I grew up loving Hip-Hop. In South Carolina, when the latest rap song blasted through my radio, it fueled excitement in an otherwise simple and uncomplicated day-to regime. Although I had never walked the mean streets of Philly, sold drugs on the streets of Brooklyn, or ran the streets of New York, I knew about it because of these famous rap labels.
As a business owner, that experience has shaped how I approach marketing. They used a strategy that every business should be using if they are online. The fact that these record labels were able to reach a small town teenager 100s of miles away is not only due to huge financial backings. It’s due to something a bit less obvious.
Branding
What these labels did is create an identity for themselves outside of their music. They created something bigger than the product they were actually selling. By doing that, not only were they able to be more memorable, they were also able to make money off of their brand.
How many times did you see Ruff Ryders apparel in the mid and late 90s? Could you hold up the hand signal for Roc-A-Fella if prompted? Maybe you own some Wu-Tang branded merchandise?
Branding gives potential customers something to remember your business or product by. It helps customers forgive that mistake you made last month…
Remember when Old Dirty Bastard got in a little PR trouble? It didn’t kill the brand.
Your business can do something similar – with a little effort.
We’re Not All Rap Stars
This is probably a good thing too because my free-styling skills suck. However, we can all brand ourselves.
Which is why I am proud to be an ambassador for Tribe of Zero, a Canadian company helping small businesses and entrepreneurs find their way. This month, they are hosting a one-day event focused on branding for small businesses and entrepreneurs in Seattle, Washington.
Not only will I be attending, I also have discounted tickets to give away. If you would like to join me at the event, enter code JMCK307 to receive more than 30% off of your ticket.
Learn how to stand out from the crowd and be memorable, without having a crew of extra rappers who never actually produce anything…
And if you need any help with a writer to put it all together for you, you know who to call =)
Buy your discounted tickets here. Hope to see you there!
Writing My Way Up 
This is great,& should be shared to all existing & start up operations.