While the site is still waiting on a nice, new design, Dee has shown us one example of how he intends to create a Point of Difference: to make one of the biggest, baddest, most well-researched resources in the niche.

Case in point: A 7000+ word article entitled the Top 25 Online Schools in 2010.

It would have been easy for Dee to have just winged this project and thrown up an article with somewhat random but sensible rankings. And it probably would have done ok. But he’s not settling for just ok. He wants the site to be seen as an authority on the subject. So he spent a full month or so researching and developing a resource that will stand out from the crowd.

That’s what a POD is about -> doing the hard work to help your brand stand out from the crowd.

And after seeing something as impressive this resource, I have all the confidence in the world that Dee will find a lot of success with the site.

Flash forward to a year ago: There are a million blogs on every subject. Look at your own efforts, and you’ll probably realize there’s a good chance nobody gives a shit about your self-hosted WordPress blog. Suddenly, a lack of amazing content, real work, and a great brand actually prohibit people from finding success. (Believe me, if you were involved with the early blog gold rush, you would find this odd too).

Fact: It’s become a lot harder to make a real career out of blogging from advertising revenue. Nearly every big profitable niche is already dominated, and the top brands (TechCrunch, LifeHacker, Engadget, HuffingtonPost,etc, etc, etc) which are becoming even more sophisticated and powerful. Ipso facto, your gadget blog probably isn’t going anywhere fast.

What next? well, good question. Right now, we have….. [DrumRoll]……. Products!

Blogging and Products

Products are on fire right now. All the blogging gurus (Darren, Chow, etc) are talking about them constantly, causing every other business blogger to blog about them. Lucky for you, I don’t think you’re too late to the party. The product formula isn’t complicated, yet it’s a lot bigger pain in the ass than the old approach to making money blogging. There’s definitely still something in this idea though, and get on your high horse before this passes you too.

The formula

• Make a blog. Blog a lot, blog well. Be kick ass. Social network. Twitter. Blog often. Be original.
• All this hard work above, give it away for free for 6 months. Don’t bombard readers with ads. Hope your savings and motivation doesn’t run out.
• Once established, make products, and sell them. Keep blogging a bit, but not as much. Leave readers hanging. Sell products. Focus on promotion.

So essentially, the new “Products” are either paid memberships or e-books that have the most niche, valuable content. Sound like a lot of work? well, it is. But this is how people are getting big now, so if you want to get big, I think this is it.

The Role Models

Art of Non Conformity‘s Chris Guillebeau has simply put on a clinic (expression) as to how to own the internet with his products approach. On paper, I would never have guessed he would’ve found success beforehand, but the guy is on fire and has a wealth of info on his blog. Chris focuses on products on traveling and making money unconventionally.

Tim Sykes

Tim Sykes is the perfect example of the membership approach with a slightly more formal, academic niche – stock trading. Before he kills me for grouping him with other financial traders and analysts he despises, he’s anything but conventional which has led to his great brand. His personality, outstanding trading performance (actual objectively great content), and pretty website make the foundation of his success. If you know nothing about him, watch his video via John Chow on making $100,000/month from memberships.

Other Niches

I’ve found some other niches that could still be up for grabs (which I won’t share, naturally). If you’re serious and up for making a career online outside of content based ad revenue, partake in some due diligence and grab a niche and maybe 6 months from now you’ll be pulling some serious cash that trumps your old $100/month Adsense revenue.

Examples: The recent flood in Fargo, North Dakota isn’t over, and still has the potential to be absolutely devastating. In the flood businesses are really getting behind the community, no surprise considering the way the cititzens came together. Subway and Buffalo Wild Wings, amongst many other restaurants, gives out free food to sandbaggers, Home Depot stays open 24/7, and countless of other cases I haven’t heard about.

The same happened in many cases during the Katrina mess.  While it’s easy to close up shop and cut your losses, doing the right thing pays off with great customer loyalty afterwards.

The Economic Mess Today: The economy has unfortunately put up a smokescreen for some businesses to have an excuse to act, perhaps, irresponsibly.  IBM has drawn a lot of criticism for their job cuts supposedly due to the economy, but are essentially just outsourcing maneuvers.  Call it what it is please.  Then obviously the AIG bonuses are utterly ridiculous in the public’s eye. Think that might have an impact on on consumers’ insurance decisions in the future?

On the bright side, I like Hyundai‘s Assurance deal going on for purchasing new cars, where if you lose your income you can return the vehicle.  I’m not in the market, but they just earned 5 points in my mind.

The point is all businesses go through trying times, and it’s in these moments that their true character comes out and it’s very safe to say many people notice this.  As a business, be sure to value your community, act responsibly, and fulfill your feduciary responsibility. People notice.

Well, I can finally offer this report: I am now employing 2 full time employees (car freaks) on the site. Both employees receive a nice salary plus profit sharing. Plus, the site is ranking for some solid terms like: how to break into a car or 2009 Nissan Skyline GTR.

Moral of the story: quality publishing, by niche experts…works. It’s that simple.

You have your entire life ahead of you. Though it can be made increasingly difficult, here are a few tips to protect you and your business from defamation.

