How to Stand Out in a Noisy Online World

Kirsten 0:00

You're listening to the creative teacher podcast, a show for busy teachers looking for ways to engage, inspire and make an impact in their teacher businesses. I'm Kiersten, a teacher business owner who is all about simple and actionable tips, strategies and resources that result in wins, big or small. If you're looking for that extra spark of creativity, you've come to the right place. Let's dive in together.

Hi, guys, it's Kyrsten from the southern teach. Today's topic is all about how we can stand out in a noisy online world. And it can be super hard when there are so many other amazing teacher sellers out there selling similar resources as you are. So how does one stand out in this noisy world, we are going to get tips and strategies in order to define your brand. So whether you are just starting out, or you're a seasoned seller, whether you have your brand on lock, or here's trying to get it all figured out. This is the spot for you, you'll get some actionable tips to take home with you and implement in your business. So without further ado, we're gonna get started.

Let's think about any other businesses outside of TPT. How would they do it? So today I'm going to be giving you some tips on standing out and showing up for your audience even when it may feel like no one is listening to you. All right, so do you want to hear the short answer or the long answer? I'm going to be giving you both but here is the short answer. You want to define your brand with core differentiators. You might be asking what is a core differentiator. So in short, a core differentiator is something that sets your business brand apart from other similar businesses like yours, and it gives you an advantage in the eyes of your ideal teacher customer. And it doesn't start with the brand visuals or not thinking about the colors and logos and graphics. It actually starts with identifying your brand values, which is related to focusing on who you serve your customers and why you serve those customers.

Let's just talk quickly about a couple of reasons why it is important to stand out with core differentiators. One reason why it's important is that there's that small chance you might end up blending in with the other stores if you don't There are so Any other TPT stores out there. And it can be a little intimidating and hard to be memorable and stand out, especially if you're just starting out in this TPT business. So there has to be some type of special element in your store that helps you stand out from the rest. So thinking about if you were a elementary TPT seller, just selling K through five elementary resources, math, science, social studies, ela, that can be really hard to stick out when there are so many other sellers niching down and specifying the subjects and areas you teach. So instead of trying to reach them all getting all K through five elementary teachers try to focus on what you're super good at what your niche is who you want to focus on. So it could be that you want to target upper elementary third through fifth grade math, then you're creating resources specifically for that niche or target audience. And that is something that can help you stand out just a little bit. Another reason to use core differentiators is because you can use it to build trust, and customers feel comfortable knowing they can get these quality resources from their favorite TPT stores that they can use over and over again. And then when one customer gets a good experience, they can spread it around, and you have word of mouth and continues to build and grow. So that's why it's so important that core differentiators are something you think about as you're trying to navigate this whole business.

All right, I'm going to share with you three ways to stand out with core differentiators. The first way is to find your niche. Think about what topics and subjects come naturally to you and be honest with yourself, does it come naturally for you to talk about diversity? Is it natural for you to share read aloud ideas or book companions or grammar resources. So don't be afraid to get specific in who your products or services for. For my example, I'm going to share with you just a little bit about my store on TPT. I used to first market to pretty much all K through five elementary teachers because I had taught that whole age range. But now my focus is for upper elementary teachers in Texas with TEKS aligned resources so they are specifically targeted to state standards. The second way to stand out in a noisy online world is to nail your story. Think about how your brand or business came to be. And sometimes sharing a story of your journey can help you stand out, especially if it is relatable or it has a message or lesson that will resonate with your audience. Humans are naturally inclined to stories, it's something that has stood the test of time. And this is a way for us to bring in connections with our communities. It's evoking emotion and response depending on the type of story that's being told. So that is why having a story whether it's a huge brand story for your whole business, or small snippets and pieces that you're sharing on social media, that's something that can really resonate with your target audience. My brand story mainly consists about how I have become an active seller after years of being inactive, and how it's completely rechange with my rebrand and implementing SEO and all of the other marketing strategies that are recommended. So to this day, I continue to grow my TPT store with sales that result in four figure months as a result of this. The third way you can stand out with core differentiators is to determine the unique way you help your customer. So think about a unique way you can solve your customers pain points, worries or problems. So while everyone might be offering a course or some kind of boom card activity as their product, light unique way do you offer the same thing or something similar. I know that there are many teacher printer podcasts out there that give a lot of great advice on TPT. And I created this podcast as like a different spin of things my perspective in a design and brand Englands, I am really big on how things look. And I just kind of want to give that visual perspective and emphasize more of my episodes on branding and product listings, and TPT store fronts. While other people may focus on SEO, or you know, quick tips or marketing, there are so many perspectives, I think that everybody brings to the table that you may pick up tidbits from each podcast that you listen to.

So here is your action item for today, I want you to write down and answer the following three questions about what makes you and your business unlike any of the others out there. The first question to think about is, what's your niche? The second question, what is your story of how your business came to be? And the third question, what is the unique way you help your customer. So this is just a small stepping stone at getting out there and standing out in a positive way. And if you want to stand out in this way, using core differentiators in your brand, can make all the difference. So I am so glad that you were able to tune in today. I hope you have an amazing

thanks for tuning in to the creative teacher podcast. If you enjoyed listening to today's episode, feel free to subscribe and leave a review. I'd love to hear your feedback. You can also find me on Instagram at the southern teach. I cannot wait for you to join me in the next episode for more tips and inspiration. Have an amazing day.