There are more blogs online than ever before. This can deter some individuals and businesses from starting a blog for their website. They figure that maybe people feel there are enough blogs.
But I see a different trend. I certainly see a lot of blogs. But I also see more demand for blog posts than ever before.
I liken it to online video streaming. Services like Netflix, Hulu, etc. There is more video content than ever before, but the demand seems to be growing. People like the access to all of this information.
But with that demand there is a growing need for unique content. That includes blog content.
Being unique is an interesting thing. You don’t want to be something you’re not. You also don’t want to be too different from the norm. But you don’t want to be somewhat different. That’s the sweet spot that people like.
Here are a few things you can work on to make your blog more unique…
1. Assess Your Values
The first thing with being unique with anything is understanding yourself. In the case of a business blog, it’s about taking a look at the history of the business. It’s about looking at the founders and really digging into who they were or are as people.
If you’re the founder, it’s about looking at yourself and assessing what your values are. What’s important to you. What really makes a difference in your life.
This is a good thing to do for life in general. But it’s a good thing to do blogging as well. When you understand who you are you can focus on those things and let them naturally come out in the writing.
Or if you’re bringing on someone to help with the blogging you can look for someone with the same values. This way you can trust them to create content that fits your brand. This all helps to bring out the unique voice of your company even if you’re talking about some of the same topics as other blogs.
2. Focus On The Long-Term
One major thing that goes on in all marketing, including business blogging, is a focus on short-term. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. There is a balance in the business world. Sales and marketing and both great. You need short-term, but you also need long-term.
The opportunity today, and like it’s always been this way, is on the long-term.
With your blog, focus on the long-term results. Focus on building a content library that will be an incredible resource for target customers in 5, 10 or even 20 years. This type of focus leads to unique topics, titles and blog posts. This is definitely a way you can stand out. You’re not chasing trends. You’re not doing weird SEO things. You’re just focusing on content that will stand the test of time.
3. Don’t Overlook Simple or Easy Questions & Answers
Lots of business blogs focus on the current trends. And that’s fine.
Some business blogs also like to showcase their deep knowledge in the industry. This is fine too.
But it leaves a lot of open holes in the information. Customers can be very knowledgeable. They’re very smart. They know a lot. But they probably don’t know and really don’t care about the deep knowledge that you have of the industry.
They have questions where you might consider the answer to be simple.
For example, someone may ask they dentist what toothpaste is the best. That’s simple. The dentist may feel embarrassed answering that thinking that other dentists may judge their answer.
But who cares?
You’re not writing for your peers. You’re writing for your customers.
4. Find The Holes In Popular Topics
When there is a popular topic in your industry it likely gets hit by a lot of the business blogs. This is a good thing. It’s okay to have people talking about the same topic. It’s good to have different thoughts on it even if they are close to being the same.
But an opportunity exists where you can look for the holes in those popular topics. You know the topic is a hit with the audience. That’s a huge data point. The more difficult part is finding a hole where you can address something that is unique.
It happens in football every year. Most people follow information about a team. The writers and podcasters typically talk about the same things. But every once in awhile a writer will hit on something that is totally different. They look at the other content and realize something like, “Hey, everybody is talking about the passing game, but nobody is talking about how this offensive lineman is doing a really good job at pass blocking…”
That type of thing can really lead to some good content.
5. Post More Often
Another simple way to be unique is to post more often. Most blogs like to hide behind the “quality over quantity” thing. That’s their excuse for posting once a month or maybe twice a month. But really they just struggle to create that much good content.
And another big secret is that quantity leads to quality.
Think of your favorite show on Netflix. It likely does 10 episodes a year.
Would you not be happy with 20 episodes a year? Of maybe 30?
Set a schedule to do more blog posts than your competition. It will help you figure out what works and when you find a type of post that works you can invest more time into more of those posts.
Conclusion
Being unique in the blogging world takes a few adjustments. It’s nothing major, but it usually involves a couple of unique things that go against the grain the traditional blogging perspective. Hopefully these insights can help set your blog apart from all the competition out there.