Branding strategies stars use. Case in point: Lady Gaga

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been to a few rock concerts where the opening was just plain god-awful. There is no other way to describe. I can’t put my finger on it, but it was just no enjoyable in the slightest. I had come there to listen to a band and I was instead made to listen to something that just didn’t have any chutzpah whatsoever. I wondered what it was and then realized it; showmanship. That’s what this band didn’t have. They just turned up and seemed almost…mechanical. And this lack of energy and showmanship doesn’t just matter for bands, it matters for brands too. The best branding strategies always have a bit of showmanship about them. Razzle dazzle or whatever you want to call it.

That’s what separates A-list bloggers and businesses from the decent ones. You can spot those that go the extra mile and use those few special branding strategies to mesmerize their audience. It’s why these showmen achieve the success they do. Don’t be the opening act for the rock star and don’t hang up those boots and guitars. You can be the best showman there is and be amongst the dominant players in your niche. What is showmanship, after all, except the expression of an idea or message in flamboyant and entertaining terms to a wide audience? All it boils down to is the development of a style that sets you apart from everyone else, something distinctive and unique.

Take Lady Gaga for instance (no, it wasn’t her concert that I went to. I don’t even like her that much). Born as Stefani Germanotta (Lady Gaga is such a wonderful name for a showman though, don’t you think?), she is a gifted songwriter, vocalist and pianist. Just search for videos of her early years on Youtube if you don’t believe me. But she knew she had to be different to get noticed and make it big, and so Lady Gaga was born. Now that’s what I’m talking about. For years, there was no one in the pop or rock industry with that kind of pull or charisma. Queen is the last band I can think of in that regards, and it’s no surprise that Lady Gaga draws a lot of  her inspiration from a band that included one of the ultimate showmen in Freddie Mercury.

And Gaga achieved this while having near total mastery over her craft. Don’t mistake showmanship for gimmicks; showmen are the real deal and they know almost everything (or everything) there is to know about their trade. Where they excel however is in showcasing their talents where others don’t. I have no doubt there are more talented musicians than Gaga out there. But they will never be as successful as Gaga so long as they focus solely on their craft. They need to rebrand themselves, use branding strategies that set them apart. Only them will they have the audiences eating out of their hands. And the same rule applies to you as well.