by Cari Cole

It’s one thing to become an artist and musician… you’ve got to put in your 10,000 hours or you’ll most likely hear crickets.

But it’s another thing to get your branding right. It’s the number one thing I see most talented artists fail at – unless they’ve got an A-List marketing team. The world has become visual. We get our information from pictures – photos more than text. Especially at-a-glance which is where most people come across you on the web.

It’s so important that behind the scenes we’ve been working with artists helping them nail their brands in a way that is garnering them more praise, getting them more bookings, licensing placements and recognition from the industry and their peers. There is an art and science to it and we’d love to show you (see below*).

But for starters, here are the Top 4 Branding Essentials That Are Trending. These are pretty much non-negotiable if you want to get those killer gigs and seriously uplevel your music. Without it, you will most definitely be hearing crickets.

1. A compelling image

Your image is the first thing people see. It’s got to speak for you and make people curious enough to click on it. Work with a stylist (or a fashion forward friend), spend time creating, brainstorming, experimenting until you start getting comments from strangers ;). Artists that have a great image work on it – 24/7. It’s part of the deal in being a musician. Don’t fool yourself.

2. A killer photo that matches your music

Every artist must have a photo that speaks of your music. That means from one glance you can hear what the music sounds like. Find a photographer and stylist that works with you to create a look and concept that will speak your music.

3. A clean clear website not shrouded in mystery

Gone are the days of artists on pedestals or veiled in mystery. That was then. Now is the time of clarity, white space – those are the trends. Look at these www.allenstone.com, www.rihanna.com. Whatever you do, lose that black background and white font and don’t have more than 7 page titles.

4. A tasty hashtag name for your fans (and web page): #minorsouldiers

One of your page titles (and pages) on your site should be dedicated to your fans. The page title itself should be the name of your fans. Minor Souls (one of my favorite young bands) named their fans #minorsouldiers (hashtag and all). That’s cool.

*Here at Cari Cole Voice + Music we’ve been cookin’ up some marketing collaborations and we now have a hot list of reputable companies to build your team with including the branding piece that so many artists need consulting on. And I’m not just talking, stylists and photographers, I’m talking branding consulting – one of the things we do for artists that we do best. You can’t just work with anyone on this, you’ve got to work with people in the music biz who understand artist branding, ‘cause music requires a more artistic touch than regular marketing. Matter of fact, we brand an artist while we’re making their record – right down into the songs. Then build upon that, create the story and then the image and public persona. That, is real artist branding.

Don’t try to do it on your own.. You’re a musician, not a branding expert. Besides you need more than one set of eyes to get it right. It’s way tougher to nail than it seems. Even big artists get it wrong. But you can’t afford to. Wanna work with our team in 2015? We’ve love to talk with you about your music and see how we can help you. Click here to set up a phone consult.