That’s right. Here at TS we are all huge Bey fans, and it’s not just because her songs are so dang catchy.
It’s officially been one year since Beyoncé’s surprise album drop on iTunes. For those of you not familiar with the sheer epic-ness of this event that will no doubt go down in music history, let me catch you up. Just after midnight on December 13th, 2013 iTunes visitors were greeted by a banner announcing the release of Beyoncé’s fifth solo album. But this wasn’t just a typical twelve song album. She dubbed this a “visual album” complete with a whopping 14 songs and 17 accompanying videos. Without any publicity, leaked material or even so much as a tweet regarding the release date, Beyoncé was able to keep the entire project a secret until she was able to oh-so-casually release the album to 119 countries.
Perhaps the most impressive outcome from this brilliant marketing strategy was that she was able to essentially set the album free on iTunes, walk away and let social media, and her seemingly endless fan base do the rest. The result: selling 828,773 copies in the first three days, shattering iTunes records to become the fastest selling album of all time.
Upgrade your outlook on business with these lessons from the Queen B:
You Don’t Need a Huge Budget to Make an Impact
Think about it. All it took was one tweet, one Instagram photo and one Facebook post to essentially do what other music industry leaders spend several months and millions of dollars to accomplish. Even if you are a small business with a limited or non-existent advertising budget you can still make a huge impact with a little creative thinking. This use of simplicity and creativity has almost become the new norm for Beyoncé. Just recently she hit us with another Queen B bombshell by releasing a homemade music video for her leaked single, “7/11.” This homemade video shot in hotel rooms all over the world shows Beyoncé dancing in her underwear with her group of incredible dancers. This video was a far cry from her high-budget, glamorous videos like “Single Ladies” and “Love on Top” but was still able to generate equally impressive numbers, proving once and for all that B is fabulous always, in all ways.
Build Your Tribe
Beyoncé is a great example of someone who recognizes that you are only as great as the people you surround yourself with. She has collaborated with basically every heavy-hitter in the business from her husband Jay-Z, to Pharrell, Justin Timberlake and Nicki Minaj. By surrounding herself with such fantastic individuals and choosing to embrace collaboration she was able to challenge herself to create the best work possible. But it is also important to point out that it doesn’t take an army to manage Beyoncé. Her company, Parkwood Entertainment, does everything from managing her social media to producing her international concert tours… and it’s only made up of 20 people. Beyoncé has been very candid about the people she selects for her team. She said she looks for passionate misfits who aren’t afraid to break the rules. Her relentless team played a huge role in catapulting B into success throughout the years. At the end of the day, working with the best only makes you better.
Be a Self-Starter
Besides creating her own management company, Beyoncé has always been known as a total go-getter. By forging her own path and creating her own rules for her career, she was able to get much further than if she had a mega management company breathing down her neck. Maybe it has something to with the influence of her mogul husband, but Beyoncé has definitely capitalized on her entrepreneurial activities and continues to create an empire in her own right. She teaches us all that if your dream job, position or project doesn’t exist, create it!
Remember it’s not what you do it’s why you do it
In various interviews following her album release Beyoncé explained that her motivation for the surprise was to make the focus of the album more about the artistry of her work, not the hype or promotion. Her passion and love for her music is evident in every strategic move she makes. This is exactly how Beyoncé has learned to separate herself from her “competition.” (I use that term loosely because let’s be real, is anyone even comparable at this point?) It is clear that her passion for her craft is what has propelled her to surpass her competition and actually create her own level entirely. Of course even Beyoncé has the goal of financial gain, but this is not her motivating factor. By wholeheartedly pursuing her passion, she pushed the boundaries, reshaped an entire industry and relentlessly worked to execute her exact artistic vision, all while being absolutely #flawless.
The post The Beyoncé Guide to Business appeared first on Tribeswell.