3 easy steps to branding your name.

Branding yourself as an artist is becoming more and more important. Year by year you see more and more "celebrity brands" springing up and there is a definite reason why. Branding yourself creates opportunities and generally increases cash flow for the artists that engage in branding.

Why is this? Because the more and more familiar you are with a thing the more you trust them. This is why people like P. Diddy and Oprah can "touch" an item or service and it magically takes off. You can have this same power too (just most likely on a slightly smaller demographic). Below are a few examples and ways that you can begin to brand your band.

Adding your url to all your stuff and promoting it during shows - This is one of the easiest things you can do. You simply add your band website address to every item you sell or give away as swag (freebies). Post it on t-shirts, posters, and of course your cd. During shows you could have banners posted behind you showing your band website url too. Also take the time to state that you can be found online and at what address too. The idea is to get as many people as possible to see and recognize yourband.com with being associated with you.

Business cards and stationary items - Handing out business cards and stationary are a great way to brand yourself. Business cards are cheap to get and easy to create. Your contact information (especially your url) should be placed on front and your band logo on the backside. This is very simple but works well. Pass them out to as many people as you can and little by little you’ll be branding your band for as little as five dollars at some print shops like Vista Print.

Using logos on everything - Your logo is your greatest branding tool. Companies like McDonald’s, Coke-A-Cola, and Pizza Hut for years have been using their great logos to brand themselves with consumers and so should you. It helps if you begin to think of your band as "your band inc." rather than just an indie garage band. Throw your logo onto everything you can think of online and off. This should be your calling card too. Once the general public knows your logo and associates it with you you’ll find you’re in really good company locally. Think of bands like Kiss and The Rolling Stones years after there prime people can still identify them by seeing their logos.

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