Make Money Online- the baby steps part 31

Welcome back. We have reached “Make Money Online- the baby steps part 31″, where we will discuss the importance of separating yourself from the crowd. All human being like being part of the herd. It comes naturally for us, and to a large degree, it is one of the key factors we have been able to progress and become the dominant species of our planet. At the same time having the courage to separate yourself from the crowd is one of the most sought-after qualities of the business world. True leadship ability has to start somewhere and the ability to follow your own dreams and convictions is surely at the heart of the matter. And yet its so difficult and lonely to follow your own convictions regardless of social pressures and the world around you.

There is so much written on the web by so many people you truly need to put in an effort in order to stand out. Not only is there a matter of quality. You need top content in order to hold your own. Then there is quantity. You have to have some serious content in place in order for an information website to really start to matter. On top of that there is the matter of frequency. Search robots love freqent updates, and visitors love them even more. If you keep mixing it up and adding to it you are certainly improving your odds to take a significant position in your area of interest. Last but not least there is something more that you need. Even if you have quality content, a big quantity of content and frequent updates you still need to stand out. You still need to be able to separate yourself from the crowd. This can be done in a number of ways and we are going to cover some of the most important ones here.

1. Don´t be a conformist. Leaders dare to question the obvious. Just because something has been done in a certain way the last decade or so, doesn´t mean it´s the way to do it over the next 10 years.Always look for ways to improve, or at the very least mix things up a little. If everybody is doing it the same way, surely there must be a reason for it? Sometimes yes. But there are times when there are other reasons for the norm. And there are times when the reasons behind a certain behaviour have changed. If you dare to play the game by your own set of rules and challenge standard behaviour you will get noticed. And in a crowded arena being noticed is the first step to beicoming a leader or an authority. Since everybody like the comfort of doing what everybode else is doing, having the guts to stand out makes you a potential leader. Try it.

2. Small can beat big. There are not many other areas in the business world apart from the internet where a small competitor still stands a chance against a big one. In the traditional business world the only way small can take on big is by fighting a guerilla warfare. Trying to outwit, outniche or outpace the bigger players. This may not always be neccessary on the internet. On the internet small can to some extent challenge big on their own playing ground. We are not saying it is the way to go. We are simply saying it is not impossible. Some small projects that satrted out as ordinary blogs have become leaders of their respective business. There are examples where one stubborn man has taken on an army of journalists and still come out on top. The rapid pace of change on the internet is an obstacle for the big companies. Meanwhile that same change is your biggest ally. Embrace it. Be brave. Be different. And realize that the weakness of being small is also a strength.

3. Good and Bad. Do a quick search on the internet for a list of something good and chances are that you will find what you are looking for. Do the same search for something bad and you will get less results. You have  probably read tons of top 100 lists, but how many bottom 100 lists have you perused. We know we might come of as part poopers here, but the fact is that there are things that are just not very good out there. As individuals, we don´t like to adress them as much since we really don´t like the thought of being negative or challenging other people. So we take the easy road. We write the cheery and hyped up lists of things that are awesome. And we simply try to erase any memories of the things that we find are not so great. But being able to be critical is part of being a leader, it´s part of being an authority and it will bring in readers. People generally like guys who tell it like it is. At least on the internet they do. They are not looking for some politically correct mumbo-jumbo. They are looking for information they can trust. And nothing instills trust more than being the gutsy guy who tells it like it is.

4. Embrace the new. People as a group will always be suspicious and wary of new things. This represents a great opportunity to be a leader in your field. Embrace anything that is new and try to cover it with some major kick-ass content. Become the authority on the subject. Make people understand that it is you, not the competition that understands this new game, better than anybody else. The big will eventually follow, once it takes off., but by then you have already established yourself as the true authority of the subject and the leader of the market place. If, for instance, a new technology or innovation in your field doesn´t fly- so what? What have you really lost? You tried to give you audience value. Now you have the chance of providing them with even more value. Write some articles on why the new technology or innovation didn´t work out. Be the leader, and make your competitors and your readers follow you. Remember that fortune favours the brave.

5. Don´t kneel to authority. We are all entitled to have our own opinion. Does one of the bigger websites in your field hold a position you disagree with. Be outspoken and explain your stance. People will respect you for it, especially if you bring an interesting debate to the table.

6. Get a gimmick. We don´t care what it is but you need something that makes you stand out, something memorable. Sort of a signature. Do something completely different once in a while. There are plenty of shows that caught on simply because their hosts did some nutty things. Do you really think that Jim Cramer is as crazy as he sometimes appears to be? We certainly don´t. We just think he understands marketing really well, and is willing to go the extra mile in order to stand out from the competition. For those of you who are not familiar with his show, he has some pretty creative ways of telling his audience how he truly feels about a stock. There are dozens of people who will tell you their take on a stock. There are not so many who are willing to operate a chain saw in order to emphasize how much they hate a certain stock. While you would forget the average Wall Street analyst in a heartbeat, chances are you will remember the chainsaw madman. Hell, you might even tell your friends about it.  Get a gimmick. Oh, and it doesn´t need to be a chainsaw.

7. Don´t be a rebel for its own sake. While it always good if you follow your own convictions, it´s important that you don´t try to be a rebel for its own sake. In many cases there is a reason that everybody are doing it the same way. Don´t try to be a hero or try to hard. Just be certain to always convince yourself before you walk into the footsteps of the crowd. There is no honour (or money) in fighting the trend unless you truly see something different that the majority overlooked. It can be an unpleasant truth, something politically incorrect, or an old majority habit. Whatever it is it needs to be present for you to be able to rebel against it. Don´t go chasing ghosts. There is no glory in that whatsoever. Don´t do it just for show, only do it if you genuinely feel like it.

And that´s really all there is to it. Stand out. Get noticed. And prevail. In the next part of our guide, “Make Money Online- the baby steps part 32″, we are going to discuss how to create a buzz surrounding your website.