Hey y'all! I am TJ Miller and I am #UndaTheHat as always. As a degreed vocalist, thespian, storyteller and former major label executive, I've been in and around the arts and the business thereof all my life. For more details see the bio in the about section of the site.
Welcome to my new blog called #TipUndaTheHat. Here we talk about music, books and marketing. Let me hear back from you ok….
So let’s get started talking about branding. Establishing a brand image can be intimidating and even seem formidable, but oh so necessary. The old saying “a picture says a thousand words” is truer than ever in the social media world we live in. Let’s say you got that hot song, or book finished that was burning in your heart. Your dad, mom, sister, brother all think it’s hot; now what? Get it on the radio or in the local book store right? Not so fast!
Who are you? What’s your image, your vibe, look, interests, and does it align with your message? What can your fans expect from you? Is it consistent? In other words, what is your brand?
I urge all my clients to have both a personal and a business page on social media. On the business page it’s important to stay on message with posts; they do not need to be about the family fight over mac and cheese, save that for your personal page. Potential fans could see your social pages before actually hearing your content, the images on those sites need to connect you to your customers and must be consistent across all platforms. Do not allow lousy images that don't match your music or story stand in the way of connecting with your fanbase. Today the way people buy are about two things, content and marketing; but they do not sit on an island alone. You want your fans and your customers to come to your island, and how do they? Your brand image draws them to you; kinda like the golden arches draws kids to those fries.
Trade sites like Goodreads, ReverbNation or Soundcloud should have the same consistent imaging with your facebook or Instagram pages and yes you do need a Linkedin page. And if you don’t have a website - get one. There are enough DIY sites like bandzoogle that give you a great look. If you have trepidation about doing it yourself, sites like fiverr have inexpensive designers that can do your site and your logo.
Your brand can also be enhanced by what’s known as sonic branding. This is a signature sound, something great to use on your website when the page opens. This is especially great for businesses and services. In her blog, Haley Walden, speaks eloquently about sonic branding and has a video that really breaks it down.
For you book writers, you too need a brand image. It’s a little harder because you spend so much time alone, it’s almost like playing tennis by yourself. So what vibe do you portray? You can’t be scary and dark if you write children's or religious books right? So think about how you want to portray yourself, and does it fit what you write about.
The most important thing about a brand is that you connect with your audience in a way that’s special and unique. Now take all the time you need to think about this; The Netflix brand is so strong, it competes with sleep.
Ok, thank you for reading. I hope this #TipUndaTheHat helps in some way. This is my first one so I need all the feedback you can give. Next week we’ll talk about copyright and PRO’s (Publishing Rights Organizations).
Peace.
Be sure to click on the name and scroll down the page to see and hear music from the latest Independent Artist of the Week. This week Mahogany TheArtist