At first I saw the title of this Techcrunch blog post “What Every Entrepreneur Could Learn From Justin Bieber” and thought it was a blatant attempt to capitalize on the Bieber franchise.Â
But in reading the article it struck me that in many ways, Justin Bieber (and the mass exodus of those who will follow his lead) has led the way in the new “Engagement” marketing model combing talent with engagement to create the perfect storm.Â
As Mark Suster rightly points out – you need a combination of…
- Talent & In-Demand Product – we can certainly say that is the case for Justin’s brand of low-risk, high-reward catchy pop with a little hip-hop attitude thrown in all bundled with a great look and sold using ample self confidence. Same goes for any business, you have to start with a good product (not sure anyone is going to call Bieber “great”) packaged in a way that taps into a high demand in the marketplace
- Work like a Dog! Not sure where that expression orginally came from, but you get the point – you have to work your butt off and be 110% behind what you are doing to really hit it big
- You engage your audience so they feel you are “one of them” at the same time as you are adored by them. As with anything you sell, they must love you first and then they will listen to what you say. Letting them participate in your life and business is a major shift too – no longer is it just business, the lines between personal and business are blurring in this new era of “Engagement” marketing. We have entered the era of “Pull vs Push Marketing” for sure.Â
- Do the right thing – giving a damn about your customers amplified by exposing yourself directly to your market means massive good will, trust, credibility and will only lead to more word-of-mouth as well as incredible response from your marketplace
So it turns out Bieber Fever is really a combination of talent, timing, packaging and social marketing – otherwise known as the “new norm” in business…so yes we can learn something from Justin Bieber after all.
