When people ask what it is that I do, I sometimes feel my response is a bit muddled and not as focussed as it should be. 

When I do branding consultations I tell clients they need to have a clear and well crafted elevator pitch that accurately conveys the message of who they are and what they're all about.

Your elevator pitch needs to be the essence of you, distilled down into a carefully concocted piece of prose. And If you're not happy with it, then you need to refine it. It needs to evolve, in tandem with you.

And so it dawned on me that I needed to heed my own advice.

As my focus has shifted away from just being a record label or artist manager, to that of being a consultant, advisor and mentor, I realized the words I was using to describe what I was doing wasn't conveying my talents effectively enough.

I needed to translate my various passions, experiences and skills into some clever wordplay that was unique and all my own.

A few months ago I invented the term Rock n' Roll Branding Architect for myself. This was a good step in the right direction, but there was still something missing. While this new title conveyed the attitude of what I do, I felt it was too restricting since I don't just limit myself to working with musicians.

There needed to be something more encompassing added to my mini bio that could embrace, welcome and intrigue not only a self employed singer/songwriter, but also the owner of a restaurant or art gallery, or hell… even a doctor.

And then this morning… it came to me. The missing ingredient.

I do my best thinking when I walk my dog. There's something about the fresh air, the exercise, having my smiling Siberian Husky at my side, the solitude, and the beauty of the Vancouver ocean and mountains that just gets my brain spinning in insanely creative ways. It's crazy how many ideas and thoughts have sprung into mind while doing this.

So as I was walking along the cool & crisp beach this winter morning… the following three words suddenly appeared in my brain: 
Idea Development Engineer.

Even an hour later, I still liked it (a good sign). And so it stuck.

Idea Development Engineer.

Those three words somehow finish the incomplete thought I had in my mind. It fills the gap of what I wanted to communicate, using a creative style I was looking for.

And now, the ultimate test: applying it to my Twitter bio. Twitter is an amazing place to hone the craft of condensing your thoughts into only the most economic and concise words. In the Twitter bio you only have 160 characters to tell the world who you are and what you do, while hopefully intriguing visitors to click on your website link too.

So here it is… my new elevator pitch and mini-bio:

Brian Thompson:
Rock n' Roll Brand Architect. Idea Development Engineer. Digital Strategist. Music Marketer. Consultant. Speaker. Podcaster. Blogger.

Now… this post would be pointless if there wasn't something for you take away and learn from it. So I'll leave you with this:

Do you pour as much effort and careful consideration into your marketing materials as you do to the lyrics of your song?

Marketing is never 'finished'.
Everything you do is branding.
Every tweet. Every picture. Every conversation.
It's all branding… and it all tells the story of YOU.

As you evolve, so should the things that describe you.

—Brian Thompson

Follow @thornybleeder

Tags: Brian Thompson | Rock n' Roll Branding Architect | Idea Development Engineer | Consultant | Digital Strategist | Music Marketing