What's in a Name? Is Your Artist Identity LOST or FOUND in a sea of names?

[Harriete E Berman]

Harriete,

Should I have a business name?  I’m stumbling and struggling on how to come up with a name.

Signed,
A reader in search for a name!

While this question is a condensed version of questions from readers, it represents a fairly frequent issue. It also highlights concerns that are relevant to the Niche Marketing theme for the upcoming Professional Development Seminar  at the Seattle SNAG Conference.

PDS speakers include:

Hilary Pfeiffer who uses her own name for her serious work, but calls her wedding toppers business "Bunny with a Tool Belt".

emiko oye refers to her jewelry line as Reware (though I noticed that the web site name is actually "reware style.")

Deb Stoner has always chosen to do her work under her own name as her artist identity.

My primary concern with a business name is the difficulty that most people have developing even one artistic identity, let alone two. In most cases I believe it splits awareness you have built and confuses potential customers or your online network.

 

ASK Harriete offers further insight into marketing strategies and p... that may enhance the effectiveness of an identity....

 

It would seem to be a lot more focused to keep one name for your web site, email, Facebook, LinkedIN, Flickr, all 2.0 social networking and on-line marketing . One name, or a variant of your name, constantly reinforces one singular identity.

[Harriete E Berman]

shootyourchild.com

shootyourbaby.com

are you kidding....Sounds like a PC nightmare....frankly, with all these school shootings....I would not go there.

 

I looked up STevie B

Now I see your competition for the name.

Too bad...Guess I would go with the full name... one web site.

I do think of name recognition  as building a pyramid. It takes a really large foundation to get to the top.

I don't think three names sounds a stuffy.... at least it is authentic....(authentic is a big thing these days.)  You are the "real"  Steven Brian Samuels.

Still 2 Roses is THE marketing expert.

 

 

b.

[Stevie B.]

Why not "StevieB.com?"

Taken. 

 

Of course I have Steviebjewelry.com already...So I could revamp that site but I had wanted to keep it all my jewelry and the photos another site.  I will be redoing that site from scratch in anticipation on some EIP traffic (hope, hope, wish, wish) and will be adding at least a link to the artjewerlyphotogrpahy site. Hmmm. And double hmmmm.

 

Im still on the fence on whether to add the stevie b. right now.  Though it does make for a good stepping stone to all stevie b branding at some point.  It would be easier if their wasnt that darn singer stealing my mom's nickname for me!

 

I also own shootyourchild.com & shootyourbaby.com for those types of photography...I cant wait to work on those logos ;)

[Harriete E Berman]

Despite your protest, I am inclined to think that you are actually "early" in your career so this is just a mid-course correction. You have some momentum created...so just a little lean to one direction or the other will fix this problem quickly.

 

To bad about the web site name though. Why not "StevieB.com?" Won't that hold all directions.

Love the George Schulz quote, "You don't know where you're going without a compass."

In this case, your name can be your compass. Your website can be marketed (tags, description, etc.) under both names until you get enough momentum to one name.

Harriete

 

 

 

 

 

[Stevie B.]

Is this the reason my girlfriend wishes I was more "Stevie B." like?

It makes sense. Harriete has brought this up to me privately as well. My reasoning has always been the worry that some people may think of being in some sort of art competition with Stevie B., as an art jewelry artist himself, and thus the other name was born.

I also do photography other types of "things" from time to time, thankfully not weddings, but I do push the art jewelry photography the most since I find it the most challenging.

I had first thought about using Stevie B. as my photography identity as well when I decided to go public instead of just photographing the work of the few artists I knew, but steviebphotography.com was taken and Stevie B. the artist wasnt as "well known". What I am known for I would rather not know...

Re-branding at this point would be a bit of a pain since I am ready credited in print as Steven Brian Samuels...and a quick google of that name leads to my artjewelryphotography.com site.

I had thought about adding "AKA Artist Stevie B." to my correspondences and business cards but thought it would be too much of a distraction...What do you think?

