6 Things Every Small Business Can Learn From Lady Gaga
February 14, 2011
I was never a fan of Lady Gaga. I grew up in the age of Madonna rolling and gyrating all over the stage in her fetish-style costumes and Ozzy Osbourne biting the heads off bats. Lady Gaga and her outrageous outfits and risqué lyrics didn’t faze me. She was just another wannabe exorbitant artist that the general public was eating up and I didn’t pay much attention. That is until I saw her on 60 Minutes last night; then I realized what a marketing genius she is and gained a new respect.
She built a brand (Lady Gaga) from scratch and is now, according to Anderson Cooper, “the most talked about entertainer in the world”. Lady Gaga didn’t get famous by accident. No, she diligently studied “the art of being famous”. This is a woman on a mission – a woman with passion and drive and I gained a whole new respect, if not for the music, but for the business woman and brilliant marketer she is.
Here are 6 things all small business owners can learn from Lady Gaga:
- Master the “Art of Fame” - Lady Gaga didn’t become famous by accident. She knows what it takes to be famous because she invested the time and energy; she studied it. Nothing she does is by accident. She plans every outfit, every song, every interview, every moment of her life. Are you a master of what it takes to become famous in your industry? Do you understand what others in your industry have done to make it big? Can you honestly say you KNOW what it takes to make your business as successful as you want it to be and that you plan each and every action with achievement of that goal in mind?
- Know your audience and connect– Lady Gaga knows her audience, she has a huge fan base of young and old who feel disconnected and disenfranchised in the world and she speaks to and connects with them in her music, her image and her interviews. She moves them because she understands them so well. Who are your “fans”/customers? What moves them and what do you do to move them? What do you do on every level to connect with them?
- Be inspirational – People are drawn to positive people, businesses, and outcomes. If you aren’t excited about your business, no one will be. Lady Gaga embraces and uplifts the insecure, outcast, “freak” in us all. Hers is a message of self empowerment and self acceptance- and that has helped her succeed. What is your message to the world?
- Make it personal – Lady Gaga uses her own experience to connect. She grew up feeling like an outcast; she was different. But instead of using it to isolate herself she turned it into a way to connect to others. How can you tell your story to connect with your customers and prospects? What need, problem, or niche do you fill that is lacking in peoples’ lives? People connect with people – make it personal!
- Be outrageous – No one ever got famous or popular by being timid. Lady Gaga made a truckload of money and became a worldwide phenomenon by taking risks and by standing out from the crowd – by being outrageous. What can you do in your own industry to stand out and be outrageous? Don’t be afraid to take risks- don’t follow the crowd.
- Change it up sometimes – Never be boring! Every time you see Lady Gaga she’s sporting a different look. She’s always outrageous, always edgy and always true to her brand – but she’s always fresh and new and exciting! How can your company and brand keep it fresh and new and exciting so that every time a customer or potential customer comes into contact with you they get a new/fresh look or perspective? Maybe it’s a new product or service offering. Maybe it’s a new process… find a way to keep it interesting and keep your customers engaged!
By the way – if you like this post, I would REALLY appreciate your ReTweet! Thank you!!!! 
4 Steps to Finding Focus for Your Business
November 9, 2010
“What do you do for a living?” You get asked that all the time. How do you answer it? “I’m an electrician”, “an attorney”, “a dog groomer”? Are you and your business defined by your title or role – or are you known as the company that solves a specific problem for people?
Working with a client recently and taking her through the “finding focus” stage of developing a marketing system reminded me of that important question.
So many of us think we are the actions we perform – and not the problems we solve.
Your clients don’t hi
re you just because you’re an attorney, a dog groomer or an electrician – no matter how good you are. They hire you because they’re sick of dog hair all over the house, or because they’re afraid of getting raked over the coals in a divorce, or their power went out, the turkey is in the oven and they have 20 guests at their house.
When you understand why people really hire or buy from you you can begin to develop your marketing messaging and develop product and service packages that people want to buy! This process will also: 1) Help you stand apart from your competitors and 2) Help you communicate to potential customers in a way that can prompt them to buy.
So, what problem(s) do you solve for your clients? And does your company offer a product/services mix to solve their specific problems? If not, here is what I want you to do:
- Make a list of the different types of customers you work with; are they female, male, single, or married? Where do they live? How much do they earn? Etc….If you sell to businesses, is it a services based business? Retail? What type of business? How big? How long in business? This step will help you understand, first, who you serve best. Next we’ll look at the specific problems each segment has….
- List the specific problems they have before they hire you – Hint: they own a dog, need legal representation, or own a home with electricity aren’t enough… It needs to be a specific problem. Lots of people own dogs and never visit a groomer… so the mere fact of owning a dog is not a trigger to make someone a purchaser of grooming services. You need to dissect your client list and study them. When they call you, what problem do they say they need solved NOW?
