How to stand out in the crowd…of websites.

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Develop your point of view.

Your point of view is your way of looking at the world around you. It is shaped by the experiences and relationships in your life. It is uniquely yours. Every single person brings their own point of view to their life and world around them. Writing from your point of view brings individuality and value to your blog/site. There are readers can relate to your point of view. Or perhaps, there are readers with a complete opposite point of view but will find humor or information from learning about your perspective. Using your point of view gives you a unique way of connecting with these readers that is all your own.

Lanet and I come from a broken family of 10 children living a frugal lifestyle through our childhood. This has formed our point of view. Lanet and I have years and years of experience in small business’ and non-profits. This has formed our point of view. I have years of experience in youth ministry and church leadership. This has formed my point of view. I am a mother of a teenager. A point of view shaper. Lanet has spent large amounts of time working in Africa. A point of view shaper. You get the idea.

These experiences are not only ours, many have teenagers, but often shared by others. Yet it is the combination of these experiences that is unique to us. They shape our view of the world and give us unique skills and value to the world around us. We would be silly to not understand that uniqueness and put it to good use.

Our point of view is always being shaped and changed. We are always learning how to develop it and interweave it on to our websites. It will change and morph as we live. Such is the way life is. The way people are. And the way your readers lives will be as well. Learning to use our point of view is valuable to us and will be to you as well.

Use your own writing style.

Unless you are writing a purely research site you should try and keep a conversational tone when writing. That means trying to write as if you are talking with a friend. Often, this is difficult because we write much quicker than we speak and we lose something in translation. That can’t be avoided…one on one conversations can’t be replaced. Nor should they, in our opinion. However, trying to keep your writing as close to real as possible makes you approachable and personal. It helps to keep your point of view and personality front and center on your site. A tip we got a while back that has proven to be useful is so simple…slow down while writing. Slowing your brain to a crawl while writing helps you to remember to keep it conversational. Those little words that often get missed in writing will find there way back into your sentences. Slow your writing, slow your brain, and talk to a friend. Keep your writing style similar to your real-life conversation style. I want to meet you and recognize your personality not just your photograph.

You will notice that on our Craft/DIY site NellieBellie we use a much more casual conversation style then here at Savvy Sites. This is because as I am talking about crafts, recipes, or other creative things with a friend I am laughing, joking, and not minding my speech very much. It is just fun. But as I am talking with a client or business owner about their social media or site I use much more technical language and try to have a bit more of a professional style. Still casual, definitely not perfect with grammar (I need to work on that!), and I speak a bit too fast. Yet very different than within my creative business. Savvy Sites, The Camp Whisperer, and NellieBellie have different styles of writing like the conversation styles while speaking on our business’ behalf.

How do you talk about your site when speaking in real-life? Are you a calm, collected, matter-of-fact person? Your site should reflect that. Are you a ball of energy, fun, and crazy? I expect to find that on your site in your way of writing.

Only create/write what YOU use or are passionate about.

Here at NellieBellie we long ago made a rule that we wouldn’t promote or write about anything we don’t/wouldn’t use in our own homes. We create only projects we use. We promote only companies we use. And nothing else. This helps our readers to stay in touch with who we are as individuals and as a brand. Sometimes (often) that means saying no to offers and opportunities. But we know that in the long run it is best for our brand.

If you are looking for fast income (you must not be or you wouldn’t have picked websites/blogging!) by all means take all the work you can get! We would too. But if you, like us, are looking for longevity and the development of an identity/brand then it would be wise to stay within your brand’s goals when looking at opportunities. Does this opportunity promote the values my site claims? Does this opportunity improve my site’s brand identity in some way? Does this opportunity give value to my readers? If yes…take it! If no to any of the three…think about saying no and waiting for something better.

In the same way don’t create a project or write about a subject that you would not want or talk about in your home. If you don’t like glitter, don’t make a glittered candlestick. Don’t like to talk about politics? Writing an article on politics because those around you are…not a good idea! Although it may bring a short-term burst of traffic or positive comments it may sway the direction you take your site. I have seen many a site head towards writing/creating for a new niche simply because of the popularity of a single project or topic. They have a successful recipe so they create only foods even though they began as a inspirational site. Or, they began as a food blog but had a cleaning product that was extremely popular. Their site is now about cleaning.

None of those directions are bad, wrong, or ill-advised. Unless it is outside of your passions, your experience, and your love OR you are only in that wheelhouse because of what you perceive “your readers want”. Get new readers.

For real. They will come. Write/create what YOU want. What is close to YOUR passions. It is the only way to be unique and individual in a sea of other (often better!) sites/blogs.

Identify your reader and write for them not other blogs/sites.

It is really, really easy to get into the comparison game. Comparing your blog to another’s is a very dangerous idea. Just like the people that operate them… blogs/sites are very different from one another. They are going in different directions for different reasons and circumstances. Trying to put yourself amongst the masses and measure yourself against them is impossible. Don’t do it! Instead, determine who is getting value from your blog/site and keep giving it to them. Make your blog/site invaluable to your readers. Not to bloggers. Make your blog/site invaluable to readers and you will have a never-ending reader base. Engage with your readers, not bloggers, on social media. Create tutorials for theme, not bloggers. Write about your struggles with them in mind, not bloggers.

This is of course assuming that you have taken the previous point to heart and are creating ONLY content that YOU are passionate about. Once you do that and identify what your readers are loving from within your “passion wheelhouse”, you have a recipe for success. Best of all, it’s a recipe you can keep up without burning up as quickly! It is far more fun to create/write about things you enjoy, isn’t it!

Write for your reader. Use social media for your reader. Build a relationship with them…not those in your peer group.