How Music Can Help to Build Your Brand and Improve Your Business
Music has a fundamental role to play in our lives. Sometimes, it’s as the main focus: a way to lift our spirits, motivate or inspire us; at other times, it’s as a background accompaniment, playing softly as we work, talk, or eat.
No matter how we use it, music is always there, like a reflex that can’t be stopped. We play it automatically and unthinkingly, so used to having a soundtrack to our existence that we rarely pause to consider the nature of its role, in our personal lives or our professional ones.
However, as every successful business will recognize, music can have a vital part to play in shaping an enterprise. Essential to everything from building your brand to setting the mood in store and shaping staff morale, it can make all the difference to how your venture performs.
Here’s how you should be using it according to the experts.
Setting the mood
Source: Pixabay
The world of business is a complex one. For those who are fortunate enough to own their own enterprise, there’s a real sense of responsibility that comes along with your accomplishments, and this is largely because there’s so much to think about.
This applies even to the quirkier elements of your venture, such as the music you use. It’s imperative to think about the sort of mood you wish to set and the way you want people to feel when they visit your stores, and to create a specially constructed playlist with this in mind.
Looking to create a retro 50s vibe? Then think about picking songs from the Rat Pack. Want something elegant and exclusive? Then piano music can work well. The trick is not to choose the music you like, per say, but to think about the vibe you want to create in-store and then to make your selections around this.
This same attention to detail will serve you well when it comes to the more serious side of your enterprise too, such as renting a building in the right location or taking care of your accounts. The trick is always to cross the Ts, dot the Is, and to make your selection with the specifics of your business in mind.
This means that if you were taking out insurance, for example, the ideal would be not to simply choose the first provider you stumble across, but to research your options and look at policies by Next Insurance or someone similar, who can offer tailored cover that’s built around your business. If you have everything from the essentials like insurance to the aesthetics such as music covered, and everything between, this will stand your business in good stead.
As part of your promotional materials
Not only does the music you play in-store have a big impact on how your brand is viewed, but also the songs you decide to use in your promotional materials. Believe us when we say that these are incredibly important because they largely define how you’re seen by your potential audience.
For many people, the first impression they will have of you will be garnered from your marketing – at least assuming that this is successful! In order to appeal to your target demographic, you can thus use music to create a common denominator between them as individuals and you as a company.
What we mean by this is that it’s a good idea to select music that they’re likely to not only recognize, but to enjoy on a personal level, so ideally, something that’s embraced by them as a generation or grouping. For example, if you’re going for a slightly alternative vibe, songs by Joy Division can work well, as opposed to Taylor Swift or The Jonas Brothers for a younger, more preppy audience.
To keep morale up
Source: Pixabay
Last but not least, don’t lose sight of the ability of music to inspire your staff. Anyone who has ever worked long hours in retail will understand that it can be difficult to seem equally chirpy at the end of your shift as you did at the beginning, but strong customer service is nonetheless essential.
One of the ways you can help to promote this positive and upbeat atmosphere at work is through your song choices, so try to keep these original. This means, in part, not using the same playlist on a loop, but rather making the listening experience for those working in store as enjoyable eight hours in as it was when they clocked on.
When it comes to selecting music on a professional level, this can serve a number of purposes, and it’s important that you are able to recognize these and use them to your advantage. Do this well, and you’ll not only be delivering an improved in-store experience for both staff and customers, but developing an enhanced audience appeal too.
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