We all know the iPod rules. If you were asked to define the iPod in terms of its market identification, you’d have to say it’s the leading personal media device–maybe of all time. If you were asked to define Microsoft’s Zune in the same terms, you’re pretty much stuck with: a far-distant second place attempt at being an iPod killer.
When it comes to phones, Android makes that market more interesting alongside iPhone and Windows 7 phones. But I want to keep the metaphor simple, down to two items for comparison.
Side Note: This is important because you need to understand your own business if you want to successfully market it via blogging. I believe these two ideas are inseparable and one helps the other (busness & blog, blog & buisness). So I’m not going off-topic, here, in case you’re wondering. I’m on the new topic, as in, the new direction for Remarkablogger: integrated business/marketing design.
The iPod is not terribly original. Media players already existed. But Apple’s is the clear leader. Apple took something standard and serviceable and made it an icon of cool. Made it glorious and wonderful. They asked themselves: “How can we make the ultimate music player?”
The Zune’s reason to exist is not to be the best media player experience in the world. The Zune’s job appears to have been to try and take market share away from Apple. It was an also-ran from the beginning.
Now Look at Your Business
Does your online business offer something amazing and highly desirable to a ravenous group of customers who can’t wait to throw money at you? Or is it a “me too” business.
- What made you decide to offer the services/products you do? Because everyone else is?
- What made you choose your business in the first place? Because you love the field, or because you think there’s money to be made?
- Are you able to surprise and delight your customers even though you’re not exactly giving them what they want? Or do you have problems with your customers even though you’re “giving them exactly what they said they wanted.”
- Are you looking for ways to lead the market, or are you looking for successful methods to copy?
These questions are purposefully simplistic and polarizing, because they’re designed to get you to think. To force you to one side or the other, hopefully opening the way for you to have insight into your online business & blog marketing.
I Challenge You to Write 500 Words
Most of you will gloss over the text of this post, grasp the general idea of it, and think to yourselves, “That’s nice,” or maybe (hopefully) “Great points, I need to take a look at this in my business.” What happens next is you’ll probably have some vague thoughts about it and move on to the next email or feed in your reader (after you leave a comment and share it on social media, naturally).
So I’d like to issue a small challenge, one which anyone can accomplish. Write out a plan for hwow your online business and blogging can be an iPod instead of a Zune for 2011. I want you to use your word processor’s word count feature and write at least 500 words on this. Why? Because continuing on past the normal comfortable stopping point brings out awesomeness you didn’t know you had in you. And because writing in the first place forces exactitude from our normally muddled and vague thinking. Do it now, before you move on to anything else or can give yourself a reason not to.
For extra awesomesauce, post it on your blog and link to it in the comments. 
It has been my experience that a small but overlooked niche market (like zune) is a faster way to success than wading in the same pond as everyone else.
The Zune was not aimed at a small, overlooked niche market.
G'Day Michael,
500 words! Like the male dancer in “A Chorus Line” my immediate response was, “I can do that.” So away I went.
You may have already noticed, that this isn't a 500 word response. The task wasn't quite as easy as I 'd originally thought. But I will do it and send it.
This reinforces the truth in that old adage, “Be careful what you ask for. You just might get it.”
Have a great Christmas. Thanks for your excellent help in 2010. And, of course, make sure you have fun.
Regards
Leon
Thanks, Leon. Happy Holidays to you and yours as well!
The reason I do what I do, how I do it is because others do it badly. I want to do it right.
Business is sacred. It's the spark of the divine in humans, it's going toe to toe with the world and saying “I AM.” And for some shithead to take the money from a small business and force feed them the same lockstep bullshit galls me at my core.
A small business isn't a media company, they don't need to blog daily. (They ***CAN*** blog daily, but it's an ROI thing, if it's not in you, it's not in you).
I do what I do, the way that I do it because it works to get leads that turn into customers for real small businesses.
And, this year is MY year. The year I'm going to be everywhere. I've mostly freed myself of the debtshackle, and so it's just me and my mental illness. And we're going to kick asses.
I love what you're saying man, and I'm with you. I can't tell you how many
“previous” web designers I've pissed off because I ripped the veil off what
an outdated piece of shit site they made for my new (their previous) client.
And even as a “blogger” I agree with you about blogging daily (or not, as
the case may be). I feel I need to do it because it's my subject, so it
would seem hypocritical or at least lazy if I didn't (consistency is a
bugaboo I am trying to nail in 2011). In some cases it would make total
sense to blog many times per day… it really depends on the people and
situation.
Happy New Year and +1000 internets to you, sir.