. Yes, there are others who are competing in the same niche as you. That’s something any online business owner has to come to terms with. I’m telling you to embrace the competition and use it to fuel the creation on awesome content that will make you stand out from your competitors! Original and opinionated content make you stand out from the competition – 100% of the time. Keep reading to find out exactly how you can use the power of content to make your brand stand out and catch the attention of your ideal client and customer.
Adopt a different writing style to stand out from the competition
Anyone can write. Some people just writer better than others. Your written content (blog post, article and website copy) will make you stand out from your competition. Anyone with fingers and a keyboard can string a sentence together. What’s going to make you stand out is using a different writing style. This will get people to remember your articles weeks and even months down the line (also known as brand recall). Here are some things you can adopt in your writing style to make you memorable and help you to stand out from the competition:
Be controversial – No one ever stood out by being politically correct. Now, take this with a pinch of salt. It’s not a free pass to go and offend an entire market. Think about your ideal client. Do they hold any strong beliefs? If so, jump on that and make it glaringly obvious that you also hold this opinion, especially if it means being controversial.
Don’t be beige – Be colorful! As long as it’s in keeping with your target market, swear, be sarcastic, be silly! No one likes listening to a robot, so don’t make yourself sound like one, amiright!?
Come up with something new – I don’t know about you, but I love a good celebrity conspiracy theory! Come up with something controversial and new that will resonate with your ideal clients.
Be brutally honest – People love it when those they look up to get real and vulnerable. Let’s face it, you’re putting yourself in an authoritative position. Showing yourself to be an expert at something, right? People are looking to you for help and guidance. Part of creating a desirable character includes showing your weaknesses. No one really cared about SuperMan until we found out that Kryptonite was his one weakness. Everyone has flaws. Show your audience that you’re a real life human being in the content you create and this will help you to stand out from the competition.
Take something old and shed some new light on it – This is where you can hack your competitors blogs. Check out what they’re writing about (probably something unoriginal and dated) and then put a new, fresh perspective on it in order to stand out from the competition.
Not all writers are created equal so no two writers will be the same. While I write for a living, you may not and these skills will not come naturally. Spend some time practising and finding your unique style and you’ll be well on your way to standing out from the competition as opposed to blending in.
What makes you unique?
What’s your thing? When people describe you are you the joker? The serious type? The easy going, laid back one? Do you have any physical characteristics that make you unique like colored hair or a tattoo or a certain sense of style? Whatever is is that makes you different, you “thing”, play on it and even exaggerate it.
Conveying these quirks online can be a challenge, but try and incorporate some of your personality traits into your branding from the get go. Content that is unique and full of personality will make you stand out from the competition. Here are a couple things you could try to implement in your content creation strategy to make you stand out from the competition:
New is always better – People like content that is current. Not only current, but brand new! Instead of trying to fix something that’s already broken with content that aims to improve on existing solutions, come up with entirely new solutions then throw rocks at the old solutions.
Create a desirable character – Your desirable character can be you or someone else. A desirable character isn’t someone who’s physically attractive (necessarily) but someone who’s relatable. Someone that others will aspire to be and what to be friends with.
Be opinionated – Like I’ve already mentioned, no one ever stood out by being neutral. Pick a side and stick to it. Being outrageously opinionated will create loyal followers and turn off those who you’d rather not work with anyway.
Use awesome visual content – Visual content is always a winner. Branded images and graphics, even videos are awesome forms of content that will make you stand out from your competition.
Whatever your thing is – make it 100% yours! Own it and use it to craft content that will make you stand out from your competition.
Get Creative
Content creation isn’t just about writing articles and blog posts. Content is case studies, white papers, presentations, infographics, videos, podcasts, webinars, eBooks… the list is endless! The one and only golden rule to content creation is to be consistent. Besides that, you can create whatever your heart desires. The only limit is your imagination.
Are you ready to stand out from the crowd?
Don’t be afraid to shine! In 2018, content really is Queen. The content you produce has the ability to attract your ideal client and at the same time, send those who are less than idea running for the hills. Remember, no one will remember you if you’re bland and beige! You need to be colorful to stand out from the competition. Don’t be afraid to have an opionion and rub it in everyone’s face. Those who agree with you will stick with you to the very end, and that’s exactly what you want. Get creative with your content but most importantly, never EVER forget to be consistent. This is the number one thing you need to do to stay on people’s radars and stand out from the crowd.
