Redbridge Online

Category: Branding

  • 6 Steps to Branding for EDM Artists

    6 Steps to Branding for EDM Artists

    A giant mouse head fist pumped behind the biggest rubix cube ever and the crowd went wild.

    When @Deadmau5 became the house DJ at the 2010 VMAs, electronic music gained mainstream recognition. Today, everyone has a pair of fluffies. And why not? EDM’s recognition in the music industry is long overdue.

    So, what’s the difference between @Deadmau5 and every DJ that hasn’t had the opportunity to play the VMAs? Some produce using the same equipment and have loads of musical talent. Why is he successful when so many other talented DJs still go unrecognized? Well, for one, DM5 is a freaking musical genius and for two, he has those ears that light up.

    But there’s more to it than a sweet pair of ears and a ginormous rubix cube. Deadmau5 has a distinguishable brand and continues to build support by marketing himself successfully. He’s everywhere and doing everything to connect with his followers and establishing his brand. From Facebook to Minecraft to Instagram and gaming – the Deadmau5 brand is in constant interaction with his audience. And, his brand is him. That simple.

    From a marketers perspective, here are 6 things every aspiring DJ can do to keep the dream alive.

    1. Be Professional.
    In every interaction, be respectful, committed and reliable. It’s the foundation for every career. Music is no different. Bring your “A-Game” 110% of the time. If you have an audience of 2 or 2,000, play like you’re playing for your MOM, or someone else of equal awesomeness. You never know who is watching and what doors can open or close based on how you perform.

    2. Build a following.
    Anyway, if you’re professional, that’s half the battle. If your personable, that’s the other half. There’s something mysterious about musicians that makes people wonder about what makes them tick. Establish portals (not the game) for people to connect with you. A website is a must-have and can serve as a central hub for your musical marketing efforts. And push your music out to the world wide web – it loves great stuff. YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter, Facebook…and pretty much all things social media.

    Music and dancing are personable and social – so make your music available on those venues and watch as the support grows. I don’t know about you, but I follow all my favs. People want to know their favs and see how they exist in the world. How many people know that Meowingtons has a seriously cush life? I’ll tell you how many…ALOT.

    Social media is amazing for building awareness for your music. And, not just about your music, but about what’s going on in your world so your audience can relate to you as a person — your brand. Trust me, it’s a good thing, even though it can be time consuming. If you don’t have a ton of time and do NO other social media, I recommend;

    – Facebook Page
    – Twitter
    – Instagram
    – Soundcloud

    Post at least once a day, except on Soundcloud. Soundcloud, just stay active and upload new music as you complete it.

    3. Make your music accessible.
    Seriously, you might end up in the right place at the right time…and if someone says, “Where can I go to listen to your music” you should be able to hand them a jump drive or direct them to your Soundcloud. And have a business card that shows you’re taking your music serious. Again, be professional. Make it look like you and gave it the same amount of professionalism that you put into your music.

    4. Make media connections to distribute media kits to
    Uh, the big part of getting your name out there is getting your name out THERE. Get active in the local music scene. Connect with local newspapers, magazines, venues, radio stations, etc. When something newsworthy comes your way, let your list of connections know. But remember, they’re busy doing news-y stuff so be relevant and succinct. Don’t fire off an email to your connections because you’re going to be playing at the same venue you always do. As much as your following wants to know those things, your media connections are looking for stories that will get both you and them noticed. So…wait till epic happens and grab the nearest megaphone to share the news.

    5. Create marketing materials…aka GEAR.
    Design a website and some tshirts. Burn some CDs. There’s so much…MUCH.

    6. Be YOU.
    This is the most important thing I’m going to write. Be yourself. You are your own story. Tell it. What are your ears? What’s unique about you that comes out in your music that no one else has. Know what it is about your music that makes people stop and listen and want to share. If you don’t know, ask. Music is a very personal expression so in order for your listeners to get invested in your music they need to understand and relate. We’re all humans with the same range of emotions. Share the emotions behind what drives your music and people will know it’s genuine and react. Be yourself. Know who you are, why you play, and what’s inspiring you.

    If you happen to rule at Destiny, drive an energy-efficient car, like Charlie the Unicorn, or just got the new iPhone6 Plus…share that. People like to know what makes you tick. And they’ll love you and your music for just being you. :)

    So, if music is your dream/passion – be yourself and be professional and do everything you can to make the dream come true.

    My favs:
    @Deadmau5
    @Kaskade
    @MorganPage
    Ridium
    Evan Alexander (Seriously, when it comes to Step 1, this dude is the epitome of professional. You’ll want to work with him.)

    Oh, and…don’t stop believin. :) Hard work and perseverance will open doors.

