How Thought Leaders Turn it Up to 11
Britney Spears’ vocal coach taught me one of the most valuable marketing lessons ever. In 2003, my wife and I were sitting in a hotel ballroom with a couple hundred other pop and rock hopefuls ready to mix, mingle and learn from titans of the music industry.
You see, at that time we were in an alternative rock band named Desmo. (Imagine Incubus-style guitar rock but with Gwen Stefani on vocals and Flea on bass to get an idea of our style.) We were listening intently to speakers on the stage and rapidly scratching out notes as they shared wisdom about how to “make it in the music biz.”
Then Lis Lewis — vocal coach to singers like Rihanna, Jack Black, and Demi Lovato — got on stage and said something I still remember all these years later: “There are hundreds of thousands of amazing singers and songwriters in the world. Some of you are in this room today. But talent alone does not get attention. Here’s what I have noticed about every one of my clients who has become a big star. They’ve all taken parts of who they are — their personality, their look, or their story — and they’ve turned it up to eleven.”
The movie reference “turn it up to eleven” got immediate nods from a room full of musicians. It was from the 1984 mockumentary film, This is Spinal Tap, a satire about the heavy metal bands of the 80s. In one of the most infamous scenes of the film, the band’s guitarist is showing off his one-of-a-kind guitar amplifier with knobs that all go up to 11 while, “most blokes will be playing at 10.”
So what does all of this have to do with you creating a business and brand that stands and attracts a loyal audience online? While you may or may not aspire to rock stardom or celebrity status, there’s no ignoring the fact to generate income and impact you have to first get attention…something that is getting exponentially harder every day. Read more
