The internet has provided a platform that allows anyone to call themselves an “expert.” Because of this, every blog post is teaching you how to be more productive, how to build a better company, or how to make more money. There is now so much content on the internet that I can’t quickly differentiate quality content from mediocre content that is just a regurgitation of what’s already been written online.
I feel there is a saturation of content online and that it is very hard for me to break through the noise. I don’t even use Technorati or Blog Pulse to search for blogs anymore because I just can’t rely on them to give me the quality content that I need.
So how can you stand above the noise? How can you make a name for yourself in a crowded room full of bloggers? Lets explore:
Prime Case Example: Adam Baker from ManvsDebt
I first met Adam during a LIVE ustream session with Jonathan Mead from the Illuminated Mind. Adam was three months into blogging and had already accumulated over 300 blog subscribers and had a legit looking site. I think this was the only time that I had more traffic than him on my personal blog. Shortly after our LIVE meetup, Adam hit the front page of Digg and began to blog on sites such as Get Rich Slowly and Wise Bread. I am personally very impressed with Adam’s rapid growth in the blogosphere and feel that he is the perfect case example of how to stand out in a topic that is very saturated.
Here is how you can do it too:
1. Readers care about the author
Adam doesn’t just teach; he has opened his life up to the world and is completely transparent. He has shown us all of the material possessions that he owns, shown us exactly what it takes to get a job abroad, and introduced us to his little daughter.
Because he has opened up to us, we really care about Adam and his family. I have eaten lunch with him when he stopped by SoCal and consider him one of my best friends in the blogosphere.
To do: Introduce your readers to your home, family, or friends. Don’t just teach; demonstrate who you are as a person and people will love the author more than the content.
2. Learn how to build relationships with bloggers
This is probably Adam’s greatest quality. He is great at building relationships with people online! It sounds like such a simple task, right? All you have to do is comment on blogs, reply to all of your comments, and write guest posts when you have time. Isn’t that enough?
Nope, nothing could be further from the truth.
This is an area that I too need to progress in. Most of the time I let people come to me instead of going out and initiating interactions with top bloggers. I’m great at maintaining the current relationships that I have, but I have slacked a bit in terms of creating new relationships. I remember something Jonathan Mead once told me, “I make a goal to meet 1 amazing blogger every month.” It’s such a simple goal but it’s so hard in practice.
To do: Write down the name of a person you would like to meet this month. Make every effort to initiate a conversion with him or her and build that solid relationships.
3. Write AMAZING content
I know what you’re thinking, “Wow Jun, thanks for the generic advice!” But give me a chance, and I’ll show you the difference between good content and amazing content.
This is good content… hmmmm, I thought about it, and I don’t want to insult anyone by saying it’s just “good.” I know, I’ll just use an example of one of my old blog posts! Jun’s good post: The All I care about is Money Disease. Yup, this is a really good post if I do say so myself 🙂
Now lets compare my post to an amazing post: Tyler Durden’s Guide to Personal Finance. Come on! Now that’s too good! This is an amazing post. Just read it over and you’ll know why.
To do: Write an amazing blog post. Of course the next questions is, “How do I write amazing content?” Try this: Write a post that is 1,500+ words in length that has taken you 4 hours to gather the research for. See if that puts you in the right direction.
So there are three actionable steps that you can take to stand out above the crowd. Make sure to reach out to Adam; he’s an awesome guy and will definitely respond to you.
Author:
Jun is the President of SocialMediaMarketing.com and the Co-Founder of Viralogy.com. He blogs at Become a Young Successful Entrepreneur and enjoys meeting other young entrepreneurs that are willing to hustle their way to success.
