Five Marketing Secrets You Can Learn From RuPaul’s Drag Race!
I think RuPaul’s Drag Race should be required viewing for all new solopreneurs (and frankly, everybody)! It's no secret that I love this drag contest reality show. Apart from loving the fashion, comedy, and sisterhood of this series, I've also found RuPaul gives contestants some incredibly helpful marketing advice. In this post, I wanted to share five lessons that really stood out for me.
1. If you can't love yourself, how the hell are you going to love somebody else?
You may recognize this as Ru’s classic sign-off at the end of the show but, in an episode of Drag Race Down Under, RuPaul takes it further by saying “if you can't sell yourself, how are you going to sell anything else?” That is so true!
As a service provider, if you don't believe what you’re offering is special, no one else will believe it either. If you don't believe that you’re the right person for the job - whether it's giving people marketing advice, coaching or providing admin support - how is anyone else going to believe in your ability to do so?
The key here is believing in yourself and knowing what you bring to the table matters.
2. Unless they’re paying your bills, pay them bitches no mind.
A major marketing block for solopreneurs can be showing up online. We’ve all had those negative comments (the ones where people comment on your weight, your skin, or your hair) and the fear of being judged can stop us from getting on camera or social media.
Yes, there are people out there who have nothing better to do than make negative comments. These folks are unavoidable but, if they're not the person you're marketing to (i.e. they don't represent your ideal client), then their opinion doesn't matter. Delete their comments. Block their accounts. They don't matter. They don't need to factor into your marketing plan. You don't need to be universally liked and loved by everybody. The only person who needs to connect with and like you is your ideal audience.
3. If you have to explain your outfit, it didn't work.
How many times have you encountered a business name and had no idea what that business did? It’s tempting to use cute and witty phrases for our company name, usernames or taglines but, unless it’s immediately obvious what you do, they can leave your audience frustrated.
I’ve encountered businesses with usernames that, while funny, told me nothing about the service provider. To understand the relevance, the business owner had to share a long, convoluted story. No one has time for that. Whether it's a company name, tagline or graphic - if it's not immediately obvious to your ideal client why it's relevant to what you offer, it hasn't worked.
4. Know your brand.
Each season, the contestants on RuPaul's Drag Race are tasked with making over another person (usually someone they’ve never met) and creating a look with a strong drag-family resemblance. They're not asked to make a clone of themselves, the challenge lies in translating their personal drag identity (i.e. brand) onto someone else. To do this, the queens need to understand what makes their brand special.
You need to know this too! Why should clients come to you instead of another competitor? What makes working with you a unique experience? Getting to the core of your brand identity and learning how to communicate it is fundamental for successful marketing.
5. Take what you’re amazing at and channel it into something else.
Every season there are queens who define themselves by one strength, “I’m a look queen, not an actor”, “I’m a comedy queen, not a designer.” RuPaul always says "If you can be amazing at one thing, you can take that and channel it into something else." This is true for everyone, you can use the confidence you have when you're working in your zone of genius and apply that to every aspect of your business.
For example, imagine you’re a yoga instructor. You have a talent for explaining new concepts, inspiring people to push themselves and feel confident in their bodies. When it comes to marketing, however, you feel clueless. That talent you have for explaining new concepts and making people feel comfortable, you can use that in your content by treating your audience like your students. Creativity is creativity. It’s all about finding inspiration and applying it in places you might not have considered.
Did you find these helpful? If you’d like more marketing tips, check out my video podcast series.
