Let’s be ultra-honest here; most blogs are boring as heck. They look like any other blog, their content is like any other blog – and they are as forgettable as any other blog.
Great blogs stand out because they have unique brands behind them ! There’s only one Gary Vaynerchuk, one Chris Brogan and one … YOU!
Blogging in an overcrowded world means to you have to move beyond the crowd. Be a brand that’s so ridiculously unique that it attracts people like an iPad launch.
Buckle up, clear your mind and inhale the following tips that will make your blog stand out!
- Write like no one else! Forget about copying other blogs; that’s not cool in this life and it won’t be in the next one. Be uber-creative with the way you blog: invent word combos, play with the grammar, use epic words (heaven, oblivion) or write in third person. Anything goes.
- Be a little “too”. Gary V is too loud, iJustine is too silly and Perez Hilton is too brash. What can you do that’s a little bit “too”?
- Try out new stuff. I constantly come up with strange blog concepts and pages. Some of them work, some don’t. It doesn’t matter, my readers like what I’m doing and they want to see more of it. By trying out new stuff you’ll find out what works and you’ll excite your readers along the process.
- Have a kick-ass logo. I almost love my logo more than my mother. Every cool brand on this planet has a logo – it’s their essence compressed into the form of symbol. A remarkable logo sets you worlds apart from your competitors.
- Put your face out there. I swear to heaven, too many blogger hide behind their banner. Dang it, show us your face! Use it for your Twitter profile, your avatar pic and grace your Facebook fan page with it. This will establish an emotional connection between you and your reader, and that’s what we all want, right?
- Never compromise. This one should be the 11th commandment: Find your style, and sharpen it like a battle sword. Strange word choice? Make it stranger! Tendency to mention food in your post? Food ‘em up! Like cussing? Be a cussionator! Seriously, censoring is for the average, only remarkable blogger stay true to themselves!
- Change the status quo. Almost every blogger uses lists. Almost every blogger makes interviews. Well, you are not any blogger! Maybe you should do an interview, where you challenge your candidates. Maybe you should use oversized pics to boost your blog post design. Whatever everyone else is doing is already done, so it’s part of the establishment. Look at what they do and then do the opposite!
You know what’s worse than being hated? Being ignored. It’s the kiss of death in the blogosphere. But by flavoring your awesome blog with your unique personality, you’ll dramatically stand out from the crowd and burn your personal brand into our global consciousness!
What are YOU doing to make your personal brand (and your blog) stand out??
Mars Dorian is in love with blogging and personal branding. You can find him at marsdorian.com Inhale his RSS feed today. Want to guest post on HowToMakeMyBlog? See more info here.
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Have a catch phrase!
That’s a cool one too, still need to improve mine !!
Hey Mars,
Nice Post man
. These are awesome points. I think logo and status play very important role.
Thanks for sharing this great Post.
thanx Dev,
I’d suggest that EVERYONE should no MUST GET a logo, one way or another !
Taking the visual branding one step higher !!
Hey Dev,
Everyone should get a Logo – it’s one of my favorite aspects of visual branding ! A well designed online presence is worth sooo much !
I found this post inspiring. I believe I already do some of these things, and this post has inspired me to continue doing them. And to realize their value.
Cheers,
Bamboo Forest
It is so hard not to sell yourself short – everyone has something unique to offer but doing it consistently will net results on the web. It just takes time.
Hey Neena, it does definitely take time. No matter how incredible unique and valuable you are – if you are still new, you have to earn your trust and respect first. One you reach that peak where people start accepting you, the magic starts happening.
Just about fell on the floor laughing at ‘ I almost love my logo more than my mother’
I must admit – my banner right now I’m in love with because it’s bright, cheery and my fat cheeks are all over it hehehee, but I struggle with finding a logo because I talk about several topics. I don’t know what defines me. Maybe the logo should just be me? :p V x
sometimes the first thought that comes to your mind is the best. Maybe the logo should just be you. Make it wild, make it crazy, make it you
Rock & Roll dude. I’m a huge fan and I love your energy. Keep doing what you’re doing and don’t stop. You’re so close to achieving your dreams.
