It’s daunting to step back and look at the sheer number of content-based sites that cover the spectrum of interests on the planet.  For some, I know this can make it feel like it is too late to join – that others are so far ahead there is no way they’ll catch up.  It may appear this way on the surface, but looks can be deceiving.  The truth is, there is not a single niche that’s too crowded for fresh thinking.

Larger players have no defense against something that comes out of left field.  It’s difficult to fight for attention against a business or individual with a unique vantage point.  The power of fusing fresh thinking with strong branding and sound marketing strategy in open networks is just beginning to be tapped, and while at face value it may appear easier to win over less popular/developed niches, that isn’t a prerequisite for creating a white-hot content-based site.

Certainly, established players have advantages such as oceans of information feeding the engines and large subscriber bases sharing their content.  But, what they also have is more of the same – and if there’s one thing we always love to stumble upon, it’s something fresh.  If you’re new to web publishing – for business or just to share ideas – this is a path to follow.  Tap into social as growth strategy through fresh thinking – people crave it.  If you can deliver on it, you’ll reap the benefits.

Here’s a few strategies for a brand or blogger who is unique and able to bring fresh thinking to the table:

Specific stories

Let the larger players have the big, obvious stories.  When they’re covered and then re-covered on 100′s of other sites, they aren’t interesting.  Skip the big stories, you probably can’t break them before the big players and information junkies anyway.  Instead tell the not-so-obvious, but equally compelling stories that otherwise would slip through the cracks.

Stay out of the echo chamber, or go counter to it

Fresh thinking means staying away from the echo chamber as smaller players are in many cases ignored/glanced over.  Stay away unless you’re going to go the other direction entirely.  If you can do that, go for it – it will prove incredibly potent.

Say what everyone else is thinking but afraid to say

This goes along with confidence, but with the addendum that you are specifically vocalizing a shared thought that merely exists in the minds of others.  Articulate ideas for a group of people interested in supporting the idea, but unable or unwilling to say it themselves.  Set ideas that are stirring in the minds of others free.

Create an original series

Many larger sites can’t/won’t do series of posts because they move content so fast their readers just wouldn’t have time to absorb them properly.  Go deeper into specific subjects in your niche in an original, catchy, or useful series that you take your time to carefully flush out over longer periods.

Plenty of search traffic to go around

Fresh thinking is bound to attract links, and if you’re doing all the right things the engines will reward you in time.  Patience is a virtue here, but it will pay off.

Develop your own content archetype

Create a content archetype that is all your own that makes you stand out.  It can be something as simple as using specific images to help reinforce your words, a way you format certain types of posts, etc.  A quick example – go check out PluginID, Glen has a neat content archetype he applies to each post (inspirational images to reinforce his words).  Find your own that resonates and regularly work them into your routine.  Not every post needs to follow it, but if you find a formula that works for you, don’t be afraid to use it.

Confidence

Skellie puts this succinctly:

“If you think about the bloggers and thought-leaders currently making waves at the moment–the people everyone is currently talking about–you’ll notice that they are unashamedly individual and unashamedly confident. You have to be. Believing that people will listen to and find value in what you really want to say requires that.”

Slow down

Don’t publish more than once a day, unless you’re able to do so without sacrificing quality.  In fact, go less if you have to – publish every 2 or 3 days if necessary, just make each post that much better.  More isn’t better if fresh thinking is your strategy – you want to make your site known for signal.

Write for yourself

At the end of the day, if you’re writing for intrinsic reasons, you’re going to connect with an audience at a deeper level than those simply trying to please the masses or pull pageviews for ad revenue.  Write because you’re interested in what you’re saying and you can’t lose.

Read material by people outside of your industry

You’ll uncover fresh ideas and analogies that translate to your industry others never considered.  What you write is inspired to a good degree by what you read – if you’re consuming the same source material as everyone else, you may end up sounding just like everyone else.

Get ahead of the curve

If you’re seriously interested in your industry, you should be studying it enough to get ahead of the curve where the majority of your peers sit.  You’re not too busy to do this, and if you are you probably shouldn’t bother publishing to the web in the first place.

Bring style/character to your writing

Many of the larger sites outsource their writing with the strategy of  getting as much content up as possible.  For it, their site quality tends to suffer, and visitors eventually begin to gloss over the material.  If you are a fresh thinking individual or brand, and can continuously bring style to your writing, you’ll always be more interesting to read than the more popular sites that focus on speed.  Stick with it, and you’ll leech audiences from them over time.

Quick conclusion

Hard work combined with fresh thinking in overcrowded niches can cut through the clutter fast, never underestimate the power of newcomers who bring something to the table that isn’t easily duplicated.  If you’re new to web publishing (or even seasoned, but need a boost), keep this strategy in your pocket – as the web gets busier, its value goes up.

Related posts from The Future Buzz:

The 48 Laws Of Power Applied To Blogging

The Most Important Tip For Great Writing

How To Effectively Target Specific Networks Or Groups Of People

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