*Branded* Content is King

According to a recent study by the Custom Content Council and ContentWise, 78% of U.S. marketers plan to shift investments from traditional marketing to branded content marketing. More specifically, 62% are “moderately” making the shift, while 16% are pursuing it “aggressively.”

The study found that branded content marketing spending reached its highest level ever in 2011, just shy of $2 million per company. This accounted for 26% of overall marketing, advertising, and communications budgets for the year, and 30% of marketers expect their content budgets to increase in 2012.

Why content?

The top-ranked reasons are:

1. To educate customers (49%)
2. To retain customers (26%)
3. To increase brand loyalty (14%)

Similarly, marketers believe content marketing is more effective than:

1. Magazine ads (72%)
2. Public relations (69%)
3. Direct mail (69%)
4. Television ads (62%)

Is your brand pursuing a branded content marketing strategy?

PHANTOM POWER

Marketing by Design

www.phantompower.co

Are You A Band Or Are You A Brand?Get Over Your Fear of Selling Out & Start Marketing

Like any other profitable endeavor, music is a business. And as a musician, it's important to understand the basics of musician marketing if you want to be successful in this highly competitive industry. Start by developing a branded image, one that immediately tells your fans who you are and what you do. The following lays out the details on how you can develop a branded image that will help you take your music to the next level.

Importance of a branded image

In business, a branded image is your logo, tagline, colors, fonts/typesets and other attributes that visually represent one's company. In music, the same is true: Every band should develop at least a band logo to instantly gain recognition and set a mood for your audience. The more your audience sees your branded image, the more likely you are to gain credibility and earn fans... paying fans.

A branded image establishes you as a legitimate musician and makes it easier for your fans - or "customers" - to identify with you, and it presents upsell opportunities such as apparel, hats and other merchandise. Without a branded image, all you have is a name. With a branded image, you have a unique style that sets you apart from all other musicians.

How to identify your branded image

To identify your branded image, think about what genre of music you represent. Consider your fans, their likes and dislikes, their passions, and what they respond to. Research competitors to see what how they represent themselves - your most successful competition can lend great insight, indeed. Identify how you are different from your competition.

Next, list the results of all your research: Write down everything you know about who you are in a few words and phrases. Now, consider your own passions - what unique aspects you bring to the music world - and jot those down as well. Put everything together and come up with a preliminary tagline to describe yourself as a musician.

Finally, take your musician definition and consider creative ways to represent that in a word or two. Synonyms and rhyming dictionaries, historical texts, and other resources might be extremely beneficial. Come up with three potential concepts and choose the best - the one that resonates with you - as the name for your band or as a tagline for yourself as a solo artist.

Branding through design

Skilled graphic design can transform your musician's branded identity from a written concept to a visual motivator. This image is what the world will see, and the public will perceive the ideals and emotions that your image expresses.

Your logo doesn't have to be complicated - a simple text style or a few shapes will do. Consider Metallica's first logo (with the lightning bolt "M" and "A") or the Stone Temple Pilots' "STP" logos - they're both simple brand images for exceedingly popular bands. Though simple, when you see these logos you instantly know who they represent, what style of music they play, and whether you're a fan. When you achieve this, you've developed a powerful musician brand identity.

PHANTOM POWER
Marketing by Design
www.phantompower.co

Five Major Marketing Challenges Faced by Event Vendors and Ways to Cope

Special guest post by Jeff Copeland, owner of Simple Weddings and Tampa Bay Search.

I’m a marketing guy, and I’m also a wedding vendor. Sometimes the two complement each other nicely. But the wedding industry is unique in many ways and, frankly, wedding vendors are sometimes better off ignoring traditional marketing and advertising advice aimed at other industries.

