Does just any ol’ content work? Well, kind of. But just remember you’ll get limited results in return. Because, as you know, it’s now possible to quickly and easily find a blog post that can help you fix any problem you might have.

• Don’t know how to fix your water heater?
• How should you prepare your house for the winter?
• Can you get rid of a cold faster?
• Got ants in your pants and need a quick solution?

No matter how small, large, or absurd your problem, someone else has undoubtedly written or recorded the solution. In fact, typically, dozens of people have.

If you arm your content with solutions—whether by blog, email, or social media—customers will have a reason to continue listening to you. Not only this, but creating a unique solution gives customers and prospects a powerfully persuasive reason to heed your words.

But what happens if you don’t have this? How can your content stand out? There are many strategies you can use to differentiate your content and in turn win more followers and customers than your competitors. Here’s how!

1. Get to the Point Already

Internet searchers always want a quick answer to their questions and may need help with just a single step or two to solve their problem. Don’t blabber on about the entire history of the problem—get to the point!

Identify the problem. Explain why it happens. Show the corresponding fix. Don’t make your reader endure even one more sentence than he or she has to.

2. Entertain

In one classic example, Erin Williamson at Design Crisis knows how to entertain while discussing various interior design topics—knowing that doling out just the facts bores most audiences (aside from a few distinct exceptions like lawyers or doctors). Take a look at this facetious comment Erin makes:

“I took trig, calculus and physics, and none of that equipped me to figure out how to specify the length and width of a panel with pinch pleats and rods and rings.”

If you’re known to crack jokes in person, do it online too. You’ll get the same response, even though you can’t necessarily experience it.

3. Go Meticulously In-Depth…Further Than Anyone Else

Again, don’t tell your readers about the history of a problem. That’s boring. But do share details that only an experienced professional like yourself would know. Give your readers everything and don’t hold back.

Will some steal your secrets and tackle a project themselves? Perhaps. But even more will realize you know what in the heck you’re doing and thus want to hire someone with a sharp mind like yours.

Consider writing a single blog post and going all out on the solution to a problem. Brian Dean of Backlinko uses this approach in the SEO/internet marketing niche as a true content innovator—going way further in-depth and delivering more value than anyone else, making it no surprise he’s considered a top mind in the biz.

Moreover, don’t be afraid to share a plethora of personal experience stories. Nothing is more credible or convincing to your readers. Plus, the human mind is wired to remember stories far better than lists of boring facts. Share and share away!