Many companies dream of a huge online fan base. The number of Facebook fans and Twitter followers is a new symbol of being successful. However, a lot of companies start with a lot of enthusiasm but end up disappointed after a while. In many cases the ambition was bigger than the result. The road to a big online fanbase is a long and winding road. There are five steps to think about in order to succeed.
1. A great offline experience
Online success depends on offline behavior. More than half of the online conversations about brands are about product and service quality. People talk online about their offline experiences. This implies that a strong fan base starts with a fantastic offline experience. If people love a brand offline, it increases the chances of an online like.
2. Listen and help
Many companies see social media as a new broadcasting channel. It is smarter to turn it around and use social media as a new listening channel. In fact, social media is the first listening channel for companies. When consumers talk about a company, it boosts the fanship if those consumers receive a professional, entertaining and helpful answer. Listening is more than just following the mentions you receive. Listening is looking for conversations about your business in general. It helps you to see the latest trends and in some cases you may help out some people that did not know you.
3. Create inspiring content
Creating your own content is necessary to attract online fans. People are attracted by fun and inspiring content. A lot of companies invest in online content without executing the first two bullets in this article. Those companies are often the disappointed companies. If people don’t like your brand online and you are not helping them out, the chance that they will like your content is low. First win the heart of consumers, then inspire them.
4. Have a smart digital backbone
Creating online fans goes further than managing your Facebook and your Twitter account. To boost the impact of online content, consider placing content on your own medium (eg site/blog). The moment that your content is placed on your blog, there are a number of positive effects. First, you can still share the link of this content via social networks. Second, you can find new fans that are not familiar with your company yet. Content on a blog can be easily found through a Google search. This brings in new contacts that may follow you because of their personal interest in your content. Placing fantastic content only on Facebook is like fishing without a hook. It’s like throwing your beautiful bait in the river. The fish eat it. The ‘like’ it. And they move on. The moment when people experience content on your own platform, there is a chance that they will look at other content, or give you’re their data.
5. Discipline
The last point is the most crucial point. To build a large online fan base, you need discipline. A lot of companies start very enthusiastic with their online fan program. After a while, some cannot keep up the pace and stop investing in the program. The difficulty with building an online fanbase is that you need to over invest in the beginning. In the beginning it takes a lot of energy to create content and to share it over a small fan base. It seems like you don’t have any impact at all. Companies and individuals that hang in there and keep putting an effort in their online fans, get rewarded. The good news is that the investment in the program remain the same. This means that you over invest in the beginning but the return increases every day with the same investment. Discipline and hard work is the key to success.
By Prof. Steven Van Belleghem, author of The Conversation Company and The Conversation Manager (Kogan Page).
Connect with Prof. Steven Van Belleghem on Google+
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