If there’s one thing you have to be, it’s this…

by MarsDorian · 18 comments

Two stylishly dressed Japanese girls !

You read it throughout the web – gazillions of new blogs and websites are entering the digital realm – more and more people hunger for their piece of the web.

The online world is filled with masses of personal brands, and it’s getting more crowded by the second.

What does this mean for you ? Should you give in ? Blow your blog into the abyss of oblivion ?

No, no, and double-d no.

It simply means you have to buckle up !

Unleash your inner beast

It’s tempting to look at the top players and try to copy their style, but that’s shame raised to the second power, and it will break your neck in the long term.

You want to burn your original brand into global consciousness, and the only way to do that is by being outrageously unique !

I can tell you, even if there a trillion new blogs on the horizon, they are no competition to me, no danger and no crossfire – because I’m sharpening those personal edges, and that catapults me to a place that’s only branded by me. And the good thing is – you can do the same with your brand !!

How ? How about:

  • Find your tags and own them. Idea Virus ? Seth Godin ! Pillar article ? Yaro Starak ! Crush it ? Gary V. ! Luv Branding ? You know who ;)So many people worry about the keywords, only mavericks come up with their own.What are yours ?
  • Your brand in motion.Too many people hide, what are they afraid of ? Unless someone shot you straight in the face, there’s no reason to not show your face ! A picture says a thousand words, but a video shows you a billion ! You don’t have to v-blog on a regular basis, heck, even one single video can give your place in the web a total personal dimension !
  • Stretch those tendencies. Do you have awesome quirks that define you ?Maybe you’re obsessed with a specific color, or you keep thinking about food or you invent words that only your peers know ? You may think about getting rid of them, I say celebrate them – and even better – boost those those foibles and start implementing them.What I do: I love extreme words (space cannon, vaporize, delusional) and I also love over-sized stylishly photoshopped pics and the colors black and red.That’s why I blend those quirks with my bland – and it’s working like white magic !
  • If it scares you, it can be awesome !If you don’t feel a little anxious when you present your stuff, you’re doing something wrong ! If you’re a little uncertain about something, maybe a post, because you think it’s a bit too personal or provocative, there’s only one thing you can do: Hit that publish button !Please don’t tame that original beast inside of you ! So many people do that, and it breaks my heart ! Whatever idea you come up with, if it scares you, it deserves to be published !
  • Be formless like water. Well, sort of ! Make sure your digital brain stays on top of the web wave: Learn every single day for the rest of your frickin’ life ! Sorry, but the internet is permanently acting like a capricious teenager: Today it’s this, tomorrow it’s way different. Don’t let it smoke you – read brain food like mashable.com !
  • Enjoy your original style. Honestly, not only does it suck to copy from others, no, it’s also no fun in the sun ! Seriously, if you find your edges, and you use them, you’ll feel like riding the top clouds of the Blogosphere, and you’ll be craving for more personal edginess !

Content isn’t the king anymore, the OVERALL PACKAGE is. That character behind the brand – the person that’s ridiculously unique.

Inhale those two words and hum them like a mantra:

Be original.

What’s your take on this ?

And please RETWEET and Share !

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  • http://virginbloggernotes.com/ virginbloggernotes

    Create your own keywords – Love it!

    • http://www.marsdorian.com/ Mars Dorian

      Thanks Jean,
      But what are yours ??

  • http://GetYourBizSavvy.com/ GetYourBizSavvy

    You are the only you Mars! And I am the only GetYourBizSavvy. Fantastic list man. I love your point about being scared. This shit can get scary for sure. I mean we're releasing this to world. Nice to see you say its ok to be a bit scared. I completely agree

    • http://www.marsdorian.com/ Mars Dorian

      Yep, Alex, if it ain't scary, it isn't worth doing – presenting your brand takes a lot of guts – after all, you're going to enrich the world with a remarkable you ! But that's what true courage is all about – being scary and doing what needs to be done anyway !

  • http://PhantasmagoricRadio.wordpress.com/ Tim

    A comment on OwlSparks post http://www.owlsparks.com/debate/a-back-and-fort… says:

    ” I keep coming back to asking myself this question: why is benefiting from a blog more, the reader or the writer. And to give a typical economist answer, it depends. To relate this to your conversation I would say that nobody is truly benefiting when a blog becomes a all about these phrases: “you can do it too,” “be unconventional like me.” “

    Some would say that perfectly describes what you're doing. What's your take?

