7 Proven Steps To Attract Raving Fans For Your Business!

I say ‘attract’ Raving Fans, not create them – because they are already out there, waiting to be swept up and welcomed into your business. You can easily recognise Raving Fans (maybe you are one already); these are the ‘word of mouth army’; they will extol your virtues to anyone who will listen and recommend your business at every opportunity. Their wants are simple and easily serviced – acknowledge them, serve them, reward them, and you will have a Raving Fan for life!

We are told to ‘work smarter, not harder’, yet every day we are bombarded with ‘work hard’ marketing campaigns that are focused on attracting new clients with some fantastic value add incentives. Don’t get me wrong, some of these campaigns and strategies are brilliant, and they work really well; they are just out of balance and focus on only one-half of the business potential.

Let’s look at the maths. Marketing statistics tell us that in the USA, new customers need an average of 7-8 points of contact before they feel comfortable with the brand and make a purchase; in Australia, the average is 12-13 points of contact. Regardless of what forms of marketing you use, that is a considerable investment of time and money, with no guarantees of a purchase.

Yet, sitting in your database are existing clients with a guaranteed purchase history whom you have already invested in; by simply nurturing and rewarding them, you have a potential army of Raving Fans waiting to be embraced.

Here are seven proven steps to attracting your Raving Fans; simple, easy and cost-effective ways to stay in touch and keep it personal.

1. Forward any articles or stories that might be interesting to individuals or groups you are part of – share the knowledge and add a note of why you think they might be interested. Eg. I thought of you when I read this report, and I think this story might help with some of the questions that come up in this group.

2. Diarise regular, random connections. i.e. every week, I have a permanent reminder to connect with clients, colleagues and friends. This can be social media such as FB, Twitter or LinkedIn or maybe your email list.

Go through your list, pick a handful of people to reconnect with, and send them a short note personally. E.g. you might respond to a post they have had recently or an article or photo; you might contact your email list simply by acknowledging that it has been a while since you connected, share what has been happening for you and ask the same from them – be genuine, be interested.

3. Remember birthdays – yes, you might get an automatic reminder, but send a personal message – it only takes a couple of minutes, or send a card through the post rather than electronically, offer them a gift (but do not sell) – free reports, white papers, ebooks, product samples, reward them by acknowledging and giving.

4. Get personalised thankyou cards and send them out after you have completed a project with that person or people within a company; send them out to clients who have supported you over the long term, even if they are not active with you at the moment – make sure the cards are handwritten.

5. Include some personal stories or experiences in your newsletters, blogs, videos or podcasts – yes, they are going out to a mass audience, but create them and interact within them as if you are having a personal conversation with each and every person, ask them to share back – not just feedback for your business, but real sharing – create a community. People want to belong; they look for other people who can drive a relationship and create a community to belong to. You just need to nurture your community and the people who choose to belong to it.

6. Create promotional offers for your existing clients and reward them regularly. If you expect loyalty and ongoing support from your customers, then show them your loyalty and support first!

Remember, your competitors are waiting for your clients to become bored, dissatisfied or disillusioned with your services – be proactive and continually look for ways to add value and keep them engaged.

7. Never take your contacts for granted! Things change, and their lives change; always be asking questions, be interested, and create a system that allows you the capacity to listen and reply – build your team values around the community you want to create and teach your team to become co-creators and value contributors.

PS. Most of all, have fun and include your team in the process; the environment around your workplace will ‘buzz’ and like bears to honey, customers will be attracted back into your business.