So you’re an artist but you want people to know about your music. Why not brand yourself, but not in the traditional t-shirts + merchandise table sort of way. Maybe make yourself available, come out from behind that table and hang out with the crowd. Moreover it may help to have an online presence. In order to be successful in music, you need to figure out how to brand yourself.
The same is true for startups, and we can learn a lot about self-branding from the music industry.
The Popular Who’s Who In The Branding Yearbook
It’s 2012 and self-branding is still used, from movie stars to music celebs. How have these celebs become self-entrepreneurs? Simple. For instance how many celebrities, can you name, who have or own their own brand of cologne or perfume. Puff Daddy(Diddy), Paris Hilton, J-Lo, and the list goes on, not only do they have their own fragrance, they may have their own vodka. A glass of Ciroc anyone? Diddy is a special brand name due to his expertise in the record business; thanks to his label Bad Boy Records. Diddy has rose through the ranks of branding himself. He was and is still the face of Bad Boy Entertainment.
It’s no secret that to be a “paid” artist, one must branch out into other territories, essentially showing their face in every place possible. Diddy again, promoted his running of the New York Marathon. Who else would do such a thing. He even named one of his many band after him: Diddy Dirty Money.
All This Branding Seems Too Obsessive
I know you are asking yourself, “did Diddy’s brand strategy work for him.” According to “The Forbes Five: Hip-Hop’s Wealthiest Artist 2012,” Diddy is No. 1 on the list. So what can we learn from Diddy? Always be available for promotional opportunities, whether it’s promoting Vote or Die or letting MTV document how you prepared yourself for the New York Marathon while raising money for charity.
Not only did it work but his self-branding help make him number one against his hip hop counterparts. So know who to target, do some sort of charity work and connect with what’s going on in popular culture. I remember shaking my head in disbelief, because Diddy released YouTube clips, called Diddy Blog, of him sometimes doing monotonous everyday tasks. Amazingly thousands of people watched these clips.
The Success
Do you have to run a marathon or spend hours taping yourself eating cereal to get people to check out your Startup or website. No, of course not. But think beyond the scope of what may be in front of you and branch out to other endeavors that could help boost your popularity. Blogging is of course one of the easiest ways to get your name out there in the online world.
Okay, so maybe blogging isn’t your thing, well Twitter can certainly help you gain followers. Follow people and organizations who are related to your business. If you don’t know a company or person who followed you, so what, follow them back. Building connections is important for startup success and it needs to be an ongoing activity.
Photo Credits
DiddyDirtyMoney.com / FreeDigitalPhotos.net / FreeDigitalPhotos.net / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
