Artist DNA

In this chapter, we will cover four subjects to achieve your positioning. First, you start with defining your bigger purpose: why you are doing what you are doing. Then we will help you define how you'll reach your more important goal. In the end, we will dig into what experiences you are providing your audience and who your audience is. As a result, we will have a statement with a clear direction of reaching the purpose you and your audience share. To get to the core of your positioning, we must define your art as DNA first: Your 'why.' So let's go back to the basics to find out.

Introduction Video

Let's first watch this video before we continue with this chapter.

Why

You might think that you already have a clear purpose. Maybe you want to be the new number one DJ in the world, or the best in your town or the best female DJ in your country, or become a millionaire. Well, that's not a purpose. That's a goal or a result. Start with asking yourself 'why'? Why do I want to be this? What is it that drives me? What change do I want to make happen?

Why is Your Purpose Important?

Why is this the first step in determining your position as an artist? Why is your purpose, your cause, or belief? It's the very reason you exist. Your 'why' is what sets you apart from everyone else. It's probably the important message you want to communicate with your audience. It's what inspires you to take action and what inspires others to take action. To spread your ideas, experience your music, buy tickets to your show or merchandise. 'Why' is how you explain your purpose and why you exist and behave as you do. To achieve success and build a valuable audience, it's essential to communicate your intent.

Examples of 'Why'

To get some inspiration to work on your 'why,' let's have a look at some other brands, pop artists, and DJs.

• Google: Their 'why' is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and helpful. Google believes information should be available for everyone. Their products are aligned with this more significant 'why' such as their search engine.
• Leonardo Di Caprio: He stands for the well-being of all earth inhabitants.
• Beyoncé: She empowers women and is a true feminist in presenting herself and writing her lyrics for her songs. 'We Run the World, girls'

Creating Your 'Why' Statement

Now that you're hopefully convinced of the importance of defining your more significant purpose. It's time to work on your 'why.' Your why statement should be able to capture the following qualities, and it should be able to do so in a short description.

• A big dream: If we talk about metaphors, a big vision is climbing Mount Everest.
• Directional: It would help if you decided upon your direction.
• A story that resonates: It holds up over time.
• Genuine: Not a sales story. Simple and clear.
• Easy to love: How will you contribute to others?
• Clear picture: It provides a clear picture that people can become part of as people read it.
• Actionable: It's actionable.
• Easy to remember: It must be expressed in a language that suits you and your fans. Find your tone of voice.

Once your purpose is clear, the challenge is to develop priorities to stay focused and clear on what you need to accomplish to be successful. This assignment might be difficult at first but take your time. It doesn't have to be perfect. Express yourself as you want to. Just start writing what comes to mind first and then start fine-tuning it. Let's get started!

How

Now that you have determined why you are doing what you are doing and what drives you as an artist, you have established your artist DNA. But now, you need to ask yourself: how will I fulfill my core beliefs? Include your strengths, values, behavior, and culture that you feel differentiates yourself from other artists. The values relate to the culture that creates the performance behavior to achieve that purpose.

The Mount Everest Metaphor

Let's talk metaphors if you want to climb the Mount Everest; you need to train, work together, and need the best skills and materials. You're going to climb the tallest mountain in the world. It also requires money, a great team, seamless collaboration, overcoming extremes, clear communication, lots of fitness and climbing skills.

So approach your purpose as a journey to the top of the Mount Everest. Who do you need? What does your team look like? What behavior will you need to achieve your purpose?

Components of Your 'How'

It is time to map out your brand values and a clear path to watch your purpose. You might already have written down your brand values in the Branding training. But if you think you could improve them, sure do! Try to answer all the questions as specific as possible. In summary, make sure you include the following components:

1. Fan-driven: Write down how fans should experience your brand.
2. Responsive: Create a clear picture of your core values. How do you respond to the world around you?
3. Action-oriented: Write down the needed behavior to achieve your higher purpose.
4. Practical: This includes the contribution to the long-term financial viability of your company.

This assignment might be difficult but take your time; it doesn't have to be perfect. Just start writing what first comes to mind and then start fine-tuning it.

What

Now it is time for the third step of the content impact model. You will examine your 'what.' This will probably be easier. It is about what you deliver and provide your fans with for most people. That's very obvious. Hopefully for you as well. Your 'what' consist of three elements:

1. The product and services you provide your audience with or sell. This should be easy to identify. This could be your music, shows, merchandise, etc. But add some additional context to this. What makes your products and services different from any other artists? And why should your audience buy yours, and what makes it relevant to them?
2. The fan experience you provide your audience with. What's the ultimate experience for your fans buying or experiencing your products and services?
3. Your revenue model. Do you get paid through streaming, merchandise, tickets, partnerships, or something else?

