Whether you run a blog or an online business, or are just trying to spread the word about yourself through social networks, it is super important to stand out from the crowd in the ocean of information that most of us drown in every day. In this “Hot Topics Wednesday’s” episode I am going to give you 5 tips of how to stand out from the crowd online. Click the link below to watch this 5 minute long video:
Video script for your convenience:
How to Stand Out From the Crowd Tip # 1. Tell a story: whether you are an online teacher, an online business owner, or a person who is trying to date online, telling a story is the most powerful way to capture others’ attention and be unique at the same time.
A story is something you visualize rather than intellectualize and it is something that makes you connect with other people on the emotional level.
So if you connect the main point of your message to a story you will see how you instantly start drawing people’s attention to your words and stand out from the crowd because no one else in this world has YOUR story!
How to Stand Out From the Crowd Tip #2: Create space:
There is nothing wrong with getting inspiration from others. Follow people you admire, read their work, put your researcher hat on and dive into the topic of interest. However, when the time comes to relate the ideas to the crowd, remove yourself from those who inspired you, and create a space around yourself. Don’t watch, read, or listen to anyone, and try to retell what you have learned through your own experiences, your own voice, and your own creativity
How to Stand Out From the Crowd Tip # 3: Shift the locus of control
Make your audience your super stars and active participants of your message.
Whether we like it or not most people are occupied with thoughts of themselves 95% of the time. Try to use this to be noticed. Try to make your audience the heroes of your message, interact with them, ask for their opinion, let them tell you what THEY want to hear.
How to Stand Out From the Crowd Tip # 4: Be concise
As the famous Russian writer Anton Chekhov said: brevity is a sister of talent –
Hey, this is a tweetable bite for you:
“Brevity is a sister of talent”- A. Chekhov @mkostina
Remember that your reader’s attention span online is 8 seconds! Make your point quickly, and choose your words wisely.
You will not only stand out from the crowd but you will also be remembered!
How to Stand Out From the Crowd Tip # 5: Get a life
If you sit by your computer all day long striving to create something interesting that will make you stand out from the crowd you are dooming yourself to failure. Get out, do things, experiment, travel, and bring those experiences back to see how they will reshape your message and make you interesting and attractive to others.
WHAT TO DO NOW:
What I would like for you to do now is, in the comments below, share with us your opinion on how to stand out from the crowd online.
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http://effectiveonlineteaching.org/2012/04/04/attention-boosting-webinar-starters/
Great as always. I’m agree with you about that story- based comunication is much more attractive than just info deling. It requires much more personal engagement. If there are lost of people telling and showing things about themselves , we need to be able to listen the others while telling our own stories, isn’t it? Sounds difficult to make the balance and organize the coments: time to live and time to share. Yes.
Hey, Beatriz, Thanks so much for your comment! Yes, I agree- the balance is important- but that is why you want to “stand out from the crowd” online so it is your story that gets noticed and replied to, LOL:-)
Nicely written article. It grabbed my attention and I appreciate the advice. I currently don’t stand out of the crowd quite frankly. Within the next week, we will begin pushing out some blogs at launchnest.com and our focus of those blogs is to focus on some of the stand out individiuals in the online and elearning industry that are doing interesting things. We’ve conducted some really fun interviews that capture some unique people and projects. Maybe by highlighting the great work of others, it will manifest in our work standing out at some point. Keep up the great work!
Mike, Thanks so much for sharing here. I am so excited about your site- it sounds really interesting. Are you going to highlight startups? Please let me know when your site is ready and I can help you stand out from the crowd!