How To Build Your Artist Identity With A Brand Strategy Template

A brand strategy template may seem like a lot of work for musicians who are busy writing new songs and hustling gigs. But using a brand strategy template will streamline the branding process and give you an organized starting point for marketing your music business. Defining who you want to be to your audience early in your career will jumpstart your journey to success.

Many brand strategy template forms are available to download, but they are geared more toward business than art. Don’t let that stop you from adapting one for your needs. You should be thinking of your art as a business anyway, especially if you want to make money.

You could also make your own brand strategy template using a mind-mapping application, like Scapple, that allows you to visually brainstorm and link ideas. Even a simple document or spreadsheet can work for this purpose.

Let’s break down what you need to know to complete a brand strategy template.

1. You need to formulate your mission statement or why your music exists. What kind of music do you create? Who are you writing for? What do you want to happen to you as a result of others listening to your music? You may find inspiration by going to websites of people you admire and reading their mission statements.
2. What is something you would like for people to say about you, your music, and your performances? Your answer is your brand position statement. It’s how people feel and think when they talk about you.
3. You possess something no one else has. You are unique and the only one that can write or perform a song the way you can. You are the only you that exists. What is your identifying quality? Maybe you have a great sense of irony or your live shows get major online attention. Write it down as your unique value proposition.
4. What are your qualifications? Where did you receive your education or is it all self-taught? Listeners want to know how your circumstances led you to them.
5. Similar to the way we identify people by their characteristics and value system, your musical brand needs something others can use to form an opinion. Know who your target audience is and what they define as valuable and unforgettable. Deliver it with consistency and passion. Pink’s audience, for example, loves her tattooed and pop-outsider edginess.
6. What do you promise your audience? A beach party? Romance? Technical perfection? Tell them what to expect and then deliver.
7. Before any communication, define your tone, because this is the voice of your brand and it is what connects you to your audience. Here, tone and voice have less to do with your music and more to do with connecting to people. Carry your tone throughout your messaging, from website to stage, to establish trust with your listeners. To understand how you can reach people on a personal level, go back to your values and objectives. How you want the public to see you is a big part of your voice. If your goal is to make people happy, then set a happy tone. But go deeper and ask yourself why this is so important to you. Decide what you want to say with your brand and record it on your brand strategy template.
8. An elevator pitch is the 50-words, or so, that answers the question, “So who are you and what do you do?” The challenge is to distill the essence of you into a sentence or two. That’s all the time you have to capture someone’s interest. It’s essential you have a pitch ready before you network with industry people. It should be written in a way you can say while sounding genuine. Make sure to include your name, what makes you unique, and why people like your music. The point of your elevator pitch is not to sell your music. Your only purpose here is to introduce yourself in a way that is memorable and invite a follow up.I’m ________________ and I sing/play _______________ about ___________________. My current project celebrates/supports/protests/draws attention to______________ which people love because ________________________.
9. Create a tagline for all of your promotional materials. Keep it simple and emotional. Pitbull is Mr. Worldwide. That is the perfect slogan for him and his brand of Miami-based, high-energy rap.

Now that you have a completed brand strategy template, refer to it often. Especially during those times where you don’t think you have anything to say. Monitor your brand to make sure your message is coming through in the way you intended. Be open to change, but remain true to your unique self. Your brand strategy template will always be there to remind you of who that is.

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