When you think of icons in music who know how to market themselves two names immediately come to mind: Madonna and Lady Gaga. With either one of them, you just have to stop and stare.
These women are marketing queens, and, actually, marketing geniuses. What do they have to do with your business? Everything. Marketing is an art form in itself. We live in a fast moving world and to catch people's attention your brand - whether it's your personal or company brand - needs to be dynamic and edgy. Now, you can be sophisticated and edgy too. But you need to push the boundaries a bit if you want to be noticed. So stand up and step out!
Here are the key concepts of what Madonna and Lady Gaga have done to stand out and how you can apply these ideas to your brand.
Madonna is fearless and provocative. Powerhouses face down their naysayers on social media and they don't have any self doubt. Know your message and have conviction. Girl, just do you.
Madonna went from a hypersexualized diva to a working mom yogi - she is constantly reinventing yourself and catching people's attention because they never know what's coming next. So you need to dial up a piece of your personality to capture people's attention and constantly keep them guessing through your natural evolution. Be interesting (like you aren't already!).
Madonna has a lot of conviction and she's been denounced by the Pope to ethics professors. She doesn't back down, she stands up. Know what you stand for and against and don't be shy to share this with your followers. Trust me when I say they will have your back. And the ones who don't will soon disappear. You don't want them around anyway.
Madonna is a radical and a rebel - there is a big outward change in her avatar but inwardly she is not making that much of a change. So do things differently with a twist or be one of the first. Think of companies like Apple, Twitter, Facebook, and so many more who did something differently and stood apart. Strut that fab self of yours!
Madonna has in recent years partnered up with a lot of younger artists who are current day so she could tap into a younger audience. Be sure to put yourself in front of the newest generation always and create meaningful partnerships. It's the best long term strategy I know.
Lady Gaga lives her brand 24/7. She has a unique way of dressing but that's who she is. She's authentic to herself and lives her brand all the time. It's not just something you see her in on stage. That "weirdness" is part of her brand. Your brand needs to be authentic and you need to model it both offline and online. So skip the full on glam mode unless that's who you are 24/7. Be real.
Lady Gaga focuses on long term relationships with her fans over short term revenue. She started in dive bars and continued playing there long after she didn't have to and could have gone on to bigger venues. She did this because she was building a fan base of devoted followers. Be smart with your audience. Once you develop raving fans, guard that relationship the same way you would your YSL bag that is sitting on a counter. Don't walk away from it for a sec.
Want to learn more about personal branding? My free branding guide can help you learn how to build your brand on any social media platform. It's here for the taking!
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