Entertainers and small business owners have a lot in common. They often find themselves tackling similar marketing dilemmas at the end of the day entertainers and CEO’s are all trying to connect with an audience weather it be a Groupon deal, sign spinners or a girl in a pink wig trying to sell out concerts. While I cringe at some of the Nikki Minaj antics you cant help notice how she has been able to shake up the music industry in 2 short years.
I crowd sourced some of my friends and fellow entrepreneurs on the top 5 marketing lessons young entrepreneurs can learn from Nikki Minaj.
Remain consistent and true to your brand
She’s loud, unique and a self glorified Barbie but it works for her. She markets herself as the Barbie of Hip-Hop/Rap. Taking a beautiful, fashionable, prissy icon and transforming her into a bratty, diva, with a monster-esque vernacular! She could have easily switched things up with all the naysayers but she stayed consistently weird and was able to tap into a unique audience that revels to everything she does. Being true to yourself as an entrepreneur will help you tap into an audience that genuinely appreciates you, your work and your quirkiness.
Join a socially connected group
I’m not sure if she had labels beating down her door but she joined Young Money Records who was already a big contender in the industry and connected with her audience. It’s a great lesson in team building. When hiring or building a partnership look for people that are socially connected it’s one of the greatness assets you can bring to your company.
Take an old concept and reinvent it
Sure we have seen another female rapper do the pink wig thing, but it worked to grab our attention then and its doing the same thing now. When starting a business you don’t always have to invent or revolutionize an industry sometimes its as simple as introducing it to a brand new audience. Think of what Rock Band did for 80’s rock music sales.
Individualize a group movement
reate a social movement around your brand. With over 3 million followers on twitter Nikki Minaj and her marketing team have been very strategic in creating a movement with her audience and allowing them to feel connected emotionally. They are all apart of her “Barbie” cult similar to Lady GaGa’s “Little Monsters”.
Make Bold Statements
In the age of social media if no one is talking about you….well you don’t exist. She started with a bold entrance and incites a media frenzy everywhere she goes. The hair, the outfits and the lyrics are crazy but they all speak very loudly to a very particular audience. Weather you do the crazy hair or wear 2 different pairs of shoes to strike up conversations about your business like Blake Mycoskie the owner of Tom’s Shoes. It’s important to look towards other industries or even listen to music to find inspiration to break through the clutter and becoming a marketing rockstar!