In our previous Blogpost we talked about the three phases of Artist Branding. In general, this aspect of your career as an artist can be compared to Marketing and Branding strategies in businesses. We mentioned that, as an artist, you have to formulate and uncover what makes you stand out from the crowd, your Unique Selling Point (USP). Everybody is unique, but clearly defining one or more characteristics can be quite challenging. In the following blog we’ll be dealing with more precise strategies on how to find your personal Unique Selling Point.
SWOT-Analysis
A SWOT-Analysis is usually used to analyze the external and internal situation of a company, but it can also be applied to you as an artist. The letters stand for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Ask yourself what are you specifically good at? What could you improve? Do you have something specific to offer that nobody else has? And what are things that could hinder you from reaching your desired future state? Every Artist needs to answer these questions for themselves, there is not really a wrong or right answer to this. As always in business, try to think outside the box and outside the given parameters.
Tip: We tend to be overly harsh on ourselves, especially in regards to our own Art. Sometimes it’s hard to look at your own work objectively, which is why it can help to ask a third party to help you with defining the above mentioned aspects.
Drive Until Tomorrow by Keren Lindley
Elevator Pitch
An Elevator Pitch is a technique with which you try to sum up who you are and what you do in a very short time span. The underlying idea is the following: Imagine you want to pitch your business idea to the Manager of (insert your favorite Label/Radio Station/etc. here). Managers are always quite busy, but this one grants you the time of the elevator ride to present him your ‘business idea’. Try and time the presentation yourself, the goal is to communicate your image and your music in a concise, yet, descriptive manner. It is quite difficult and will need some practice, but when you’re under time pressure it gets clear what aspects of your art are important for you and for the audience to know.
Wayne McArthur on stage
Describe yourself in 500 words
This strategy is quite self-explanatory. The thought behind it is quite similar to the Elevator Pitch. If you limit yourself in terms of word count it gets apparent what characteristics you find crucial to communicate to someone else. Like mentioned before this is not an easy endeavor, but it will be worth the struggle. Nobody will read a 1500-word essay about your aspirations as an artist, 500 words are more realistic to work with.
To round it up, it is important to find your Unique Selling Point as an artist and to be able to communicate it to your audience in a clear and concise way. Good luck with making and shaping your message!
Related Blogs:
The three steps of Artist branding
How to get more work as an musician?
How do I get more Gigs?
