The Importance Of A Fan Base & How To Grow One

the importance of a FAN BASE People are the lifeblood of your business. Building relationships with people fosters loyalty. As a result, loyalty has the potential to increase profits. An excellent way to start building relationships with people who share similar interests is by developing a fan base. In this infographic we'll tell you how a fan base can make a real difference and what you can do to nurture it. the top ONLINE ENTITIES (as measured by the combined number of Twitter followers and Facebook fans, 11/2011) You Tube LADY GAGA RIHANNA YOUTUBE SHAKIRA KATY PERRY 61.7 million 57.5 million 55.2 million 53.2 million 49 million FACEBOOK EMINEM TEXAS HOLD'EM JUSTIN BIEBER TAYLOR SWIFT 57.9 million 56.8 million (ZYNGA) 53-5 million 52.8 million 36.3 million the top BRANDS ON FACEBOOK (as measured by the number of "Likes" a brand has received on Facebook, 10/2011) Coca-C ONVE OREC Red Bul Skiftles Pringles convERSE COCA-COLA OREO CONVERSE SKITTLES VICTORIA'S 34.5 million 23.1 million ALL STAR 19.4 million SECRET 20.8 million 16.3 million STARBUCKS RED BULL CONVERSE PLAYSTATION PRINGLES 25.5 million 22.4 million 20.1 million 17.4 million 13.6 million FUN FACT FUN FACT In 2011, an wayward emperor penguin was Due in part to viral videos starring Isaiah Mustafa, Nielsen data shows that the sales of the Old Spice Body Wash, as a whole, rose by 55% from May through July 2010, and by 107% during July 2010 alone. Old Spice found on a New Zealand beach. A web cam was set up to monitor his every movement, and in six weeks he had attracted an online following of 120,000 people. how a fan base can GROW YOUR BRAND 50% 20 50% of small business owners reported gaining new customers through social media – most notably through Facebook and Linked In. Ning, the social network platform, has found that it only takes 20 people to create an online community that generates a meaningful level of activity through “many-to-many" interactions. 64% 64% of Twitter users say they are more likely to buy from the brands they follow. "MANY-TO-MANY" INTERACTIONS "Many-to-many" is a term that can be used to describe the communication 51% paradigm that exists online, especially in social media. As opposed to "one-to-one" and "one-to-many" relationships, “many- to-many" relationships are those in which people both contribute and receive information, and share that information across different websites. 51% of Facebook users say they are more likely to buy from the brands they follow. CONNECTION/EMPATHY SATISFACTION THE EFFECT OF "FANNING" WITH THE BRAND WITH THE BRAND ON RELATIONSHIPS 81% 39% 87% 49% 38% 34% FANS NON-FANS FANS NON-FANS FAMILY MEMBERS ACQUAINTANCES 81% of Facebook fans said they feel connection/empathy with a particular brand. Only 39% of non-fans said they did. 87% of Facebook fans said they are satisfied with a particular brand. Only 49% of non-fans said they did. 38% of respondents reported that they would likely become a fan of a brand on Facebook if they saw a family member or close friend do so. 34% of respondents reported that they would likely become a fan of a brand if they saw a person they know through Facebook do so. how to GROW YOUR FAN BASE 1 Define your target market. ২ Knowing who your target market is will help you to collect information on what they like and what makes them tick. Get the tone right. Once you understand your target market, start to talk like them, think like them, even act like them. It will help you to project a correct tone-a way of gaining trust. Identify which types of engagement are effective. Do not be afraid to try news things or experiment. Look at it as a long- term investment. Building a relationship takes time. Don't expect immediate results. -5 Keep it real, relevant, and relaxed. Don't overdo it, don't over think it. If you don't have anything relevant to post, don't post it. While consistency is important, quality is numero uno. Create a schedule for 17 updates. Create a schedule and stick with it. Posting sporadically (or inconsistently) can come across as being spammy. Monitor and measure. illl Measure the growth of your fan base. See what works and what doesn't. Rinse and repeat. SOURCES: OKISSmetrics socialmediaexaminer.com blog.inigral.com blog.cybertegic.com