Examples of 'What'

Before we dive deeper into your 'what,' let's take a look at some examples of other people.

• Leonardo Di Caprio: His 'why' stands for all inhabitants' long-term health and well-being. His 'how' is through collaborative partnerships. He supports innovative projects that protect free vulnerable wildlife from extinction. Of course, his 'what' is being an actor and making movies.
• Beyoncé: Her 'why' is empowering women and being a true feminist. Her 'how' is how she presents herself and writes her lyrics for songs, collaborations, and statements on the strong, empowering woman. Her 'what' is music shows and merchandise but also her platform. Beygood. The beygood team moves throughout South Africa, connecting with organizations working to change their communities now and forever. Beyoncé provides educational programs scholarships, stimulating voting Woman Making History and kids to follow their dreams. How great is that?
• U2: Their 'why' is making the world a better place. Their 'how' is through collaborations with Greenpeace and Amnesty International. The band has consistently thrown a spotlight on the work of campaign groups. Their 'what' is, of course, music, shows, and merchandise, but U2 also works with many great causes and activists communities from the ONE campaign to the Chernobyl Children's Project, and from supporting communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina to working to the gender gap for a woman living in poverty.

Thinking Beyond the Obvious

Before you start with your assignment to describe your 'what,' Let's take a look at some directions you can think of. Of course, you have music, tickets for events, and maybe merchandise. That's obvious. But what about other attractive revenue models. For example: is your content valuable for your fans that they're willing to pay for exclusive content? For example, through a monthly fee. Or have you build a clear engaged audience that other brands would like to have access to and pay for? Of course, these brands have to align with your higher purpose and fit your audience's expectations. Otherwise, giving brands access to your audience might backfire. So be careful with offerings like these. What else can you think of that gives your audience a better experience? So let's get to work on that!

It is time to think about the valuable experiences you provide your fans with. You can identify your 'what' with your team or your buddies. It's about: what do people buy from you? What does your service or product do with people after they buy it? Like your merchandise, music, or show. You are in the experience business. So think about what experience you can offer and how this aligns with your bigger purpose. While working on this assignment, try to think next level; nothing is too crazy. Position yourself as your fan and try to think from their point of view.

Who

Now that you have determined your why, how, and what, you need to ask yourself: who is my audience? Who listens to my music, attends my shows, and buys other things from my brand? Who are you talking to and with? Who are you building a relationship with on social media, for example? People, not products, make connections. Every story you tell will begin and end with your audience. Before starting any communication, you need to understand your audience clearly and what you want your audience to do. Defining your audience is the last step in the content impact model.

Finding Your Niche

Who are the people that believe in what you believe? Many people think they have a good impression of who their fans are. However, in reality, your ideal audience might be different than whom you think it is.

For this reason, it is essential to determine your audience based on their wants and needs. A common mistake is to describe your audience in general. The key is to choose your niche. To start, everything should be focused on your specific audience. Your niche is not girls between 18 and 30 years old. That might be a start, but if you zoom in, you could come to an audience of girls between 18 and 24 years old who are single and love nature; they care about clean earth, which supports brands and programs around sustainability, live outside as much as they can, work at their first job and love to enjoy music with their friends at home. You see, that already gets much more clarity on your audience.

How Niche is Niche Enough?

When do you know if you're niche enough? Well, answer these two questions.

1. Can you be the leading source in that niche to that market?
2. In this niche to this audience, are there fewer than some competitors? Let's say, at most 10. That includes your real competitors, who sell the same products and services, experiences, and beliefs as you do.

If there are too many, you might not be niche enough. It will be tough to break through with so much competition in that area unless you can differentiate yourself. The great thing is that when you have defined an obvious specific audience that aligns with your bigger purpose, it makes positioning and your marketing efforts much easier and more effective because you could fit into the needs and desires of your audience.

Creating Your Persona

We can create a persona to gain more information about your audience. This is a composite picture of the real people who follow you, listen to your music, or go to your shows. You could create a different persona, but only when there is a significant difference in several insights of the audience. And when it is needed to communicate a different story. For example, there is a difference between people who listen to your music and people who might want to book you for their event.

Your audience persona does not have to be perfect. The better it is, the easier it is for you to get a good picture of who your fans are and what they need.