Yesterday was Thanksgiving Day. I hope everyone has something to be thankful for. I’m thankful first and foremost for my family. I would be nothing without them. I’ll be hitting the gym this afternoon to burn a few of those calories off.
Success is not always about substance. You can have all of the substance in the world but if you can’t get your foot in the door, what good is it? We live in the age of American Idol. The better your image, regardless of your talent, the longer you stay on the show. If you want to stay in the game longer, work on your image.
Image is everything in marketing your small business
I want to leave a thought with you today. “Image is Everything”. It’s all around us. If you do not project the proper image, you will not be successful. I was watching VH1 this morning and it’s all about image for these artists. They are larger than life beings. They have cool videos. One guy walked into a roadside diner. I’ve done the same thing many times in my life but never as cool as this guy. He walked in slow motion. When the hot girls looked at him, their heads turned in slow motion. When the waitress took his order, it was damn sexy when she whipped out her order pad in slow motion.
If I could only walk into Wal-Mart in slow motion and nod to the 75 year old greeter chick as her silver hair slowly flew from the breeze from the overhead “fly-fan”. If I could only reach slowly for my Gillette “Cool Breeze” deodorant stick as an overweight housewife wearing gray sweat pants pushing a cart with a crying baby slowly gave me a sexy glance. That would be cool. I would be the coolest guy in Wal-Mart. It’s only an image but you will be perceived differently. Keep this in mind when marketing yourself and your business.
Who is cooler?
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Case in point since I mentioned American Idol. These wannabe music stars all dream of making the big time. A high placing in the American Idol contest could certainly propel these singers way ahead of the pack. They could leap frog into a position that would take many years of hard work, practice and luck. What gets me about this show is the fact that just by being on it, can almost guarantee success. You don’t even have to win. Come in 4th, sign a deal and then we all have to observe and listen their mediocrity for the next couple of years as every TV show and radio station seem to cram them down our throat.
Example: Kellie Pickler’s image was manufactured
For instance, let’s take Kellie Pickler. She has become quite the babe now. She didn’t start that way though. Remember all the Pickler Mania? You couldn’t turn on the TV without hearing her name for 11 weeks while American Idol was in season. After hearing all the hype, I watched the show one night and looked at my wife and said, “What’s up with her”? Cute…yes. Can she sing?…no, not really. The show or her publicist was trying to force this girl on the public and manufacture a star much like all of the boy bands of the eighties and nineties. I had nothing against her but I thought she had very average talent. She spoke with a hokey, heavy, cute southern drawl saying “Hey Yall” every other sentence. She was able to project this image and lasted week after week while singers with more talent but less hype were eliminated.
BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS
Check out the video of Kellie Pickler. This is before her image was manufactured. Pay attention to her remarks about keeping it real and just being herself. How long did this philosophy of hers last?
Check out her “After” manufactured image and video. Notice “Kellie Pickler’s enhancement” in this video. This is what this young girl was willing to do in order to market herself and sell her product. Her eyes and lips appear to be altered also. All in the name of marketing.
I’m not bashing Kellie Pickler. This young lady made decisions about how to market herself. She altered her body and her style. This is a perfect example to illustrate what you should consider as you market your business. You are competing with other businesses in your area or your niche. Make yourself look cool even if you aren’t. Your bottom line will benefit from it.