When we see those golden arches we all immediately think of the guilty pleasure of a Big Mac and a simple tick is recognised globally as a signature of quality sportswear. So what exactly is a brand and how can it help take your DJing to the next level?
So what even is a brand..?
In simple terms a brand can be a name, term, design or symbol that distinguishes one thing from another. If you think way back more than a century ago, branding originated from cattle ranchers using branding irons to identify which animals were theirs. It made it super-easy to determine which cattle were from which ranch, even from a distance.
The same principles apply today but the worlds application of the term ‘brand’ has inevitability changed over time. The early sense of a brand related directly to the brand name as a method to differentiate between two similar products, essentially like a trademark. But marketers got smarter and and began to realise that there is more to a brand than the name itself, it’s about the preconceived perception of a product or service and how that perception is presented to the world. Put bluntly, your brand is what a prospect (someone you want to attract) thinks when he or she hears your brand name, it exists only WITHIN THE MIND.
The ultimate brand…
There is one company that stands out as the ultimate brand because they don;t actually make anything at all! Think about it… Redbull is simply an Austrian marketing company and doesn’t even have any manufacturing plants. That’s it, it’s just a brand!
Red Bull spends astronomical amounts of money getting their brand name plastered all over all kinds of high octane sports and activities. They own 2 Formula 1 teams, a Nascar team, 2 or 3 Football teams, a Hockey team, an Air-race, the list is endless. All of this forces a prospect to associate their product with a certain personality and reputation that they ultimately want to align with through their own aspirations making Redbull the definitive brand.
So what does this have to do with DJing?
Maybe you haven’t thought about all this in the context of your DJing career. Your DJ brand is essentially the way you present yourself to the world and the manner in which you want others to think about you and your music.
When potential fans hear your name on the radio, see your logo on a flyer or see your photo in a magazine what subconscious signals are you sending them about your personality and reputation? 
The same applies for being booked by promoters for DJ gigs and events, what impression are you setting? Can your popularity and following be measured through likes on your Facebook page? Can your level of professionalism be determined by the quality of your website and the use of your own @yourowndomian.com email address to respond to enquires?
You bet it can! There is a massive opportunity for us as DJ’s to get more fans appreciating our music and gain bookings for higher profile, better paid DJ gigs.
Over to you…
What you are currently doing to brand yourself as a professional or part time DJ? Fill in the form below to find out what stage you are at. Do you have a website or a Facebook page for your DJing? Do you have your own Podcast or do you upload your mixes to Soundcloud?
Most of all, I want to find out what YOU THINK are most important ways to market yourself as a DJ in 2015 and what you plan to do in the next year to take your DJing to the next level!
Check out the short survey here and I’ll feature some of the most interesting response in a future article.
