Branding For Dummies

| by Kevin English

When branding comes to mind I think of two things. One that includes catergorizing cattle and the other, a symbol or logo of a large corporation. In essence a brand is the mindshare given to a person place or thing by a selected demographic. In this case it is your band.

What do you want people to think, say or feel about your music? That’s a pretty tough question, I know. The good thing is that all of this can be controled to a certain degree if you pay attention to your brand.

Consider for a moment how most of your fans will find you. Online? Radio? On the road? From a review? Whether you like it or not, you will need these five things to click if you ever expect your band to be heard.

Radio

Pick your poison. Determine which radio format your fans gravate too and make sure you are there too. College? Top 40? Mixshow? Knowing this is 1/5 th of the battle.

Retail

Make a list of places people (who like your music) go to both on and offline. Amazon, iTunes and Wallmart aren’t the only places people shop for music these days. Sell your product in any way that aligns with who you are and why you do what you do.

Online

Is your blog or Myspace page a mess? Fix it up for godsakes. There are too many low cost options out for you to have a busted internet profile. If you need help with one just ask.

Touring

What do you look like in person. Are your clothes dingy? Does your make up run during a performance? If these things are true, they’d better be a part of your brand message. If not, go back in the house until you have your shit together.

Reviews

This one is a toughy (because you can never control what people say about you in the press). Outlets like Pitchfork are known to rip a new band to shreds [as if they have the right to critize]. Here is where you will have to use your descretion, make some friends, return some favors and treat the inteviewers time with the utmost respect.

What’s even simpler is this list of backyard branding techniques:

Be nice

Be prompt

Play good music

Dress the part

Be uniquie

Choose your band name wisely

Create a professional logo

Manufacture promotional items

Google yourself

Use the same avatar across the web

Create and manage your online presence. Don’t let it manage you.

Find your niche

Perfect your elevator pitch

Know your own story

Share and Enjoy:

View Comments

Stanmore Phoenix
March 27, 2010 at 7:17 pm

Ugh, I am now reminded that my myspace is terrible. I've also been making the terrible faux pas of selling CDs with my website on it when I havenot yet put up a holding page for the site. I think the easiest fix for that would be to transfer my wordpress.com blog to my URL but Im not really sure how to do that. LastLy, the concept of my 'elevator pitfh' is something I've been trying to come to terms with but I can't quite figure it out. Any advice you could offer on any of these conundrums?
eleetmusic
March 27, 2010 at 8:12 pm

Hey Stanmore!

Thanks for stopping by man. I took a quick listen to the records on your Reverb Nation page and I like what I hear. Your sound is very unique, well produced and thoughtfully written. Well done.

As far as Myspace is concerned, you can have one customized by my guy at http://goldentechs.com. He designs all of my stuff and is a wiz with Ning, WordPress and just about any other social profile you can think of.

or..

You can try a new service called Myspace 360. Here is an example of what they can do for you: http://www.myspace.com/irationtheband. The owner's name is Dave Sherbow and can be reached here: http://twitter.com/musicbizguy

As far as transferring your WP blog to you own URL, start by reading this tutorial: http://bit.ly/bUmjwQ. You may have to upgrade your blog [for less than $10 per year] but this link should get you started in the right direction.

Elevator pitches are harder than they sound but very necessary. Here is a link to a helpful article on the topic: http://bit.ly/cmZmoH

The trick is to have a two or three line hook that rolls off your tongue easily to impress your target. Never know when you'll get one shot and 30 seconds to gain further interest in your project.Hope this helps.

Thanks again for reading and let me know if you need anything else!

Best,

Kevin
Spookus
April 4, 2010 at 1:18 pm

As a designer, in can not stress the importance of branding enough through a logo/web site. When I think of EleetMusic I think of the logo with the highway and the clean font that was used. I interpret the highway as a way of getting somewhere and the font as professional. Sometimes my clients simply want a web site, which is cool, but adding a logo is the icing on the cake. That's why I try to cross sell some of my clients into getting a logo done. Good post Kev:-)
eleetmusic
April 5, 2010 at 10:37 pm

Thanks Jabari. Not only for the comment, but for all the work you've done for me over the years!

Looking forward to a great 2010 with you sir.

Best,

Kevin

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