There are seven ways you can create a memorable and exciting marketing strategy for your business. All you have to do is think like Freddie Mercury, writes Nicola Moras
We all get inspired by the confidence that oozes out of a rock star when we see them on stage. We love it when they step into their own and take us on a journey with them throughout their performance. Their mastery over their voice; their certainty and commitment to the performance – we love it when it’s done well.
Look at the example of Freddie Mercury – or Gwen Stefani or Madonna – an icon who had the ‘it’ factor: magnetism and confidence. These traits help rock stars cultivate raving fans who throw their money at them for their music, concerts and merchandise. Here’s how we can emulate this in our own marketing and create our own raving fan culture.
1. Own your point of difference
The thing that makes people stand out is how they enhance and highlight their point of difference. For those of us who are marketing ourselves online, the main point of difference we have is ourselves. Think about your knowledge, your experience, your lifestyle and even your personal qualities (for example you may be energetic or analytical) – you can accentuate some of these features so you stand out and can be seen.
2. Create a rock star mindset
Musicians know that for most of them it takes a long time to ‘make it’, and they know that they’re going to need to persist. There are no quick fixes or magic pills when it comes to marketing yourself online. You need to choose to be positive about the fact that it requires you to be consistent and persistent.
At times it will mean that you need to do something different and reinvent the way you show up online – a bit like Taylor Swift did when she transitioned from the country music genre to pop. Pivoting makes sense if what you’ve been doing isn’t working. It doesn’t make you a failure. Be brave like a rock star and share your opinions on the issues that are important to you and to your audience.
3. Know your audience
AC/DC would be unlikely to play to the audience of an opera, just like an opera singer is unlikely to wow the audience at a heavy metal concert. When it comes to your marketing, you’ve got to know who you’re talking to, so they can enjoy what you’re saying, otherwise it can come across like you’re shouting at them – and even worse, out of key!
4. Connect and engage with them
Every fan loves it when the lead singer of the band singles them out to speak to them on stage or catches their eye. It’s like a rush of adrenaline goes through their body as they feel that connection. Your audience online can feel the same way about what you’re putting out there when you acknowledge them personally. Social media isn’t like a crowd of faceless humans. They are real people watching and listening to you. Help them feel connected by speaking with them, not at them.
AC/DC would be unlikely to play to the audience of an opera, just like an opera singer is unlikely to wow the audience at a heavy metal concert. When it comes to your marketing, you’ve got to know who you’re talking to
5. Grow your presence strategically
When artists are trying to be heard and seen, they tend to play anywhere they can get a gig, which isn’t very strategic. If you play your music in the wrong venue, you risk the rotten tomatoes being thrown at you or being booed off stage.
Be strategic about where you’re going to market yourself. If your audience is a professional one, then you’d be wise to invest some time in marketing yourself on LinkedIn. If they’re more relaxed and your products photograph beautifully, I’d suggest looking at Instagram.
Facebook is the only platform that I tell every business owner to be on. There are 2.37 billion active monthly users on the platform, and 1.49 billion of these are active daily users. I can guarantee you that there is enough of your ideal audience on Facebook. You need to be on there.
6. Be consistent with your content
We don’t tend to fall in love with one-hit wonders, often thinking months down the track, “Who was it that sang that song?” We want to be remembered, and that’s going to need consistent content. Post daily and make sure you’re adding value for your audience with the content you’re putting up there.
7. Scale it and create a community
Audiences love it when musicians create great concerts and merchandise. Concerts bring people together who all like the same thing. It’s like a community is created of people with the same interest.
Creating communities online where your audience can get together is super important. Humans have a core desire to belong and to be with like-minded people. Create the space in your marketing to make this happen. Consider how you can scale your marketing by offering your audience a group or a space to ‘hang out in online’. (Facebook groups are a great way of doing this.) This is where your raving fans are going to come together and sing your praises.
To market yourself like a rock star, you’ve got to take on the mindset of a rock star and emulate the way that they have built up their personal brand. This is where your marketing, your opinions and your content come in. Have fun with it!
Nicola Moras is an online visibility expert and the author of VISIBLE, a guide for business owners on how to generate nancial results from social media and digital marketing. She helps clients around the world achieve visibility, impact and pro ts, enabling them to become ‘professionally famous’ online. Find out more at www.nicolamoras.com.au.
