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What do absinthe and blogging have in common? Not much, traditionally, unless you make your living off drunken blog posts. I am sure it has been done, so don’t run off and try it. Unfortunately for them, drunken bloggers are probably lousy at marketing.

What I am referring to is the ability to stand apart from the crowd. There are hundreds of gin, rum, vodka and beer varieties, but there are only a few labels of absinthe. The biggest difference between absinthe and other alcohols is the story that surrounds it.

Absinthe is almost ritualistic. Traditionally, the absinthe is placed in a glass resembling a shot glass. Then a spotted spoon (fancy way of saying a spoon with holes in it) is placed on top of the glass with a sugar cube on that. As it sits there, cold water is dripped onto the sugar into the glass until the sugar dissolves. After all the ingredients are mixed, the person can enjoy the drink. Absinthe is not cheap, due to its uniqueness, not to mention all the other accessories you have to buy in order to be a part of its story. We can learn a few things from  absinthe’s story and apply it to blogging.

What color is your blog?

Absinthe is a unique green color. You might say to yourself, “So what, tons of alcohol is colored.” But absinthe  becomes a milky green when water is added to it. It is pretty fun to watch. This is one element that separates this liquor from all the others. What separates your blog from all the other blogs out there? Are you a unique color, or do you change colors to people’s amazement? If you’re not different, how can you become different to attract others?

What is the story you are selling?

Like absinthe, people and things with a good story sell. It is reported that Vincent Van Gogh cut his ear off while drinking absinthe, and various other crimes and occurrences are attributed to absinthe. People will gladly pay for something they really don’t need as long as they can identify themselves with the story. For example, people are likely to choose Subway for lunch if they want to be healthier, like Jared. How many people have bought one of those ab machines, only to realize that diet and exercise is the only way to lose inches around the waist?

Are you a rare commodity?

When things are scarce and in demand, their value goes up considerably. Take, the markets right now dealing with wheat and other grains, gold and silver. I don’t have to mention more than diamonds for anybody to know what I am talking about. Either you control the supply and limit how much will be made available like De Beers (diamonds), wii (Nintendo), Tickle me Elmo (Tyco), or you find a way to out produce your competition. That might entail providing a service only you can provide, or perhaps finding a way to market yourself better than anyone else. Where there is a will there is a way, right? So, what’s your commodity?

What’s the kick you provide?

Why will someone return to your blog? When someone drinks absinthe, they are expecting an outcome. The same goes for your customers. If they stopped coming to your blog tomorrow, would you be losing an asset, or would they? I am not trying to reduce this to a 0 sum game here. I am simply trying to make a point of keeping a focus. If you set out to be the #1 financial blog, what will it take to achieve that? Is the customer looking for advice, resources, examples or a magic wand? Perhaps you are selling them something they don’t know they need yet and that is where your story kicks in. A good story will sell even the worst products. Chia-pet anyone? Identifying exactly what you are selling is the hard part, but once you do, you have a product like gold or iPod. Once you have your product, then selling it becomes the easy part. You get to worry about issues like demand and development later.
What is my product?

Through my blog, I am selling to you that I have what it takes to think outside the marketing box. I want to approach each project and product from a different angle than any other marketer will offer. I am selling you my story and each day it grows.