Thanks,
I’m just in the middle of momentum – that’s the moment where I dive deeply into work. Hard hard work but I’m luving it. I see you at the inspirational top
I am a big fan of your site, some great tips in this post and a few others I have read this morning.
I agree that we should all try new stuff, it seems that all bloggers now just follow the crowd and copy everyone else – but to set us apart from the rest we must be unique and do someting different.
Hey Dan,
yeah – copying someone else is the kiss of death. You can always get inspired by other people, but you must stay true to yourself. It takes lots of practice, because society taught us otherwise.
Great post! I think everyone starts off trying to be as original as possible, but it can be hard not to slip into the pit of unoriginality that so many bloggers end up in. This kind of article gets my creative juices moving again, so thanks!
Hey Paul,
I think you have to treat your online presence with fresh eyes every single day. Otherwise, you will become complacent and lose your creativity. It’s also called the comfort zone. I challenge myself (and my brand) every day, in order to stay relevant and true.
HI Mars,
You might have the most unique blog which I’ve encountered. It oozes *Genuine*, and it’s the reason why you are so successful. Awesome pointers as always.
As for me, I write about cash gifting. Google that bad boy and see how unique I am
When your blog stands out you’ll become revered and you’ll also become a target; most can’t tolerate being shot down do they’d rather follow the sheeple into the Status Quo pasture. Yes I’ve been put in front of the firing squad a few times but I’ve found that many more people come to me with honey-coated comments. I appreciate both forms of feedback because as the comments increase my presence is expanding and this is the result of my blog standing out more.
People are going to like you and hate you no matter what, might as well make a mark on humanity before heading on to the next stage.
Ryan
@Ryan,
How do you deal with the negative comments. I have not received any yet, but I a was not looking forward to the day when it happens. Your comment gave me a different perspective on it now though….
Great post! I agree about the logo/banner. Once I had that for my blog, it instantly became something serious in my mind, a reminder to treat it like more than “just another blog.” I understood I had to put my all into it–now, it reminds me, add oomph, chutzpah, energy!
Thanks for the tips.
I could definitely use a high end logo for the Spunky Jones SEO Blog.
What are your thoughts about showing your blogs URL in the header section? They is a lot of buzz about it being a must have!
Hey thanks for the nice post.
I have been considering getting a logo for my blog, but have been placing it on the back burner. I will raise it on my priority list and get it done soon.
Hey!
I’ve started a blog of my own recently and I was thinking how could I add some more spice to it. This gave me so many ideas!
@Eddie,
Your blog looks good. What theme are you using? Is it custom?
Thanks,
Jason
Not, it isn’t custom. I used a theme form newwpthemes.com, it’s called Fiono.
Like I said in Blogussion’s post – ( http://www.blogussion.com/social-media/networks-personal-brand/comment-page-1/#comment-19838)
” There are many things which are small but should be take care of if you want to build your brand.
Like
# Your Gravatar
# Your logo
# Your tag line
# Your blog or website design
# Your weekly post about anything special or weird topic.”
In order for you to stand out, you really need to do something for your blog. Also, try reaching out to your audience. I find it more appealing if the site owner interacts with every commenter so he/she could feel comfortable to go back to your blog from time to time.
Hi Nikky,
Excellent comment. I built a nice loyal following on my blogs using that technique! I did not think about it until you mentioned it in your comment. Thanks for the reminder!
Hi Mars,
Thanks for an inspiring and informative blog post. I think many bloggers are somewhat afraid of being different and they never strive to be unique. This highlights the fact that stereotypical bloggers will never ever stand out. They will be swallowed up for always being Mr. Ordinary. I agree Mars, what the hell is wrong with taking a different approach!? I will endeavour to be Mr. Extraordinary!
Nice post Mars! Thanks for emphasizing the importance of staying true to self! A lot of blogs rarely do this.
Truly amazing post. It’s actually one of the few I bothered to read right to the end. Funny, entertaining and informative all at the same time.
These tips will come in quite handy with my new blog. 5 Stars for you my friend