There are so many places, niches, dark and bright corners of the Internet that to say that it’s easy to get lost when marketing yourself is a gross understatement. As thousands upon thousands of new web pages and web sites go online every day, what can you do to make sure you’re recognized when marketing online?
Of course, there are the well-known standbys: youtube, vimeo, facebook, twitter,myspace (dig the new logo, btw), flickr, ustream, linkedin, the list really does seem endless. What bothers me the most, however, is when brand integration gets lost in the fray of promoting your message, art, video, or product in an online environment.
It’s much clearer for companies who can push a slogan and a logo everywhere they are promoting (admittedly, adapting that to target different markets can be difficult as well, but it’s part of the fun). However, for individuals, a band, a signer, a painter, etc. it can be a bit more challenging. What’s your avatar? Do you have a catch phrase or a logo that symbolizes who you are?
When you read it here, it sounds so simple, but I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been looking into a new band and everywhere I go the only thread is the text-based name. What happened to their style? Where’s the core vibe of the artist? It’s not just about getting your music and band on every site you can find, but being careful and deliberate with how you brand it. Who are you? What’s your brand? Before you jump into a massive launch, take some time to make sure that’s amazingly clear because people will be drawn to the consistency and “truth” of your style and message. Integrate yourself into your brand, and integrate that into all your online efforts. Be real about it. When you find the right style, vibe, message and overall brand you’ll believe in it enough to work tireless to maintain it.
