Indigo7 Marketing & Design
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What’s happening, folks! It’s just another addition of Frankly Friday! Be sure if you have any frank thoughts, business or otherwise used the hashtag, #FranklyFriday today. Yuup!
I have been doing a lot of watching the news, reading articles and listening to rumors. And I wondered to myself, do some of you all understand how you look to the community as a brand? I was disappointed to hear another sad story about a famous NFL player then I heard a rumor about a bunch of rappers and a R&B singer arguing over who dated a famous Pop singer. If this is the way to create a buzz for your brand, some of you all are losing right now. Not all publicity is good publicity in my book.
What do you do to create a brand image that will promote your mission in a positive way to your target audience? Good question!
#1 Look at your team especially your PR person. The PR person is the one who cultivates, maintains and protects the brand in the community via the media, community relations and social events. You all have to be on one accord when it comes to presenting the mission in a positive way. Everything that you and your team do is being watched. One false move….. Boom! The brand’s image can go down the drain.
#2 Pay attention to the type of opportunities that are offered to your brand. The potential sponsorships, events and other opportunities should fit with the brand’s mission. The opportunities should be creating a positive brand image in the community, not hindering or destroying an image. For instance, another NFL player actually did his image’s justice after a messy and public family issue by being a guest DJ on one of the local radio stations and talking about his mother on a female hosted national talk show. He avoid all conversation about the issue and focused on the positive aspects of his brand.
#3 Be the first to address any brand issues if they arise. The media and the public will be a lot more nicer if you come to them first with any major concerns and/or issues with the brand. It shows honesty and trust to the media and the community. Now, as I have always said, pick your battles. You should only entertain those issues that could kill the relationship between the media and/or community.
Your image is everything. The way your brand is received is based on what has been seen and heard. Pay attention and be careful with the opportunities that you are given. If not, you and your team may have to deconstruct a bomb in regards to your brand’s image.
Hopefully, this helps you in your branding journey! Thank you for reading! If you have questions, please email me indigo7.franklyfriday@gmail.com. Or tweet or DM me at @indigo7mktng on Twitter.
Until Next Time,
NCO
Really Good Tip for Musicians…….
Marketing Tip: Remixes + Collaborations
Just like everyone else vying for attention on the web, musicians struggle to control the conversation for long after their big release or tour. It’s especially tough when a band just released a single and will be too busy working in the studio and your hands are tied. One great way to keep that single alive and well is blasting it out to a network of DJs to remix it. Remixing a single can extend the lifespan of your single and it’s a great marketing tool to keep the song in the minds of current and new fans. Granted, there needs to be due diligence in picking the right DJs who will treat your song with the respect it deserves.
Another caveat on remixes: one remix can launch a viral effect into a dozen more. DJs not only like to sample popular music, they watch what other DJs do to their samples and want to repeat and compete. This only helps the song and pushes your band’s brand. The best part is you don’t have to do anything and the band looks with it because you’re open to creative collaboration.
On top of remixes, bands should be open to donating time to work with big name acts that go against the grain to present yourself to a different fan base.
Go to the the Armani Twitter page (@Armani) to follow……
#ArmaniTweetTalks will consist of live discussions on relevant fashion topics with leading figures from the industry. For more
Well, folks! This one is about to be rather frank. Yes, Ma’am and Sir! It is about to go down. LOL! No! No! Nothing that is going to really hurt but just something to think about when there are rumors centered around your brand.
As I mentioned earlier in the week on Facebook, I talked while ago about what to do when you have brand rumors. Take the higher road and keep it moving in regards to providing positive branding, I say. But what do you do when you address the rumor? Because sometimes you have to answer the rumor because it could make or break the image of your brand. The reason why I bring this up is because I address a rumor about the history and creation of the business name and the reaction I got was rather funny because of the people who I asked.
Well, what do you do?
One: Go directly to the source! That was mistake number one when I decided to address the rumor. I decided to contact the PR person for the brand and two associates of the brand’s creator instead of the person in question. Wrong, Wrong and Wrong again. Their responses put me off even more. I was hoping to get more truthful answers from the three then going to the other brand’s creator. I asked but what I got was people taking what I asked out of context. Another not wanting to be involved. And the other made me question her intentions.
If you go to the source of the rumor, be ready for a fight, literally and figuratively. Bottom Line. Keep your brand’s mission in mind as you address the source. You are a reflection of your brand’s image in the community. Calmer heads will always prevail especially when you have done everything in order.
Two: Have your stuff in order before addressing the rumor! The person in question was telling people that she gave me the name, Indigo and didn’t give her credit for giving me the nickname, supposedly. In addition, she stated that I stole the number seven from her because she so happens to have it in her brand name. From my understanding, she wanted or is wanting use the name in some sort of fashion in collaboration with her current brand.
Make sure you have documentation like emails, legal documents and other materials that will show where you stand in regards to your brand. It is very important when it comes to discussions about issues and concerns about the brand. It will gives you leverage in a situation.
In regards to my stuff, in the state of Missouri and in Dallas County, TX, the name, Indigo7 Marketing & Design, is legally owned by my younger brother and I, nothing more or nothing less. I have all legal right to sue for misrepresentation of my brand in any form or fashion. I am sorry and I don’t care who you are, friend, family or foe. You will not use my brand without going through proper procedures.