     

    PS: If you read this and want to get started but don’t know how/where – you can email me.
    PSS: That is NOT the real Deadmau5 in the picture, nor do I do any of his marketing. Buuuuut, his brand is so recognizable, that I bet you saw it and thought it was. I’m telling you, he’s a marketing GENIUS!

  • Sustainable Marketing in 3 Steps

    Sustainable Marketing in 3 Steps

    I may have mentioned a time or two, I pretty much love Earth…leaves, butterflies, oxygen…love…all of it. So, yes, I’m pretty passionate when it comes to sustainable marketing practices.

    Before I became the CEO for @redbridge, I was a marketer of energy-efficiency programs. I called what I did, saving the world one kwh at a time. Anyway, when you promote energy-efficient products and choices you need to lead by example or people get skeptical. Nobody wants that.

    My 10+ years of sustainable marketing practices can be boiled down into 3 simple steps. Here they are:

    1. Think “green” brainstormy thoughts!
    2. Design to make green “the new black”.
    3. Buy green. It’s just nice. :)

    Have I wowed you with my brilliance yet? Well…I hope NOT because I can talk about this ALL DAY! So, here I go, the 3 secrets revealed in 5…4…3…2…1…:

    1. Think “green” brainstormy thoughts!

    In my perfect world, a marketing plan serves as a road map for upcoming marketing activities. You’ve planned out as far as a year in advance. Relaxed brainstorm sessions happen in the quarter prior to the deliverable’s deadline allowing you to glance out further in the timeline to see if there are other materials forecasted that can be combined. I also have a pet unicorn in that world.

    In my real world experience, you plan out as far ahead as possible and stay flexible. So the more you can think green thoughts on the fly, the better Earth is going to get. Whether your next item is well-planned, or a marketing emergency, consider what you’re trying to accomplish and how the end result can be created, greenly. For instance:

    • Email vs. Direct Mail: Get email addresses for your target audiences and send email campaigns versus direct mail. They have similar return rates, AND e-mail can be re-purposed easily for a follow-up emails. It’s also got analytics for capturing data and saves paper and ink.
    • Web ad vs. Print ad: Think about it…you can be more targeted, include animation and capture analytics. I’m giddy just thinking about the possibilities! Animate a .gif, or better yet, add flash or link to a video that shows your audience how much you love them. Expand your advertising dollars by linking your ad to an even more targeted page inside your website etc., etc. That’s…uh-mazing!
    • Web-based contest vs. Print: Printing can be both beautiful and expensive. Why not create a wildly exciting web-based contest solutions and encourage users to forward their invite to non-participants? Use Scvngr and create a web-based n hunt and get your participants interacting in all sorts of picture-taking, webby goodness. Or, maybe create a video contest. Here are some cool samples of how others like are doing it. Go @Zappos!Web based contests can increase activity without increasing budget. You could have a full-fledged viral contest without adding labor resources or printing dollars. Analytics provide direct return on investment results. And, by letting technology do the work, your resources are freed up to focus on the next great thing.
    • Online forms vs. Printed forms: This one should go without saying…direct input to database…genius and earth-friendly. And think of the paper you’ll save! You stand to benefit from real-time data and your customers will love that you’ve sped up rebate processing times. It’s a Win-Win. Even Steve Covey would love that!
    • Less deliverables vs. more: Why create a multiple pieces that serve the same purpose as one. Sustainable marketing encompasses more and lasts longer. Think “timeless content and multi-use materials” and watch your marketing dollars stretch.
    • Online events vs. In-Person events:Cloud computing has enabled conference hosts to stream live audio, video and collaboration of events.  Companies like Social 27 have created full-fledged ways to share valuable knowledge over the world wide web while saving attendees travel expenses. It’s the ultimate “green” conference.

    2. Design to make green “the new black”.

    You know black. It’s always in, always sexy, and always in demand. Well, let’s bring green’s sexy back, yes?

    There was a time when making green materials meant spendy and with some quality sacrifices. But great news…those days are history. There are so many cost-effective and beautiful marketing alternatives that are eco-friendly. And not just digital solutions, marketers have an opportunity to take green marketing to a whole new level. From concept through production, there are tons of things that can be considered.

    • Size to maximize paper usage. Yes, bigger is big, but take creativity to the next level. Instead of producing a single sheet 8.5×11, consider minimizing content at half the size. Work with your printer to find out what sheet size the project is printing on in order to get the most from one sheet. If you can get two by reducing the size by a 1/2″, why not? You’ll save materials and cost. :) Uh…yay!
    • Paper materials. Recycled paper stocks are available for all sorts of things. Eco-friendly doesn’t have to mean that your materials look like chipboard, even though chipboard can be pretty, too. @NewLeafPaper produces Reincarnation paper stocks that print beautifully, and feel like velvet…velvet. Recycled paper is available in cover and text weights. There are also biodegradabe substrait substitutes for Banner materials and event very beautifully done event displays – all earthy-goodness. Whoda thunk?
    • Design for long-life. As you’re developing your marketing plan, look at the current materials, but also see what you’ll be developing further out to see what you’ve got on the radar. Consider what materials could be combined into multi-use items.

