Image by ama_lia via FlickrYou can learn a lot from Lady Gaga's marketing machine
If you had the chance to watch Mtv's Video Music Awards, you probably saw Lady Gaga's marketing machine in action. During the pre-show, she was the number one trending topic on Twitter and everyone was trying to guess what she would be wearing or how she was going to make her entrance. After keeping everyone in suspense, she started the show dressed in drag. As Gaga's supposed boyfriend, she gave a monologue talking about how Lady Gaga only cares about image, how she just wants the spotlight. This built up energy that fed her rousing performance. Throughout the night, she never dropped character and even after the show, everyone was talking about her.
Whether you love her or hate her, there's no denying that she is a marketing machine. She has taken personal branding and social networking to the next level. If you are looking for a job or just trying to excel at the one you have, then you know how important it is to build a personal brand and a reputation that lets people know exactly who you are and what you're all about.
So, let's take a look and see what we can learn from her media machine:
- Be memorable - There isn't anyone who hasn't at least heard about Lady Gaga. They might just remember her crazy outfits or the time that she came to an award show in an egg, but either way, they remember her. Of course, I don't recommend doing something outlandish, but still, it's important to not be someone who is easy to forget. Look at what you do that is special and find a way to incorporate that into your personal brand.
- Be great at what you do - If you set aside all of the crazy outfits and theatrical performances, Lady Gaga still makes great music. Her fans love her for it and her dance tracks are so catchy that even people who don't like her can't help but hum along. She has sold millions of records and no matter who you are, you don't reach that level of success based on hype alone. At the end of the day, you have to be really good at what you do.
- Know your audience - Lady Gaga knows who her audience is and when she performs, she is singing to them. Not only does she target her audience but she is willing to stand up for her views even if it causes her to lose money. For example, as a major gay rights advocate she recently had a battle with Target about their support for organizations that lobby against gay rights. She told the department store that if they didn't commit to end the practice, she wouldn't allow them to sell her products in their stores.
- Build brand loyalty by giving back - Lady Gaga's fans love her. They watch her every move and are the first to tweet about what she is doing, blog about her and spread the word. While it's great that she has such a loyal fan base, in her case, the love goes both ways. Anytime you see her making a public appearnce, she always mentions her "little monsters". She even has Little Monsters tattooed on her arm to honor her fans.
- Leverage social media - Lady Gaga interacts with her fans daily through social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. She has over 10 million Twitter followers and 35 million Facebook fans. It isn't enough to just have a Twitter or a Facebook, you have to engage and connect with your target demographic.
What do you think about Lady Gaga? Do you think she is a marketing genius or just hype? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for PhillyJobsBlog, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
It's not Lady Gaga I would give credit to in this case, but her producers who knew how to market her as the next big phenomenon. The formula isn't really new, and neither is her music.
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