Here are five major challenges faced by businesses in the wedding industry and some ways to cope with them:

1.   Marketing to a steady stream of new prospects instead of a “cycle” of repeat customers

The wedding industry is unique in that you only get one shot to market to your prospects. Generally speaking, couples only get married once. So, even if they are absolutely thrilled with the service you provided, they aren’t likely to be a repeat customer anytime soon. This fundamental difference from many other industries makes a lot of typical marketing advice null and void, and makes things like email marketing very difficult.

Ways to cope:

• SEO – Increasingly, today’s brides and grooms aren’t picking up the yellow pages or watching many television commercials. They get their news and entertainment online, and if they need something, they Google (or Bing) it. You have to be there when they search! If you have not invested the time and effort in search engine optimization, you are missing more and more potential customers every day. [Check out my "What the Heck is SEO?" series and "How Google Instant Affects SEO and What It Means for Your Website" for more info]
• Social Media – Granted, your wedding clients probably aren’t coming back. But their friends might! That is what makes social media platforms such as Facebook so powerful. If your happy clients “friend” you on Facebook, all of their friends and contacts are introduced to your Facebook profile. Some of them may be in the wedding market soon.
• Reviews – When you shop for something on Amazon, what is the first thing you read about a product? I don’t know about you, but I always scroll down to the customer reviews section before anything else, and it’s often the only thing I read before making a purchase. Your prospects are hungry for feedback from people who have already used your service…feed them! Choose a single, reputable platform (such as Google Places, OneWed, or WeddingWire) to capture all of your customer reviews and make getting these reviews an integral part of your follow-up with clients after their wedding (we have had great success by offering a free gift such as a wedding picture). And most importantly, make these reviews prominent and easy for new prospects to find and read!
• Diversify – Think of some ways you might be able to get your wedding clients to come back or use your skills  and equipment for other related opportunities . Family portraits (for photographers), vow renewals, other special events? 

2.   The long buying cycle

Brides and grooms often have a very long lead time from the time they enter the market until their wedding date. What this means for you as a wedding vendor is brides may be checking out your website, blog, social media presence, and customer reviews a year or more before their wedding day, and possibly months before they even contact you.

Ways to cope:

• Quality content – Give your prospects a reason to keep coming back! If a bride visits your website or blog, saves you to their favorites, then comes back a couple of months later only to find nothing has changed, she probably won’t come back a third time. It’s fine for your website content to be relatively static (as long as it is current and accurate), but you can always add pictures from recent weddings or stream your blog’s RSS feed to your website to keep things fresh.
• Blog – Your blog, on the other hand, needs to have a steady stream of quality fresh content. You should be posting your favorite pictures from your recent weddings, planning tips, advice, and guest posts from industry professionals on a regular basis in order to give your prospects a reason to come back on a regular basis. Remember, if nothing else, time spent looking at your website or blog is time spent staring at your logo!
• Pictures – I can’t stress enough how important it is to have high quality pictures on your website, blog, and social media presence. Brides love pictures. Let me repeat that – BRIDES LOVE PICTURES! And this is one area where the wedding industry has a leg up – If you’re not a wedding photographer, chances are you work with a few on a regular basis. Most would be thrilled to share some of their work with you for display on your website or blog as long as they are credited for the picture. 

3.   The seasonal nature of bookings, weddings, and cash flow

In most areas, January and February are the busiest time of year for wedding inquiries and new bookings (people tend to get engaged over the holidays and start their wedding planning after the first of the year). Unfortunately, the holidays and the beginning of the year also tend to be the slowest time of year for actual weddings – meaning your cash flow is probably at its lowest at the very time you need to be out there advertising to new brides!

Ways to cope:

• While it’s sometimes easier said than done, try to save some money and plan your advertising spending for maximum impact. Often, this means spending as much as 50% of your annual advertising budget from January through March in order to lock in those Spring and Summer weddings.
• Consider offering payment plans. Many wedding vendors take a deposit when the wedding is booked, then collect the remaining balance on or just before the wedding date. If a couple has six months or more between the time they book and their wedding date, consider letting them make interest free monthly payments in the months leading up to their wedding. This has the double benefit of spreading out your cash flow more equitably throughout the year, and decreasing the likelihood of cancellations. 

