What does it mean to create a trend? A trend is really a specific direction that something or someone develops over a given amount of time that begins to spread to many others. In the case of blogging we, bloggers, should think about starting a trend for our blogs. Creating a trend will allow us to effectively stand out from the immense blogosphere. I strongly feel if we don’t have that urge to create a trend, why even blog, so let’s get started and spread our passions!
We can adapt many known practices to blogging
This thought initially came from hearing my professor lecturing one day in my advertising class. It had stricken me that if we push for creating a trend then followers and competition will increase. This is a thought process that has been practiced in our markets all across the world, so why not adapt that to blogging.
I am pushing for you to really dig deep into your passion, thought process, and overall vision. You, your content, and your community will all be affected. The post itself is a long read, but I hope you enjoy and looking forward to your feedback.
We all should be standing out in the blogosphere or the web if are striving for that ultimate success or happiness. I know that we each have a different definition or scope for our success or happiness, but we need to stand out.
Why should someone see, visit, or even care about you versus “them” or someone else? This comes down to your “unique selling point” and your overall marketing strategies. Our marketing strategies seem to all be very similar today, but many are brainstorming how to “twist” these proven and practiced strategies around in strictly benefiting them, their blog, and their community. So what’s this twist?
It’s setting a trend. They are creating a trend to promote them and their content in ways that will directly and indirectly positively affect them. Time to stand out.
Let’s now break this “creating a trend” concept down.
1. Bond to Your Passion
Your passion should be the reason you are blogging, creating quality content, and striving to be happy and having others feel the same way. I really want to emphasize that this needs to be your passion and not something that you thought would be great to do because you saw potential, etc.
Conversations with people may present more insight than you thought
For instance, while having a casual conversation with Daniel Delaney from Vendr.TV the other day, I asked him if he started Vendr.TV because he saw it as a potential or untapped niche or if he did it because it was his passion? His response was that it was his true passion and he wanted to make sure he rocked it out.
Once, we have our true passion we can then begin bonding to it. Bonding to it? Yes, act as if this passion is your child and strive to make it grow the best and healthiest ways possible. Don’t like the analogy, then bond to your passion by staying close with it and always checking whether whatever steps (big or small) you’re taking that they actually fit.
Allow time for your passion to truly find you and be ready to roll with it if you aren’t already.
2. Push for Originality & Creativity
Here are where things get interesting, messy, and filled with many ideas while brainstorming. Even while you might see this as “not for me” because this is not how you role with things, you should think about these general ideas:
- Showing Your Voice
- Quality & Unique Content
- Word-of-Mouth
These are some general ideas of how we make our blogs different than others, whether they be in the same niche or not as us. Digging deeper, we must go beyond these ideas and begin to think about making that trend I’ve been talking about.
For a quick example you can use already established tools like Twitter, Facebook, Skype, related blogs, people, and Google to help integrate in this “digging deeper action”.
Missing the necessary “funk” could lead to a slow death for you and your blog
Now, originality and creativity are terms that have to come from the inner part of you. And to get to the point of starting a trend, think about the ways and methods you will put into immediate effect in order for people to make an immediate realization or generalization. This could be very simple or very complex depending on the level of creativity, originality, and needed hustle.
We’re now in a spotlight and waiting for everyone to come piling through the doors to see and hear what you have for them.
We all have some sort of originality and creativity to help us and our blogs stand out from the typical crowd into our very own spotlight.
3. Influence on Auto-Pilot
Things are on auto-pilot when you have everything programed in, figured out, and it’s just a matter of being along for the ride. Additionally, you are able to spend time focusing on more specific things such as reaching closer to your community.
Now, that you are closer to your community and your community feels this relationship the term “influence” starts to take shape. You now begin influencing your community, which influence other people all seeing what you have just done. What you have done meaning your original passion that you’re bonded to. This intial reaction from the infleuence is really inspiration that leads to a trend.
People are inspired by you and what you have merely done with your passion or finding out that their passion relates to yours to go out and “compete”. So many are aspiring to be like you and this influence will be on auto-pilot to continue that trend you either intended or not on starting.
