Your Questions: What Do I Need To Do To Stand Out As A Mobile DJ?

Digital DJ Tips Platinum Facebook Group member Joe wants to know: “In today’s social media-driven world where everyone in the mobile DJ market is trying to stand out, how do you remain unique? Do you have any gimmicks or practices that have become your ‘trademark’? What do you do about other DJs copying you, trying to piggyback off your success?

“As an example, there’s something that started in the wedding market where the DJ records the bride and groom’s vows during the service and then plays them back during the first dance or at the end of the night. It’s effective as there’s never a dry eye in the house but now it’s gaining traction and loads of people are doing it. It seems that if your ideas are good enough, they will only be ‘unique’ to you for a few months. Any advice?”

Digital DJ Tips says…

You know what they say, Joe, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. This kind of copying isn’t intrinsic to the DJ business either, just take a look at fashion trends and children’s toy crazes (yo-yo, slinky, Rubik’s cube, and now fidget spinners). If you innovated and got some extra gigs from it, great. Taking pride in the fact that other DJs have acknowledged your ingenuity is one way of dealing with this. If you had a great idea before, what’s stopping you from coming up with and implementing another while the others are all playing catch-up?

We all agree that the technical side of DJing and most gimmicks can be copied, however, there is one thing that others will struggle to copy – you and your personality. In some cases, people might try but they will always come off as a worse version. Differentiating yourself from your competition is even more important if you are all on the same technical level, and an easy way to do this is by simply offering an impeccable service that over-delivers.

If DJs come across well and make clients feel at ease when they first speak to or meet with them, they’re obviously immediately are off to a winner. When it comes to gimmicks, I guess the main thing to remember though is that the power of said gimmicks is often short-lived and so you will have to fall back on something more substantial at some point. Deadmau5’s mouse head is a fine example of a successful gimmick but he had his production skills to fall back on.

Do you agree with our advice? What do you do to differentiate yourself from other DJs? Have you ever been copied by others? Let us know in the comments below…