- For each specific problem listed, think about the solution you provide – or can provide. For example: customer problem – “sick of having to vacuum my house every single day because my dog sheds so much… I don’t have time!” Solution: Create a service that reduces amount of dog hair around the house. So now, you are the service that reduces dog hair around the house, eliminates days of vacuuming and gives me more free time to do other things… see how that’s diffferent/better than, “I groom dogs”?
- Create product and/or service packages or bundles to solve the unique problems of each segment of your target market. Example: “We have mobile grooming packages that include: weekly cut, shampoo, and groom and at-home brushing services 3 times per week – guaranteed to reduce the number of days you vacuum from 7 to 1! Allowing you to spend less time cleaning and more time with your family! ”
Once you complete this exercise I guarantee you’ll have a better understanding of what you really sell, how to package, communicate, and sell it to your target market!
Perfection is the Best Marketing
July 18, 2010
How One Local Business Does it Right….
Walking through the dusty gravel parking lot lugging my 2 heavy canvas bags chock full of fresh cucumbers, green leaf lettuce, Napa cabbage, string beans, nectarines, apricots and lots of other summer garden delights I pondered how Larry’s Produce, my favorite local summer institution, has built a business breaking one of the biggest rules of Marketing: making it easy to do business with you. 
About a year ago I wrote a blog about choosing Starbucks over Peet’s- not because of the coffee (I prefer Peet’s coffee) but because of internet access and the ease getting what I want from the experience. The point of the blog was making it really easy to do business with you so as not to give would-be customers a reason not to do business with you. During this visit to Larry’s I realized, not every business has to eliminate every single obstacle. And then I wondered why.
Larry’s is a small, somewhat out-of-the-way shack-like open structure produce stand that draws what seems like every single person within a 30 mile radius 6 months a year.
Easy Parking…. ? Not!
Larry’s doesn’t have easy parking – in fact on weekends you have to park quite a ways down the road because the small gravel parking lot is too small to handle the magnitude of cars. Larry’s doesn’t furnish fancy shopping carts – just old wheelbarrows or maybe a dirty white pail; you’re better off bringing your own canvas bags to tote your stuff around in. No they don’t take credit or debit cards – it’s cash or check only. And the summer-job high school students who ring you up aren’t trained to be overly-peppy and ask (and pretend to care) what you’re making for dinner (ala Raley’s), they just politely ring you up and wish you a nice day… most of the time.
Lots of Advertising and Promotions… ? Not!
I’ve never seen Larry’s advertise. I’ve never seen their name on the local little league park fence or on an “adopt a highway” sign. And yet, year after year, I’ve watched the crowds get larger and larger, the parking lot overflow, cars spilling out onto the sides of the country road and neighboring homes’ driveways (some have even had to barricade the driveways to keep Larry’s customers out).
Breaking the Rules…? Maybe, Maybe Not.
So what is it about Larry’s that allows them to break the rules of Marketing and still be such a huge success? It’s simple really. Larry’s does one thing and they do it perfectly: they provide a huge variety of the freshest, most delicious, mostly local, summer and fall produce at amazing prices. There are other produce shops around that try to compete, but there is just no comparison. Larry’s has never – in 10 years – failed to deliver exactly what I go there for; fresh and delicious local produce, great prices, great variety and a very local and off-the-beaten-path experience .
Worth the Extra Steps… ? Always!
So is Larry’s totally easy to do business with? Not really. I have to remember to grab some cash or my checkbook before heading out there – and I never carry either, so it’s an extra trip to the ATM. I have to remember to grab my canvas bags so I have something to carry my goods in as I shop. And I have to fight crowds and long lines in 90+ degree heat; and yet for more than 10 years, I’ve shopped there religiously, at least once per week every month they’re open. I’m sad to see them close and anxious for them to open again in spring. Every year, around late May I start making the extra trip out there to see if they’ve put out their sign telling us – their anxious and eager public – when they’re opening for the season.
So, this little farm produce stand on a 2 lane country road has built a booming business by very simply understanding their niche and by being the very best at what they do. They have created an institution, and an insanely loyal following based on a product and an exprience that is true and 100% Larry’s. They are a testimonial to the core of marketing and business success: offering a superior product or service at a great value can be a differentiator – if you do it perfectly.
What is the one thing you do absolutely flawlessly that keeps customers coming back? Will your customers go out of their way to do business with you? How can we all get the kind of loyalty and following that Larry’s has gotten? I’d love to read your thoughts….
-
- THE BEST FREE MARKETING ADVICE YOU CAN GET!!!
Get Great Images!
Let's Get Social!
-
+Carolyn Higgins, President of Fortune Marketing Company
- Carolyn Higgins, President of Fortune Marketing Company specializes in helping small to medium sized businesses get the customers they need to sell more, increase profits and achieve all of their business and personal goals. We do this by implementing and managing marketing systems based on data and strategy - there is no guess work. For more information visit us at: FortuneMarketingCompany.com. We'd be glad to help!
Free Report: 7 Easy Steps to Small Business Marketing Success