4.   The Economy, Stupid

Every wedding vendor knows that our industry closely follows national economic trends. Let’s face it, many wedding services are “optional” and aren’t absolutely necessary to ensure a beautiful wedding. When the economy goes south, so does wedding spending by brides and grooms-to-be.

Ways to cope:

• Go where the money is - consider offering lower cost alternatives to your typical services or well-conceived discounts to brides on a budget or including more services in your current prices.
• Partner – could you package your services with those of another vendor (or group of vendors) to offer a broader range of services and increase the perceived value to your prospects? 

5.   Low cost competition

Some segments of the wedding industry have low barriers to entry. Let’s face it, anyone with good organization skills can call themselves a wedding planner, and anyone who can afford a decent camera could conceivably take someone’s wedding pictures.

Ways to cope:

• Educate your prospects and clients – many of your prospects would be shocked to find our how much your equipment cost or how much time you spend on pre- and post- wedding activities. Pull back the veil (no pun intended!) and give them an inside look at how you prepare their wedding venue or edit their wedding pictures [Note: Your blog is the perfect place to do this!]. If your prospects and clients really understand your art, they’ll value it accordingly.
• Build your brand – Imagine you are looking at two rental cars. You have to choose one for your trip, but both are under a cover, and all you can see is the hood ornament. One says Mercedes. The other says Kia. Which one do you choose and why? Obviously, Mercedes is the stronger brand, and (all other things being equal) consumers will choose the trusted brand everytime. Your brand has value. I want to stress that this has nothing to do with your logo, and everything to do with your business model, marketing, copywriting, and reputation. This takes time to build, but it serves as insurance against upstart competition!
• Find your target market – Once you truly understand your target market, the competition dwindles. This is called your unique selling position. Focus on doing one thing and doing it like no one else can. If you are truly unique, there is no competition, is there? 

PHANTOM POWER
Marketing by Design
www.phantompower.co  

4 Ways to Overcome Marketing Challenges Forever

For most small business owners, marketing is an overwhelming concept. They need marketing solutions that ensure a smooth-running, profitable business yet most don't know where to begin or how to focus their efforts.

90% of small businesses don't even have a marketing plan. It's difficult to reach your destination if you don't know where you're going!

If you're a small business owner looking for ease, focus and marketing success, we recommend that you focus on just 4 tactics:

1.   Establish a memorable and unmistakeable brand identity:

The secret to business success is determined by your ability to powerfully communicate your business with laser precision and your ability to deliver a clearly-defined and consistent experience.

In a nutshell... it's called branding, and, when done right, it ensures a thriving business with all the customers and profits you need. The secret is to establish a powerful brand identity that sings distinction. And establish that identity before you launch any marketing activities.

2.   Create a deep connection with your core target audience - your potential raving fans!

Who wants and needs what you have to offer? The only wrong answer is "everyone." If you're a pediatrician, you may see infants and children. Are they your target audience? No! They are your patients, but it's the parents you need to connect with to get the kids in your door. And it's not just any parents - it's a definite group of parents.

In marketing, you get a lot more "bang for your buck" if you focus your spending on a well-defined group of people that you enjoy working with. The better you define this group, the more effective your marketing can be.

3.   Design compelling offerings that pull customers in like a magnet.

80% of all purchase decisions are based on emotion. It's your job as a marketer to know how your customers want to feel and to get them to visualize how your services can meet their needs. People want to know, "What's in it for me?" Tap into the emotion and create offerings that touch your customers.

4.   Craft A Personal, Workable Marketing Plan

Marketing is everything you do to make your product or service more visible, more desirable and more profitable. Your marketing plan will clearly define the big picture and provide focus and direction based on the 4 'P's of Marketing - product, price, place/distribution and promotion.