While your influence continues to grow the trend, how do you make sure you stand out?
4. Being the Leader-of-the-Pack
Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.
Now, you are at the point of being what I call the “leader-of-the-pack” where you are at the top of this trend/movement.
A quote by the honorable George S. Patton is highlighted directly above (to the right) and raises a terrific point while you are the leader-of-the-pack.
Since we have have built this trend we now have the responsibility of maintaining it. We must treat everyone who has been influenced to be apart of the trend as competition. But, we must not fear of this competition. We should only fear of us losing our touch. But, we are really at the point to effectively stand out in whatever niche or area we feel we are in. It’s really all up to you though.
Finally, we are back to square one in bonding to our passion. No, this is not simply a repeat.
5. Spreading Your Passion
Bond to your passion by staying close with it and always checking whether whatever steps (big or small) you’re taking that they actually fit.
Sticking to your passion will only continue to spread this trend. This will then most likely spread your passion, which goes back to my first point of that this should be the main reason we all blog.
What will be your trend and how will you stand out?
Let’s go starting make our very own trend and spread our true passions!
The Discussion
Leave a Comment Read Again?Hey good point you raise there.
I think the big blogs like copyblogger and problogger already do this.
Also, I think it is important to be in a niche which you are passionate about, in order to create trends. I do not think that you will be able to create a trend if you are not passionate enough about your niche.
Kindest,
Nabeel
Nabeel,
It’s great to see you everywhere! Finding or creating your own niche that is truly you is very important.
I do also feel like even some bigger blogs like the ones you mentioned could do better at organically creating a trend rather than using SEO or other tools. But, they certainly have us all craving!
Best,
Derek
Trend creating is hard but if you are doing it out of your passion then you might find success in doing it.
Your true and strength for your passion will certainly will become clear by doing this.
Really great tips Derek,
Following your passion and being unique/creative is one of the most important things to do when trying to create a trend.
This post sums it all up.
Thanks so much for the great post,
-Onibalusi
You are very welcome Onibalusi!
I hope you can take away the good stuff in here and create your very own trend
Best,
Derek
I think the main focal point why blogging was created was to help us follow our passions. If we follow our passion automatically a trend will be created
I agree with Paul that creating trends is a nice idea but can be very hard to execute. With that in mind, it is absolutely something I believe every blogger (or business owner in general) should set out to do.
Setting a trend can mean different things to different people. You don’t need a million people to hock your brand to set a trend. It could be as simple as impacting the way a small group of business owners in your town do business.
I think the main thing is to use your passion and talents to influence others to do things differently and recognize you as the agent of change!
Good stuff here. Cheers
Justin,
It certainly is hard and I strongly believe that all bloggers or business owners should set out to do this.
“I think the main thing is to use your passion and talents to influence others to do things differently and recognize you as the agent of change!” … Great point!
Best,
Derek
Hey Derek,
Nice Post man. Some great tips there.
“Bond to Your Passion” Great.. point. I think passion is the most important thing you need, to create trends.
Thanks for sharing this great Post. keep up the Awesome work man.
~Dev
Thanks Dev!
All I can ask and make sure is that you are doing just that
Best,
Derek
Derek,
It is unusual, to find so much wisdom in one so young. Are you perhaps an ancient life reincarnated into a younger self?
Your post, is at the same time, both uplifting and provocative. You made this “Old Angel” really think and I want to thank you in advance for helping consolidate and idea that I have been battling to clarify.
There is a characteristic that I have been struggling to infuse into my blog. And sometimes it can very frustrating to try and translate it into real practices. But after reading your post all the ideas suddenly coalesced in my mind and I know what I have to do.
Thank you for this post. I’m very excited and energized. I have to go over to my blog right now and make some serious changes. People will be amazed and the trend I start will be highly unexpected.
Joella,
You know I do believe I am, because I do in fact have all these great ideas (I believe) and want to help out as many people possible. Must have been born to offer greats words of wisdom at a young age.
I’m so very glad and excited that have allowed for you to really think on what your doing. I only try to help.
That energy that I put into you, I wish you the best to carry it and spread it to as many people as possible. Let me know too how everything goes!
