We can’t think of a more impactful way to heighten brand awareness than the tactic adopted by British oil giant BP: pump 210,000 gallons of crude oil every day into the Gulf of Mexico while trying to buy off Louisiana fishermen to prevent lawsuits.
Are we suggesting you cover yourself in oil to gain attention for your DJ brand? No. Jersey Shore’s DJ Pauly D has already cornered that space.
But it reminds us of at least one crude marketing campaign gone awry. In 2007, Turner Broadcasting System’s Cartoon Network set up 400 light display boxes in 10 cities to promote Aqua Teen Hunger Force. The boxes, which displayed a character from the show extending a middle finger, caused no trouble—except in Boston. Main streets were shut down and public safety agencies were mobilized. The city spent $500,000 before it realized it was a marketing ploy designed by a New York agency hired by Turner.
Turner paid a $2 million fine, but ratings for the show increased 5% and web activity on the Cartoon Network more than doubled.
One key to success is to be always thinking of ways to heighten your brand. Turner understood that the first way to heighten your brand is to communicate it. Have you tried blogging to communicate your brand? If so, remember:
Stay focused. You do weddings? Stick to your niche and offer your potential clients your learning and wisdom. They’ll come back.
Build on bonds. Your first readers may be friends and family members, but if you’re offering helpful advice, your audience will grow.
Set yourself apart from others. What is it about you and your service that’s special? Find that answer, find your story, and use that in your blogging advice.
Start by logging on to other wedding blogs and posting replies to their content. You’ll quickly find yourself engaged in dialogue that will at the very least sharpen your skills when dealing with your clients.
