Are You a Blogging Leader?

Everybody wants to blog these days. There is something hot about blogging, at least to the average Joe/Jane. I have had the feeling that blogging is not treated as being unemployed these days. In fact, it is treated as something that smart people do (but not as geeky as paying chess). But how do you establish yourself as a force in the blogging world in 2009?

Let’s be honest. If you are trying to start a blog these days, you are not an early market mover. Big established blogs are at least a few years old, and their authors have been honing their skills for years. Even getting started with Twitter and FriendFeed is not anything new. But here is a fundamental questions: do you need to try something new to be successful in the blogging world?

The answer is yes and no. Innovation does pay in the long run. Having the ability to differentiate yourself from others by trying new things certainly helps. But you don’t have to invest something to innovate. Blogging is a form of communication, and you have the most potent differentiation tool in your pocket – your voice. Your voice is unique to you only. Sure. People can imitate you. Superstars are imitated all the time, but at the same time, you can’t clone someone’s voice and personality.

In order to find success with blogging, you need to find your own voice and angle to tackle things. You’d be surprised how far you can go in the oldest niches by taking a different angle. Folks are out there hungry for information, and they get tired of hearing the same perspectives over and over again. If you are creative enough to think outside the box and figure out a way to stand out in the blogging crowd, you are golden.

You want to make sure that there is an audience for your voice. You should listen to your visitors at all times to find out what they are looking for. It’s back to economics again. You’ve got to make sure there is a demand for your supply. Blogging is a communication platform, which means there is no excuse for not knowing what you readers are looking for. You can use your blog comments or polls to find out what is it that turns your audience on. That’s what good leaders do. They listen!

Do you agree? Have you had success using the above approach to get a firm footing in a hyper-competitive niche?