In my career fantasy, I'm a rock star: a musician in a popular band that tours the world, plays concerts in front of thousands of adoring, screaming (and paying) fans, and the subject of countless press requests, magazine cover photos, and articles and interviews where I get to share my beliefs on everything from fashion, to trends to politics.
Instead, I'm a marketing professional.
But what if I want to be a marketing rock star? What could I learn from musical rock stars that could help me become a more accomplished and successful marketer? After all, no musician is crowned a rock star from day one. Instead, most musicians who become rock stars followed a path that included specific behaviors that led them to achieve stardom.
The following are the five behaviors I'd recommend most adopt:
1. Learn to sing or to play an instrument – Let's not overlook the obvious. In order to become accomplished in any skill, you need to learn the fundamentals of your craft, you need to study, and you need to practice. A musician takes lessons and learns how to count a variety of time signatures, learns how to play a range of chords on musical scales, and usually how to read music. And who does one take lessons from? You take lessons from somebody who is more experienced, more practiced and more advanced than you are. Study and practice under the tutelage of a "teacher" is usually a requirement of learning a new skill.
It's the same with marketing. In order to study marketing, you can take classes, either at a university, junior college or even at SBA offices across the country. You can read case studies and eBooks on marketing web sites, and you can read the latest marketing books written by noted authors.
To start practicing, you can find an adviser, coach or consultant with whom you can hold weekly conversations about marketing. Discuss your latest readings and how you could apply what you've learned to your own business' marketing mix.
Lastly, get into the habit of testing new ideas to learn how they change your sales. The way to improve your skills is to learn the fundamentals, explore new styles and techniques and put them into practice.
2. Play some local shows – All musical rock stars have paid their dues by performing at small, local clubs and venues. It's at these formative performances where bands get to test a variety of songs and musical arrangements, learn how to create crowd participation and excitement, and ultimately find out what it takes to create a loyal following of fans who will pay to see them at the next live performance, who will start buying CDs and merchandise, and who will sign up for the band's email newsletters and start engaging via social media. Even major bands that already have established stardom will occasionally try out new songs at small clubs before embarking on a major tour. It's a form of testing and refinement that helps create a better product once it's released to the masses.
It's the same with marketing. Try out new ideas and test them on a small scale. If they don't increase sales or don't result in the desired consumer behavior you are seeking, such as signing up for an email newsletter, then rework them until they do. If they do work, then you've found a winning formula to launch more broadly and to share with all of your customers and prospects. Trying out new programs, and testing the results will help you identify new "hits" that can propel you to marketing stardom.
3. Be unique – Whether it's the voice, the wardrobe, the hairstyle, the makeup, the dance moves, the live concert fireworks or theatrics, or simply the message of the song lyrics, all rock stars stand out from their peers. Love them or hate them, the Sex Pistols became the talk of the music industry in the 1970's by being audacious. Rock stars are different. They're memorable. They zig when others zag. They identify what's working in other musical genres and adapt them and make them their own. For instance, the Beatles are said to have introduced skiffle to mass British audiences, and of course and Elvis Presley made rhythm and blues mainstream.
It's the same with marketing – Your products and services need to be different AND desirable in order for you to rack up sales growth and for you to gain marketing rock star status. You can do this through your communicated benefits, your packaging, your customer service, your follow up, your ability to teach, train and inspire your category in order to set you apart from your competition and appeal to your fans. However you do it, you should always be asking the question, "Why should somebody buy from me instead of from a competitor, or instead of not buying at all."
4. Love it! – Jimi Hendrix is quoted as having said "Music is my religion." U2's front man Bono has said "As a rock star, I have two instincts: I want to have fun, and I want to change the world. I have a chance to do both." Passion, an ability to connect to thousands of people through the emotions and messages of music, and the exhilaration of performing to audiences drive rock stars to share their craft and talents.
It's the same with marketing – Market and sell products you love. When you're proud of your products or services, you will understand the benefits they give you and the benefits they offer to customers. When you have this insight about benefits that connect emotionally, you will be able to communicate them more effectively, passionately and persuasively. It will come naturally to you to want to share your products, offer them, sell them, heck, even sing about them.
5. Always be creating, promoting and performing – The rock stars who have endured the longest have also created an extensive library of music. Often, they embark on multi-month and concert tours to connect with their fans and to reach as many people as possible. When they are between tours, they are writing and recording new music, and often find ways to stay connected to fans through news, interviews, special appearances and promotions.
It's the same with marketing – Once your business has gained traction and a loyal group of customers, you should seek to maintain your stardom. Do this by continuing to connect with your customers with new products that meet their needs with incredible "performances," with customer service they remember and want to share with their friends, and with new promotions and marketing programs that solidify your relationship with them.
Strive to become a marketing rock star. Not only is it a great way to ensure the success of your brand or company through sales growth, but it's also a lot of fun being creative, learning how to be different and getting to smile from ear to ear when customers praise your efforts.
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If you liked this blog post, you will like my free ebook, 54 Ways to Increase Sales Like a Rock Star. You can sign up for it from the form below, or if you want to learn more about what it contains, read about it here.