You hear about branding all the time, but what exactly does it mean? The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a “Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.” When thinking about popular long­lasting brands like Coca­Cola, Johnson & Johnson, Nike, Nestle, or Chevrolet, not only does their logo come to mind, but also their tagline and images of what they sell. Over the past ten years, we have seen a shift in the artist branding as well. With the ability to transcend the globe via the internet; celebrities, musicians and actors are able to connect with fans and make more money with products as well as their art. Think about Jessica Simpson. The former pop star has built the biggest celebrity fashion brand, The Jessica Simpson Collection, worth over 1 Billion.

So, whether you are an artist, musician, singer, actor, dancer, teacher, or small business owner, begin to build your brand! Where do you start?

1. State your objective. Write a mission statement, list adjectives that describe your company, state your values, establish your product offering, and hash out what makes you different from your competition.

2. Get a logo. A graphic designer can artfully design an eye­-catching logo with unique color and font choices. For as little as $150, you can have a designer make you an awesome logo. Check out 99designs or Logopond for some inspiration.

3. Target your audience. What are you selling? If you are the best early­ music soprano in the city, make sure you are marketing yourself as such! Connect with every church, every early­ music publication, every lover of early ­music.  We have a client who is a restaurant consultant. He is tapped into every restaurant convention, every restaurant publication, and is on a first name basis with the top chefs and restaurant owners in the city. When restaurants need assistance turning around their event department, the industry knows to call Joseph Jacobino, Restaurant Consultant.

4. Get to work! Building a brand takes a lot of time, energy, patience, and pursuit! Continue to innovate, add new products, network, and keep yourself in the race!