Since 90% of small business owners do not have a plan, you'll have a leg up on your competition by crafting your personal, workable marketing plan to ensure that you reach your business goals.

Following these 4 criteria will transform any small business into a money-making machine guaranteed to grow your client list, sales and profits. The upfront work is the secret to a million-dollar business, literally and figuratively.

PHANTOM POWER
Marketing by Design
http://www.phantompower.co/

50 Ways to Promote Your Music

Some you probably have thought of, many you probably have not. Maybe some you just need some reminders on some of the more obvious ones! Either way, there are some new ideas, and links to very useful websites that can help promote your music, website or social networking pages. If you have feedback on any of these particular websites, or if you have ideas to add to the list… let us know!

1.    Build a Professional Website

2.    Play Your Instrument In Odd Places (think flash mob)

3.    Have business cards ready to give out
 VistaPrint is about the best and cheapest

4.    Keep your fans in the loop with Email Marketing
 GET A 60 DAY RISK FREE TRIAL AT CONSTANT CONTACT

5.    Ask to Open For More Established Bands

6.    Create/Produce/Sell/Giveaway Wearable Merchandise

7.    Promotional Giveaways with your logo is TANGIBLE ADVERTISING

8.    Supply local hot spots with branded supplies
 Have a local bar that hosts musicians?
 Do they need disposable pints?
 Customize!

9.   Create a Facebook Fan Page

10. Hire A Social Media Marketing Expert

11. Embrace Video Marketing and post your performances on YouTube

12. Post In Online Community Forums and Message Boards

13. Post in Free Online Classifieds Such as Craigslist in the Musicians Section

14. Build a mailing list; one for fans, one for venues and blast with postcards

15. Promote your website, social networks and blog in a Local Bands Directory

16. Promote Your Gigs using Facebook Events

17. Get As Many Links From Other Sites to Your Website as Possible
 Builds your pagerank on Google.  Perhaps a link exchange with other artists?

18. Install and Maintain a blog on your website

19. Submit Articles to EzineArticles.com
The top article syndication website online
Don’t forget to link to your site

20. Post about your Music in the Music Forums for your local newspaper

21. Create and Distribute Online Press Releases

22. Take Out TARGETED Facebook Ads

23. Play As Many Open Mics As Possible

24. Play At Festivals and give Out Stuff

25. Be Willing to Play For Free

26. Signup For Battle of the Bands in your area

27. Dress your poodle in a doggie sweater with your name on it

28. Hire a Booking Agent (choose carefully)

29. Stay In Contact With Your Fans with an Email Marketing Program

30. Give out branded Scratch-and-sniff Stickers With Strange Smells

31. Compete for prizes and band exposure on websites like ourstage

32. Recruit Hot Girls To Act As Groupies
This tactic isn’t for everyone

33. Stage Banners

34. Create Promotional Post Cards / Calendar Cards and Distribute
Music venues, record stores, coffee shops, commuter hubs, gyms, salons

35. Hire A Publicist

36. Release Demo CD's to Record Companies

37. Blow up Beach Balls with your Logo and leave them on the beach

38. Network, Network, Network.

39. Hang out/Perform at Karaoke Bars

40. Attach Promotional Material, Bumper Stickers, Lettering, to Your Vehicle

41. Host Local Open Mic Nights

42. Participate in Local Charitable Functions

43. Upload Your Songs Anywhere Possible

44. Give out as Much Stuff As Possible With Your Logo on it

45. Advertise Upcoming Shows and Events on Community Websites

46. Advertise Upcoming Album Releases On all Fronts

47. Frequently Update Website, Facebook, Twitter and Blog if you have

48. Give Music Lessons

49. Launch a Street Team and Recruit Local Fans to Help Promote Your Music for Free

50. One of the Absolute Best Ways to Promote Your Music is by Word of Mouth! Don’t 
 just tell people, but give them incentives to “share” your message online.

PHANTOM POWER
Marketing by Design
http://www.phantompower.co/