The CYBER you: DESIGN+PR+BRANDING
- the MUSIC
- the PRACTICE ROOM
- the HEADSHOT
- the AUDITION
- the PERFORMANCE
- and, a chance to WORK THE ROOM: SHMOOZING - OLD SCHOOL.*
TODAY?
The advancements of the internet age have taken the term, “working the room” to a whole new level. The practice room is monitored by your updates on-line, and your performance can be edited until “just right.” A game changer for artists of all genres, its sudden portability allows you to work the room or, let’s face it, be a stalker from a party, a bus stop, or at home in your ‘jammies. As long as you have access to WI-FI you can be CYBER SEEN with the cool kids. Your:
- WEBSITE
- FACEBOOK page
- TWITTER feed
- BLOG or
- CHANNEL (for goodness sake!)
- ENDORSEMENTS,
- PARTY SIGHTINGS and the
- # of HITS or FOLLOWERS
“It’s not about APTITUDE, it’s the way you’re VIEWED,
and its very shrewd to beeeeeeee, very, very, popular - like - me.”
(Glinda’s aria from WICKED!)
Chatting with the talented, new kid on the block,
Elizabeth Bowman
owner and founder of
BOWMAN DESIGNS:
Design + Branding + PR Boutique
I learned a little bit more about
GOOD P.R. in the age of SOCIAL NETWORKING.
Trained as a singer, Bowman later discovered that she had an even greater passion (and TALENT) for helping young artists with their presence in the media, and their communication with the audience at large. Bowman is a no nonsense, design savvy professional with a very consistent set of principals when helping her boutique roster of talent. First up?
BRANDING
Remembering that (in this age of social networking) all of your SITES need to have a CONSISTENT MESSAGE, LOOK, and overall ATTITUDE so that the product (that would be YOU) is sending a high quality BRAND out to CAREER followers at all times. That includes paying attention to the little things like: repeating the photos (and photography style) presented on all of your links, updates, contact info, even your colour scheme. The more professional and consistent the look, the more recognizable and memorable your product will be.
Keeping a consistent theme when posting verbal updates is also key:
- Posting about upcoming gigs = consistent with the brand.
- Posting about your last relationship disaster on twitter...? Ummmm....not so much...
COLLABORATION
“The modern singer is all about collaboration. Making sure that your passions and genuine interests allow the audience to see the real person behind the art. If there is no personal connection, your followers will quickly become disinterested.”
One of Bowman’s artists has a passion for cycling. Connecting her talent (a great photo and a solid interview) with readers of a cycling magazine will highlight the artist’s other passions while being introduced to a new audience. It may not be music, but it IS authentic and, no doubt, these readers will see that there is more to this young talent than meets the eye. Brilliant!
COMFORT LEVEL
Familiarizing yourself with the FREE MEDIA TOOLS available to you and, more importantly, knowing where you are most comfortable presenting yourself, can go a long way.
If you are not internet/computer savvy, know when to ask someone for their expertise. Social Networking is the medium through which your “on-line personality” will be viewed by the masses... best to present it at the highest level possible.
As we wrapped up our conversation (and I tried to remember if my last twitter post was “brand appropriate” ) I scrambled to get her last parting words on paper. If you remember anything from this conversation I hope it is this:
“ARTISTS have the POWER to make art WORK.”
So, what are you waiting for?
The world is awaiting the on-line YOU.
Thanks for reading!
For more info on Elizabeth Bowman’s
DESIGN + PR + BRANDING services
please visit www.elizabethbowman.ca
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