With so many resources available for artists to become the next big thing, the lowest common denominator in slowing down star power at this moment are artists promoting their brand properly. You may be asking yourself, “How do I go about branding myself?” or wonder “What is branding?”
Branding by definition is: The marketing practice of creating a name, symbol or design that identifies and differentiates a product from other products .
Your brand is your everything. It’s how people know who you are and what they associate you with. Whether it be your style of dress, how you speak or the way you get down on a track. All of these elements, plus more are part of your brand.
A lot of things should be taken into careful consideration when coming up with a brand strategy, and on that note, I will give 5 tips on: How To Brand Yourself As An Artist.
The audience might not be totally responsive to your latest mixtape, but as long as you showcase your best assets on social media, it will keep you relevant. Just look at Plies, and his Instagram antics he was able to stay afloat and gain more and more relevancy.
One thing i’ve learned over the years being an active collaborator in the music industry is that music is a 5 letter word and business is an 8 letter word. With that said, never neglect the business side of things because it is bigger than your music and eventually it’s going to allow you to make money.
Your music is suppose to come off as organic but once you prepare the release of a project, make sure you have a strategy. The main issue is once rappers are releasing their EP/mixtape they have no follow up plan. They are clueless about when is their next video dropping and what single they are pushing. Some people might think it’s overrated but in my opinion it’s the best way to succeed. Even as an underground artist you are able to build a decent fan base and tour from city to city (e.p: Curren$y).
There are so many other things to sell other than t-shirts and hats. Therefore, get creative and find something to sell that are related to your brand. (e.p: USB’s, Double Cups, Rolling Papers, Stickers etc…)
As an artist your main goal should be to grow with your audience. I’ve seen a few artists when I was in high school and until this day even though they aren’t major artists, I still remember the fact that they performed. Artists have the chance to become a role model for these teenagers who will look up to them if able to represent yourself in the best way possible.
Here is a quote you should always keep in mind:
“Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public” – H.L. Mencken
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Justin Mob is a social media guru hailing from Toronto. He currently serves as the Online Community Manager for hip hop website Montreality and is the Social Media Strategist for branding agency, BrandsxBrothers. Get in touch with him on social media!
