That headline may sound ridiculous, but it is true. How many of you can claim 14 million sales of ONE album or product? (I looked that up.) Impressive, even if you think her “meat dress” was bizarre, or don’t care for her music.
But when it comes to your business, and your brand, whether a big company or a mom and pop shop, the unique, talented, weird and media-frenzy inducing Lady GaGa can teach you something. (Or would you rather read about what some suit and tie academic has to say? Didn’t think so.)
Know Your Audience. You can’t be everything to everyone, so stop trying. Take what you are good at, passionate about and what your business is built on, and use that to guide you to those who you can help the most. When customers find out how useful and helpful your product or service is, they have no need to go anywhere else.
Remember, you can’t be everything to everyone. Every hear of a dentist/gun repair/yoga studio? Me neither.
Be Interesting. No one can accuse GaGa of being boring or overly mainstream. Take a tip from the Lady, and create your own flavor, stance and commit to it. Just because you wrote something about your industry that YOU like in a whitepaper or on your website, don’t confuse that with compelling, pertinent content that has mass appeal. Customers, or more importantly, potential customers don’t tolerate dull content or lame topics. Use what you know, and what you know well, and teach someone something. Be daring. Be useful.
Be Recognizable. No matter how many times you hear her name, GaGa is instantly recognizable, no matter where.
Within your industry or market, do people know you? Is your brand strong enough or known well enough to be the go-to business?
To be the known commodity is a rare, useful and difficult position to attain, but all businesses should strive to be known. Be known for a stellar product, service or culture. Maybe even be known as the best. Because when your customers view you as a commodity, or the same as “that other company”, you have no leverage, and they will decide if you are the right solution, and usually do it by not using you enough, or at all.
What this boils down to is believing in your brand, and your strength as a company. I doubt Lady GaGa is unsure of who she is, what her ‘brand’ represents when she steps on stage, or dons another wacky outfit, to sold out crowds and millions of paying fans everywhere. Now go figure out what your own meat dress is.