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5 Strategies for Building Your Fan Base: A Case Study

December 27, 2010 By

(Reading time: 4 – 6 minutes)

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The idea for this post came to me due to joining a new dance studio. As some of you may know, I’ve recently taken up social dancing in a big way. Now, I tend to do everything in a big way- really digging into something for a few weeks or months until I’ve gotten whatever I wanted from it. I change hobbies often, but I’m super committed while I’m there. :)

Anyway, I’ve been taking a mix of private lessons and classes at Dance Bethesda, learning, so far, the basics of foxtrot, waltz, salsa, tango, rumba, and swing. The instruction has been top notch, and I’ve made significant progress in just a few weeks. My instructor is talking about me taking part in my first competition by November of this year; it might be my very own version of “So You Think You Can Dance?” (I’m still determining, for myself, what the answer to that question is!)

The reason I wanted to write about my dance studio today is that they are doing several things very well in terms of creating a fan base and following. The strategies they are using are ones you can use, too, to build your fan base through social media marketing.

Strategy #1: Be as inclusive as possible.

One thing that impressed me, a lot, about joining the studio is how friendly and welcoming everyone has been. Of course, it is called SOCIAL dance, but a key strategy is to make newcomers feel welcome and included. We all have some anxiety about being the “new kid on the block”, whether in real life, or online, so be as welcoming and inclusive as possible. You might include a warm and friendly welcome video on your site, or you might make a special effort to reach out to new followers or friends.

Whatever you do, make people feel welcome- they will stick around much longer.

Everyone is looking for a place to call “home”- and since it has to be somewhere- why not have that be your blog, website or business?

Strategy #2: Start as early as possible.

Dance Bethesda is just rolling out a kids dance program, starting ballroom and Latin dance lessons for children as young as 5. Not only will this help them build another level to their training and instruction, but it’s a smart long-term customer strategy. It’s likely that these kids will continue to take part in studio activities for multiple years, and they are likely to get their parents involved too.

For you, think about how you can broaden or widen the range of people you work with. You might create some informational products, or do some live trainings, or offer new products or services to aid more people across the business cycle.

When you start early, you create longevity and lifetime customer value.

Strategy #3: Spice it up.

Dance Bethesda not only offers lessons, but they also offer training for competitions, as well as dance focused cruises. They hold weekly dance parties for all sorts of holidays, and try to keep their clients interested and learning. How can you offer new and unexpected value to your network, so that they are continually learning and investing with you?

How can you use different offerings to cement your ties with your existing client base?

Strategy #4: Integrate your marketing.

The studio uses online and offline methods to drive people to the door. They are using Facebook and email newsletters, for instance, and also advertising in the local neighborhood. Although most of us probably focus on online methods, offline ones still work. And you can build a stronger business by using both. Don’t overlook the fact that some of your future best customers can be right outside your front door.

Take time to build your local networks in addition to your online networks.

Strategy #5: Have fun with it.

Dance Bethesda has a lot of fun- and they share it. New pictures are posted regularly on their site, and they continually invite you to take part in the fun. How can you create a fun or more exciting experience within your business? Remember, everybody likes to feel like they are part of something cool and unique and interesting and enjoyable.

How can you bring these qualities into your business more fully?

But wait! There’s more!

And the final strategy, of course, is to track your progress and give the process time to work. Tracking helps you know what’s working, so you know what to do more of- and being a little bit patient gives your marketing time to take root and grow strong.

If you want to build your social media fan base, these strategies will help you do so more successfully. Select just one to start with, and build up from there.

What about you? What strategies are you finding effective in building your own fan base, online or offline? Please share your best ideas by commenting below.

If you’d like to access my audio, “Psychological Strategies for Building Social Media Influence”, you can get the free audio here

Rachna Jain is the amazingly energetic entrepreneur driving Social Media Marketing Strategies, where you will find in-depth discussion of the latest technology and techniques in social media marketing.
Filed Under: Building community Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Failure is a Point of View (Who’s defining yours?)

July 1, 2010 By

(Reading time: 3 – 5 minutes)

You’re in a cedar thicket, way up on a ridge, high above Dahlonega, Georgia. It’s overcast (probably) and a new moon (for sure). And definitely, it’s so dark you can’t see your hand in front of your face (that’s really dark).

You’re tired. You’re hungry.

You don’t feel good. You’re stumbling around trying to be quiet… and find your fire team… because you just got slammed with being the team leader… and there’s a patrol order to write.

You’re in Ranger training. Mountain phase. Hua.

It’s late thirty after a long day… and you will be up for hours writing that patrol order.

You write and write.

You’re under your poncho with a red lens flashlight. Not because it’s cold; it’s not. But you have to maintain light discipline. Preserve your night vision. What a hassle.

You write and write and write.

It’s Zero Dark Thirty and black as sin.

You write more.

Dawn finally breaks.

Your body aches for sleep. Your brain is spinning with fatigue. But you have a patrol to execute. You’ll be up all day, humping rucksacks and rifles through blackberry and greenbrier, up and down ridges in the southern Appalachians.

Then Doughboy fails you on the patrol order.

That fat bastard. Doughboy was snoozing all night along with all the other Ranger instructors. Pukes.

Unacceptable. You break your ass writing a detailed and complex operation, and with a dismissive wave of the hand, you get failed. Failing a phase of Ranger school is a Big Effen Deal. There are real consequences. You may get a chance to repeat that training phase, but it’s harder the second time around: you’re already tired and hungry, worn down, and your reserves are depleted.

Much better to pass the first time.

But you “got failed” anyway.

What would you do?

Here’s what I did.

I refused to acknowledge failure. I explained politely, and insistently, that since all the instructors had been sleeping, every one of them, there was no way I could be failed. It simply wasn’t possible.

After quite some “reasoning,” Doughboy (a fat Ranger instructor, wtf) succumbed to the inexorable logic of my relentless righteousness. Perhaps he just wanted me out of his face. Doesn’t matter. Later, it turned out he recommended me as an honor graduate.

Failure… is a point of view.

The thing about this blogging stuff: when you’re “huddled under your poncho” getting your next big move planned out, by the time you execute, it might be moot. As in pointless. As in, Mr. Market hands you a Big Fat Fail.

But this isn’t necessarily a problem, especially if you learned some marketable skills along the way. Long time readers (bofem) know this has happened to me. If you’re fairly new to Website In A Weekend (last 4,5 months or so), stick around. The story started over a year ago, and continues to evolve:

  • Watch how I reframe getting economically squeezed out of my target market… from both ends.
  • Learn how I use “deliberate practice” to go very deep into the most critical blogging skill of all.
  • See how I leverage an A-lister’s product to sell both that product and my mine (even though these products would seemingly compete).
  • Watch how I use the hamster wheel for fun and profit. (Hamsters have to eat, too, you know).

Learn how this very blog post demonstrates just how damn good I am at this craft.

And stick around to see how I meet these challenges.

What about you? What’s your biggest challenge, right now? Has your target market seismically shifted? Have you “lost” the race to the bottom? Has your stupendous idea been picked up by someone with a list of 50,000+? Do you feel like Mr Market has given you a Big Fat Fail?

Have you allowed someone else to define your failure?

Sign up for the newsletter (below), then let’s talk about it in the comments.

Filed Under: Blogging success Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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