Rebranding myself entirely would take some extra work...and steviebphotography is already registered & getting on top of the "Stevie B Photography" google search result would take sometime...hmmm...

[2Roses]

Stevie you are offering services to the same niche market in which you are already known as "Stevie B". There is no value in creating a separate identity, and in fact it is most likely counter productive. The reason is that the credibility conferred by your recognition as "Stevie B the artist" is immediately transferable to your credibility and recognition as Stevie B the photographer.

 

Now lets look at niches other than studio jewelry photography. Commercial photography is a highly competitive field. Your "brand" is almost always defined as the type of photography you specialize in ie architecture, portrait, editorial, fashion, wedding etc. Steven Brian Samuels is lofty sounding, but requires much more effort to remember than the catchy and contemporary sounding Stevie B. The first impression (brand perception) beyond your immediate core audience will almost always be your name.

Look at a directory of photographers and you will see a long long of list three word names.  Stevie B differentiates you immediately and creates a completely different perception in the buyers mind.

Blind taste test - What's in a name: Who is more stodgy, inflexible and self-important versus who is more fun, creative and easy to work with?

A. Stevie B. 

B. Steven Brian Samuels

[Harriete E Berman]

This is exactly what I was talking about in the original post on ASK Harriete. I think you should use one name for both activities...I don't think the jewelry making person hurts the photographer.....or the other way. Pick one name 

Stevie B has been "around" a little longer on Crafthaus....but Steven Brian Samuels sounds more professional.

Just my opinion.....let's see what 2 Roses says.

Harriete

Harriete 

 

 

[Stevie B.]

I have one for 2Roses.  Since you guys are really 3 identities, how do you deal with meeting new people in a situation which all 3 of your names may be known?

 

This happens to me often when photographing art related events.  I introduce myself as Steven Brian Samuels (silly made up name for my photography) and hand over my card.  Sometimes their is some recognition, but more often not.  Then, during the conversation Stevie B. may slip out there and surprisingly, they often know me by that name.

 

So, now I am juggling both names, and it becomes confusing to some.  To me the 2 different identities work because they help to differentiate my jewelry work from my photography work.  But when they collide, it becomes a bit messy at times.

 

[2Roses]

Just Ask, Harriete. ;)

[Harriete E Berman]

Thank you for all the information.

Questions continue to explode in my head.

Harriete

[2Roses]

Branding is a much confused topic, particularly where artists are concerned. Lets look closer at Hilary Pfeifer to see how her branding works in two niche markets:  art jewelry/small sculpture, and humorous figurines. The work is executed in much the same medium, but the artistic intent and perception of the target audience is much different. As a brand, "Bunny with a tool belt" automatically positions the objects as light humor. Far more than "Hilary Pfeifer" ever could. Also, its doubtful that the name of the artist would every carry much meaning or be memorable for the target buyer of these figurines. They buyers are not purchasing "art" they are buying something that expresses how they see themselves. Thus "Bunny with a tool belt" becomes an appropriate mnemonic device to express the brands attributes.

 

Conversely, "Bunny with a tool belt" does not convey the level artistic gravitas and seriousness demanded by the "art" world. In this niche, its all about the cult of the individual. Thus, the maker's name is not only expected, any thing less could devalue or invalidate the artist's credentials.

 

The point to all of this is that creating separate brand identities for distinct niche markets has a purpose. And that is to position and reinforce the buyer's preconceived perception of the product as closely as possible to the primary benefit the buyer will receive from the product. In practice this is a subtle game of applied psychology that business spends billions of dollars on each year. The pay-off if you get it right can be huge.

 

Focusing solely on the name of the artist as the only possible branding attribute works for the highly insular world of academia and collectors.  However, as market niches go, neither one buys a lot of jewelry, so the marketing efficacy of this approach as a universal strategy is questionable.

 

The above discussion is just one consideration of developing a branding strategy. We'll talk about some of the other aspects of branding in later posts.