With Soulja Boy versus Bow Wow next week, it came to our mind how great of a marketing king Mr. Draco is. He has been around since 2004 Limewire days. My first time listening to him was thinking I was downloading a song titled “I’m so fly” by Lloyd Banks and when playing the download it was Soulja Boy “Crank Dat” track.

This was probably the best marketing strategy to get your music heard back then. It’s no secret that Soulja Boy is a marketing mogul who has built his platform from the ground up by leveraging social media– and was the first artist to be successful at it! Today we will touch on 5 ways Soulja Boy has used his marketing genius to stay relevant and on top of the rap game.

Strategy Development
The first thing we could learn from Soulja Boy is his strategy development skills on how he has built his platform and business through the digital space. He used his digital platforms to connect all of his profiles and channels through one medium coverage. Making it easier for the basic fan to get all of his music and videos.

He also made his first album using Fruity Loops software and setting records for having the most digital downloads when he first came out. This all was before having a major deal. This made him the first rapper to achieve that feature.

Audience Engagement
Don’t Mindlessly engage on social media. Have a productive goal in mind. Find potential clients, increase your exposure by engaging with your followers. Make your product/ service different than your competition. Also, establish your brand by who you are!

Soulja Boy made most of his career through audience engagement by using his Youtube channel. He became a mega internet sensation by using social media platforms like Myspace primarily to connect, network, and discuss business. Most people try to use social media platforms just for entertainment purposes. You want to come on these apps and have a purpose for what your posting.

Brand Maximization
Soulja Boy never was satisfied by just being a rapper. He stayed relevant in the industry by having other endeavors that would help build his platform and bank account. Such as launching a watch line, having his video game console, and many other big endorsements.

Lesson: Don’t just create a product or service, create a brand with signatures, originality, and uniqueness that will let your potential clients know, you won’t find this anywhere else.

The Hustle
There is hardly anyone who can say they’ve never heard Soulja Boy be criticized, laughed at, or have his achievements minimized. From haters accusing him of destroying Hip-Hop (an indestructible force) to people laughing at his endeavor to create a black-owned game console, Soulja Boy has been the subject of cruel taunting since his very first internet appearance.

Lesson: Always know that you are doing this to better yourself and help people out with your products. Everything doesn’t happen overnight. We have to hustle to get what we want. Take that drive and motivation turn it into your business to make it GREAT.

Published and Written by Trey Davis