Best,
Derek
Well I started blogging to help people too. And it’s been a struggle to feel like I’m making a difference. But I realized lately that I needed to add a more personal touch to my encounters with my readers and that’s what I’m striving to do.
I’ve already implemented a Featured Items section to thank commentator, Entrecard droppers and Blog carnival participants. And I’ve got a few more ideas I want to implement.
Slowly it’s coming all together and you are just pushing me along. Everybody needs a push sometimes.
I’m so very glad to be that push! I just hope it creates a great chain of everyone pushing each other.
Go go go!
wow that is great post to helping newbee like me, thanks for sharing
the best way to get viral is to be unique, and things you have pointed here Derek will definitely put a “great future” on sight. Though I really didn’t get that Autopilot, or does that mean the buzz will keep your contents on autopilot? Perhaps?
But I enjoyed reading this man, and I know I’m on the right path, seeing as I’ve started shooting for things you have mentioned here, not for profits but for flagship 
Regards,
Jason Acidre
Jason,
The Autopilot point is merely about how if you have everything where it needs to be and have built a community that shares your passion and ‘trend’ then everything will / should just continue to grow/stand out (buzz).
I’m very glad you enjoyed reading this post
Best,
Derek
Originality and creativity…. superb point. There’s way too much content online that is same old stuff just rehashed, spun, reworded. So that’s a superb point… I love to see original, quirky content that stands out.
Stacey,
It would be great to see more bloggers take on this point. I guess we will see, right?!
Is this posted by someone who posted “Stop blogging about blogging already”?
I so much agree with creating post with original and creativity, i notice those are winning in my blog.
Great post Derek, would like to read more from you.
Kimi,
I am the same one you posted “stop blogging about blogging already”.
I wrote that post because so many just blog about it with no distinct focus, passion, or wanting to push for a trend like I mentioned in this post.
I’m glad you liked it and you can expect to see more posts by me here.
starting a trend may seem like a very challenging task, but I think that when we manage to pull this off, we’d be enjoying much success and would be able to help more people. Besides, it’s much better to start a trend than to follow one.
Well said, Julius.
“..It’s much better to start a trend than to follow one.” Agree!
Best,
Derek
hey derek,
well said.
i guess the main idea here is to stand out!
there ought to be many competitions and what not business rivals when it comes to making money online. with thousands or probably millions of people entering into such blogosphere, i believe the idea of coming up with something totally ‘new’ is not really possible because as far as you know, there would well be many people having the same ‘idea’ as you do.
But what makes you stand out from the rest? what makes problogger stood out from the rest of the similar niches and such?
setting a trend is indefinitely one of the way to do so..for i believe there are still many ways to execute such stand.
what drives a successful blogger from the rest is subsequently the passion and determination that arrays out. You may not be able to ‘see’ it, but your readers certainly will do.. as how i see it in you ,derek.
cheers
Thanks for the compliments Febap!
I believe we can all come up with something “new” though. It might not be a new idea, but it could be a new approach, voice, etc. For instance, the “Making Money Online” niche is very saturated, but if you can have a new approach or better ideas to really stand out from the crowd then you are going to be successful.
Best,
Derek
ah yes, your previous post on ‘stop blogging about blogging’ has essentially thought me a great deal of lesson to not only just blog about ‘blogging’ typically… =P
very likely as how you have replied,derek, whatever approach undertaken to really stand out will inevitably see that you will be walking the path of success.;)
cheers.
have a great day.
You talked about the Trend, In my vision Trend is meant to be followed by the people. Trend is independent factor where as technology is used to implement the trend. So technology is dependent on the trend. Take the example of Trend Web 2.0 and its technology blogging is the kind of technology which implements the trend concept of “User Generated Content”.
Don’t blog about something thath you don’t like, just blog what you love and the money will follow you.
Reza,
The love will surely bring out the passion and desire to make money by different means than others.
Thanks very interesting points
I hope you apply them
Simple Moving Averages Make Trends Stand Out.
I just love this article it says so much on standing out. Patience and hard-work always comes in handy every time we make an effort with what we do.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Are you standing out? If so, how?
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