The #1 secret to building a fan base
Monday, September 29, 2008 - posted by hellomynameisscott at 8:33 AM
You’re a writer. Or an artist. Or a performer. Or a blogger. Or a consultant.Whatever. A Creative Professional.
That means one of your goals is to build a following.
A fan base.
A community.
A group of people who admire or support your movement.
Sound overwhelming?
Because it isn’t.
It’s actually (really) simple.
In fact, I can boil it down to four words.
One at a time.
Here’s what that means:
One person at a time.
With the knowledge that, after a while, they start to accumulate. And before you know it, you’ve got thousands of fans. How many new fans did you get last week?
One blog post at a time.
Writing for your ideal reader, contributing to your Hot Body of Work and eliciting comments, ideas and feedback. Which isn’t really that much work, if you do a little each day. What did you write today?
One email address at a time.
Obtaining permission from your fans to stay in touch with them and start an ongoing dialogue. Because he who has the best list (and the best relationship with that list) wins. How are you capturing the email of everyone who comes to your website?
One email conversation at a time.
Connecting and conversing with fans individually, even if it’s a simple email reply, “Glad you enjoyed my article, Gary!” Because you must always be thankful for your followers. Which one of your fans did you email this morning?
One in-person conversation at a time.
Getting out there to meet your fans, even if it’s a simple, “Nice to meet you Terri – thanks for being here tonight!” Because individual tethering is the heart of building a following. Who are you having lunch with this week?
One at a time.
That’s the secret.
P.S. I'm back on Twitter again, posting every day, for those of you who are curious about the random thoughts that swirl through my mind at 4 AM.
LET ME ASK YA THIS...
How are you building a following?
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For the list called, "20 Ways to Make Fans Super Happy," send an email to me, and I'll send you the list for free!
* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
scott@hellomynameisscott.com
Nobody talking about your business?Bummer. Perhaps I could help on a more personal, one-on-one basis.
Rent Scott's Brain today!
Labels: approachability, approachable, build a fan base, building a following, hello my name is blog, mundane to memorable, nametagTV, rent scott's brain, scott ginsberg, stick yourself out there
I guess the lesson here is patience. It seems like it takes forever, but it's a gradual process and the list of fans grows every day. As long as I keep it about relationships and not numbers, I'm not worried.