    • http://www.marsdorian.com/ Mars Dorian

      Thanks for the debate Tim, I like it

      Yep, it's an interesting point, but it's entirely useless as well.
      “be unconventional like me” in my case wouldn't mean that you should be like me, that's just impossible, but it's about finding your edges and sharpening them.
      The guy who wrote this is currently riding the depressive lane, and I hope he gets out of there as FAST as possible ! He's thinking too much and doing not the stuff he should be doing !
      I've already got messages and mails that thanked me for how I inspired them, and those people really did enhance the way they present themselves !
      Sure, some people don't (want to) change, and some don't care, but there always people that get inspired by what you do.
      It's your responsibility as an awesome blogger to strengthen that !
      Never worry, it's so useless.
      Instead, follow your own original voice, make a splash and inspire !
      You can do it too ;)

      • http://PhantasmagoricRadio.wordpress.com/ Tim

        Good response. I would like to think he was talking about the same concept you speak of, just in a different light. Don't be lame and copy people for the sake of wanting to be like them rather than like yourself.

        Then again, I don't really have any reason to be defending this guy, so whatever. Thanks for your ultra-positivity.

        • http://www.marsdorian.com/ Mars Dorian

          No worries Tim,

          I love debates.

  • justfeelgreat

    Hey my friend Marius,
    This post is outrageous and I like it. Energy: it's about finding your own voice and express it like a cool obsession.

    “Content isn’t the king anymore, the OVERALL PACKAGE is” Thats' true, many things have been said already, but people will only notice them if you catch their attention through unconventional form of language.

    Keep the energy flow!

    • http://www.marsdorian.com/ Mars Dorian

      Hey Stephane,
      Yes, and even though I have a unique style (like everyone else should!) I still try to find new ways of doing things – there's always room for innovation !

  • ralphcarlson

    I like the quirks idea. Mostly because that seems to be where I end up. It is what I look for and enjoy in others as well. The unique quality that I don't find anywhere else.

    • http://www.marsdorian.com/ Mars Dorian

      Hey Ralph, yep, isn't it awesome how you can turn your flaws into strengths ? Thank god for that, because I'm never going to run out of those…

  • http://www.wilsonusman.com/ Wilson Usman

    So content isn't king anymore? So marketing is not the queen either? Man this online stuff moves like wildfire. I really What will the OVERALL PACKAGE be in 6 months or a year. I think if we just keep trying to stay on top of what is new we are always going to outdated that's why sometimes just having a strong foundation is key. These points I think in some other form I've heard them, and I think they are awesome. I think being original is all about just sharing your story, we all have one.

    • http://www.marsdorian.com/ Mars Dorian

      “I think being original is all about just sharing your story, we all have one.”
      Couldn't have said it better, Wilson !

  • http://www.dowlis.com/ promotional items

    Instead of “Wishing that my team and I were able to overcome this obnoxious pride goes through my noggin almost every day during practice and during the season of soccer.” I would put something like “Almost every day during practice and during the season of soccer, I wish that my team and I were able to overcome this obnoxious pride.

  • http://www.dowlis.com/ promotional items

    To be frank, i got bored after reading the first few sentances. Give more description. Use words to paint a picture for the reader. Your story is too blunt, too plain. Dress it up a bit, if that makes any sense.

  • philjpjohnson

    Hi mate, loving this post. Now, the thing I love is when you post something knowing damn well that it could cause a real tidal wave :] I posted about how the Church market themselves, and on Easter Sunday of all days :] All the comments I got couldn't really be published ;] but it was awesome to see the traffic come flooding in to that post. And if things really don't go according toplan, just man-up (or woman-up :] ) to it and publish a post that says sorry, admits cocking up etc etc. Your visitors will love you for it. Great post as always Mars. Love this site!

    • http://www.marsdorian.com/ Mars Dorian

      Sounds interesting, what happened, and you couldn't publish your comments ? Were they really so piercing ;)
      THat's actually great news – you're giving your personal opinion, and people find out what you stand for – honestly I wouldn't even say sorry.
      Only say sorry when you screw up, you're right – readers love it. Because it takes true strength !

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