First of all, know what your reputation should be; have a clear idea. Have that in mind or write it down, and work towards a solution if your path has strayed to the wayside. Make sure that you, your website, product labeling and advertisements reflect that idea.

Second, know what your reputation is. You can prepare a questionnaire that people can fill up or you can interview them yourself for a more personal touch. If things have extended to the internet, have your clients fill up a quick survey. Don’t take too much of their time as this will deter them from visiting as it will from buying.

For a quick run-down on your business, you may want to Google your business’ name, and other pertinent business information. This will give you a rough portrait of what the general, internet public may think. If you find distasteful information, you can either put it down yourself –provided you’ve put it up, or you can ask the website you’ve found the information in to put down the information for you.

Don’t take the harsh, rude road. This can lead to backlash and can worsen your reputation.

There will always be some things that will be beyond your control and during those times, it will be your actions, deeds, and your product that will speak for themselves.

Here are a few things to keep in mind if you and your business make a good impression.

Your first 7 to 12 words –virtual or otherwise –can cost you the deal. If you’re talking to them on the phone or even chatting over the internet, 70% of how they judge you will be your tone of voice while the rest will be the words you compose.

Even if you do have a college business, more opportunities will knock at your doorstop if you have a business card or if you have an info sheet. There’s nothing more frustrating than somebody who asks for information you cannot readily give; it’s a missed opportunity.

Create a logo, no matter how simple, and advertise with conciseness. If you have a website, putting your contact details, FAQs, and how to purchase your product will leave nothing to chance. You not only spare yourself unnecessary conversation with regards to who you are and what you’re doing, but you provide an avenue for your clients to contact you whenever they feel the need.

Remember, your client will always be the most important person. He or she will appreciate you inasmuch as you appreciate them; thank them for their time, call them by their name, and smile. What will reel people in will be your enthusiasm.

Giving a good impression –as it is with meeting people –is an essential part of business. Ultimately, people who hold transactions with you will always do so because they like you or because they trust you.

Same goes for your market brand. The perfect image brand you have built two years ago may not be as perfect today because the market – composed of your customers and your competitors – is dynamic. This is why the major market players constantly revamp their brands to remain in front in the competition.

Revamping one’s brand does not only maintain a good image, it also repairs a damaged one. As one blogger has written, no matter how bad your reputation gets, you can always turn it around.

How, then, could you revamp your brand? Here are a few suggestions.

1. Talk to people – customers, business partners, employees, experts – and ask their opinion regarding your brand. Do they think you need a little revamping or an overhaul? Why? What do they suggest you could do? This approach should already be familiar to you because you should have done a little market research, however informal it was, before you launched your business.

2. Reassess your marketing strategies and tweak them accordingly. Your sales promotions and campaigns may not be that appealing anymore. You could probably change the positioning of your brand. For example, if you’re in the business of slimming tea, instead of sticking to the singles target market, why don’t you go for the post-pregnancy mothers who want to get back their shapeliness as well?

3. Boost your promotions campaign. Aside from improving your packaging, have some “widgets” or extras to go with your products. You could use “more for less” campaigns. Make buying your product more exciting for your customers by giving free items or services for every purchase.

4. Improve your product availability and compatibility with other products. Make sure your product doesn’t get overlooked by enhancing your point-of-purchase advertisements. You can also try tying up with another establishment so you could both endorse each others’ products along with your own.

What about the best toothpaste, or shampoo, or hand gel?

If one thinks of the best in a particular line of product, there’s no doubt he/she chooses the most widely used, the most popular, the ‘leading brand.’

That’s how important it is to build a strong brand for your biz. Not only does it augment your sales and income, it can also give a perennially high reputation to your products.

Contrary to false beliefs, however, branding isn’t about the logo or slogan you use to advertise. It’s all about the credibility you build with the quality of products you produce. It’s all about the trust you gain from you patrons.

Here’s how to build a brand that gives you financial stability for life.

1. Don’t rely too much on advertising. As a famous blogger said, buying your way to brand awareness is not a foolproof way to succeed in name-building. It’s certainly good to advertise, but too much of it can be a plain splurging of cash.

2. Work on quality control. A good quality control program can help you prevent potential errors, comply with basic requirements, and demonstrate performance improvement in the course of your undertaking. It’s something that makes you proactive, not reactive.

3. Give the best customer service. This is practically the most effective way to establish customers’ loyalty to your brand. Know what your target market wants and create products accordingly.

4. Strengthen brand assets. Especially so if you’re a newbie in the field, develop a suitable logo and striking slogan for your biz. Work on publicity and promotion, and hire effective sales people and a spokesperson, if applicable.

5. Make use of the web. A speedy promotional machine, the web can be an avenue to create awareness of your brand. There’s a lot to do on the net. Create a website and make use of electronic signatures (with your ad campaign included) when you send mails.

Today, the PopCrunch Show becomes a daily show. I have two favors to ask:

1. Please go to YouTube and subscribe – it really helps!
2. If you know anyone who works at a newspaper, or a blog, please let them know that I’m available for interviews.

ryan at college-startup.com