    3. Buy green. It’s just nice. :)

    Everyone says buy green, right? And it means a LOT of things to different people. Here’s my interpretation…

    • Use recyclable materials. If you’ve got a short-term promotion, create marketing materials that can either be reused or will easily break down into the environment. Vendors usually have recycleable substrate options on hand or easily accessable, so ask for an environmentally friendly option.
    • Consider environmentally friendly promotional products. Think about what products can be both useful and and memorable to your end user and work with a vendor to see what sustainable products are available that fit your needs. Stress balls and those little flashlights are inexpensive and fun, but when we’re 100, there’s a pretty good chance, they’re still going to be in a landfill.
    • Give love to local. Local vendors mean a few things…support for local businesses and no shipping. And, look for FSC Certified vendors…that’s gold star worthy. Establish ways to dispose of used materials in sustainable ways. Include messaging on your materials to let users know where they can recycle.

     

    So there you go — 3 steps — planet…saved. Feel free to comment with additional ideas! And if you’re interested in greening up your marketing, let’s connect! Ooh…and if you want to know if I’m paid to promote the companies/products mentioned my answer is…Nope. I just love what they do and how they do it. Earth does too.

  • The Entrepreneurial Path Unfolding: 3 Questions from Cre8Con 2011

    The Entrepreneurial Path Unfolding: 3 Questions from Cre8Con 2011

    “To believe in yourself and to follow your dreams, to have goals in life and a drive to succeed, and to surround yourself with the things and the people that make you happy – this is success!”
    – Sasha Azavedo

    Eight successful entrpreneurs presented at @Cre8Con 2011. They each spoke about obstacles they overcame and the approaches they took that turned their passions into success. Each of the panelists have transformed what fuels their fire into fruitful business ventures and the resulting work is…phenomenal!

    Was it an easy path for any of the eight panelist? No. The deep story behind all the successes was the same; Each had tried and failed miserably and more than once in many cases. So why were they successful? How did it work for them when so many people go to work every day at “jobs” that they find unrewarding.

    The common denominator in each presenter was that they had all identified what it was they were truly passionate about and made a decision to pursue it no matter what the obstacle. Each person experienced a moment where, after failure, they stopped and reassessed what they were doing and why it wasn’t working. In some instances, they were trying to please other people instead of staying true to their passion. Some were stuck in the rut of doing what historically worked initially for fear of being unsuccessful at the next thing. Some spent lengths of timeaway to reconnect and just be…listening to their inner voice to learn what they needed to do to be the best them that they could be.

    How many people give up after trying and failing once, or even twice? What if they stuck it out? What potentially amazing life works can come out of someone who does what they love every day? When you’re 95 years old, how great to look back at that journey?

    So how do you become one of the success stories? @JellyHelm seemed to have it figured out…and he’s smiling. So I’m guessing he’s on the right track. I took away from his story these three questions.

    Ask yourself:
    1. What do I love and feel passionate about?
    2. What am I doing about it?
    3. How can my passion and love benefit others?

    Sometimes you ask youself these question and get an answer right away. Other times you have to really search yourself and the people you surround yourself with to find the answers. Don’t be afraid to ask the people who are close to you.

    One of the speakers was #IreneTaylorBrodski, a documentary director. During a time after she’d begun her career journey, an opportunity to film a life-changing procedure presented itself. A deaf married couple who underwent surgery to hear again was almost not captured. The reason? They were Irene’s parent’s and so close to her that it was only from a friends suggestion that the idea even came about. Irene went on to film the award winning #SundanceFilmFestival documentary Hear & Now. So you see, sometimes the opportunities are right in front of us and we just need to step back to see them.

    Is it easy? No. Each of the panelist had tried and failed. Each had been out of their comfort zone and scared. But being scared is human. If you’re scared, it’s because you’re in unchartered territory. You’re likely trying something new or in a different way that may lead to success or failure. Or maybe you begin to surround yourself with peers who are “out of your league” or better than you. Nothing is scarier than working with someone who knows more than you. But at the same time, isn’t it better that they’re on your side? And why shouldn’t you view it as an opportunity to “up” your game?

    If you stay inside of your comfort zone all the time then nothing will ever change. And if nothing ever changes then you aren’t changing either. Getting yourself from Point A to Point B means taking the first step, and following that with the second…And then the 10,000th. Know you’re going to fall sometimes in the journey, but also knnow that you’re going to get back up. :)

    The path is always unfolding – do what you love. :)