Stand out from the CROWD

Published by

Mike Stott

on

January 25, 2022

In today’s world – everyones selling something right? How do you set yourself apart from everyone out there who is selling something?

If you’re anything like me, you might feel a bit sad when you see those adverts on a Facebook video that you’re watching. Become a Bitcoin trader – send us ££ each month and we’ll send you back those gains.

Unfortunately, the bad actors out there put a bit of a sickener on the honest people out there trying to make a living by selling. They could be course creators, eCommerce website operators or freelancers helping websites or businesses get started, built and grown.

How do you stand out from the crowd?

Here’s 5 questions – if you can answer YES to all these – you’re well on your way to making yourself stand out from the crowd and getting noticed.

Does your product or service have social proof?
Does your product have Word of Mouth marketing possibilities?
Does your website use a reputable eCommerce solution?
Are you consistent in your content / product production?
Is your content or product engaging and easy to use?

I’ll touch a little bit on each of these below.

Social Proof covers a lot of areas and is something worth focussing on for your business or idea if you’ve not got any already. It falls into six main areas.

From Customers – Do you pay more attention to the “verified purchase” reviews on Amazon?
By Experts – One way to really stand out is to be covered by an Expert. A popular one in the UK for consumerism is Martin Lewis (if he shouts out your product – or doesn’t) it can make a massive impact. There’s experts in your niche too, find them.
Referrals from friends – The only people I’ll pay more attention to than experts is my friends and family. If they recommend something I’ll certainly check it out.
Ratings and Reviews – Reviews on Google, Trip Advisor (if holidays or restaurants) or bookings sites. There’s also plenty of other review sites out there. If you’re not on any with your product or service now’s the time to start.
Social Media Proof – This ones a bit different. Do you have a Facebook page with followers? Instagram? How about your Twitter? is it active? All these help to build trust.
Certifications – Can you display a badge that you’ve been certified in the area you’re advising on, working in, or selling products around?

Linked a little to Social Proof, this is the subject of a whole book. I’ll cover this in a future video (since that book is on my bookshelf). Make your product or website worth talking about – and let Word of Mouth do the rest.

If you’re selling goods and services on the internet and only accept Bitcoin, I’ll get a bit worried. If that’s one of many options, I’ll be less worried. A great system to sell your stuff is WordPress + WooCommerce. It’s a reputable solution (often if I see a checkout page, I’ll know it’s Woo).

There’s always a catch though, WordPress & WooCommerce are open source so even if you notice it’s a Woo store – do check all the other signals I mention in this post for a person, brand or business to stand out.

I don’t know about you, but if I’m subscribed to a YouTube channel, or following a blog (or even a Twitter feed) and I don’t see any new content for ages – I’ll be less likely to notice / remember the product.

I’ve written a couple of newsletters covering Creating a Writing Habit and Keeping up the Momentum – be sure to check them out.

I recorded a video on How to Write Engaging Content. It’s landing this Friday so if you’ve not seen my channel be sure to check it out. If your writing isn’t engaging to read – people will quickly turn off.

If your product is difficult to use or you need a 100+ page instruction manual – they’ll switch off.

Keep it engaging, keep it simple and easy to use and you’ll be laughing.

BONUS – referrals from people you trust!

It’s all linked in to the social proof arena – but this one is worth it’s own section. If you do sell products or services having an affiliate system should be high up on your list. There’s plenty of options for running affiliate systems from WordPress plugins to custom solutions.

A lot of the big brands use them. So why aren’t you?

Over to YOU!

I want to hear from you, how did you make yourself stand out from the crowd?