For clarity, The business name is a combination of a nickname, Indigo given by an ex and my birth date, Feb. 5th added together.
Three: Stand up when you feel you need to! Don’t let anyone make you question your intentions for your brand. If you are getting a gut feeling that there is something wrong in regards to a rumor about your brand, act on it. There is nothing wrong with questioning someone’s intentions when it is warranted. Pick your battles accordingly!
Alright! I have a new way for you all to reach me in regards to the blog, you can email me at indigo7.franklyfriday@gmail.com. If you have any questions & concerns that you wanted to discuss privately, email me. Don’t forget you can still tweet or DM me at @indigo7mktng on Twitter.
Until Next Time,
NCO
Good Day, Folks! Sorry for the re-post last week! I was busy and didn’t have the time or energy to write the blog post like I wanted.
But today’s #FranklyFriday post is based on the weak contender vs the strong contender in a group setting. Can you work with someone that you have deemed stronger in areas that you are weak in? That is a very good question……
In my experience, to answer this question, you have to look at yourself first.
Questions to ask yourself:
- Are you confident and/or have high self-esteem?
- Do you believe that you are capable of doing your job or profession?
- Are you aware of your gifts and talents?
- Are you aware of your weaknesses?
- Have you created an action plan to make those weaknesses a strength?
- Do you realize that they will always be someone who has more education, skills, connections, etc than you?
If these questions bother you, then you may want to sit down and evaluate your career and personal path. Because in the end, you will always be placed in a group or team setting where someone will outshine you and you will need to have the maturity to deal with it. What one person’s path will be will not always be the path that is created for you….
I asked this question on our Twitter page this past weekend saying the following:
If you had the opportunity, would you get rid of the weak link or your strongest contender? Truthfully…
Surprising, I didn’t get any responses but then again this was coming from the business Twitter (@indigo7mktng). I felt the statement was somewhat personal but you know me keeping it just a tad bit too real on a Saturday morning, my response was the following:
For me, the past= greatest contender. Now= the weak link. Because in the end, they are looking at your intentions for the brand.
The reason for the response is the fact that coming from a past where I was not confident in myself and my gifts and talents and my self esteem was not sufficient enough for someone of my category, I would have gotten rid of the greatest contender. I couldn’t afford to have someone who is better than me getting the position. Only to find, I was holding myself back with that type of ideology. People will look past you because you are going out of your way to point out the greater contender’s flaws only to find as the weakest link, your flaws outweighs theirs any day. And people notice your flaws first before the greater contender’s. We have to realize when you are simple or basic in your thoughts, nothing prospers in that selfish thought process. I mean nothing. It may work a little awhile for the short term but in the long term, you can call it a wrap.
Right now in my present and future, I would have to let go of the weak link. I can’t afford to loss a client because this person is not capable of doing their job or has another agenda as a team member. I will lose my greater contenders in the process if I don’t get rid of them. This is about image and brand identity. I refuse to allow the downfall of one or more weak links affect the overall dynamic of the team. Because I am complex in my thoughts. I am looking at what it will be in the present as well as what it will be in the long-term. You lose money, energy, people and clients if you are not looking at the team dynamic in a strategic way. But you have to be confident in who you are and able to salute someone when she or he is capable of doing it better than you. Nothing more, Nothing less. God has create us differently. Embrace who you are not the gifts of another.
I am starting to realize that as a team, you should be doing what is best for the brand not is what is best for you. If you are looking for how this is going benefiting you then you may want to step back from the dynamic. Your character and rep is on the line as I typed this. Bottom Line.
Please feel free to reach out to me via Twitter or Facebook.
Thanks for reading!
Until Next Week,
NCO
The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that GM will end its $10 million ad spend with the social-networking site after finding it had little impact on consumers’ car purchases. But for a number of reasons, don’t expect advertisers in the fashion business to follow suit. For more
Marketing Tip: Don’t Spread Yourself Too Thin
It may be one the most volatile and exciting times to be in the music industry, but it also demands a lot from the vying DIY artist trying to build a web presence. Music tech is booming and hundreds of start-ups are pulling and tugging at every single artist that has a Facebook page trying to get them to use their service. While it’s an encouraging feeling to have some innovative tools at one’s disposable, it can be detrimental spending too much time on a new account for the latest Onesheet copy cat. As an artist, it’s tempting to test drive a zillion different free/paid services because you’re desperate to take advantage of any way to make some noise and gain new followers. Not to be too cliche, but it’s necessary here: it’s all about quality versus quantity.
Your fans don’t give a damn if you 10 different social network profiles and you only dedicate a minute or two to a few and ignore the rest. The only way to make an impact on the web is to first of all make the music come first. Make sure you’ve devoted blood, sweat and tears into your debut EP before you start thinking about launching your Tumblr account. When the music is ready, do research first and make accounts for the essential sites like Facebook and Twitter, and after that, keep it simple and choose the tools that fit the best and don’t commit to something that you’re only going to half-ass.
Artists complain to us everyday it’s impossible to keep up with everything and the music tech industry is as noisy as ever, so keep your message less fuzzy and more focused.
Timing can be everything in the music industry, and musicians shouldn’t waste it on a Pinterest account if it doesn’t fit their demographic.
Never that….
(via verboselady)
