Four Simple Steps To Earn 1000 True Fans - Elite Content ...

Essentially, a true fan is someone that is enthusiastic about all of your work. They follow you closely and purchase anything and everything you ... SkiptomaincontentSkiptoprimarysidebarAdditionalmenu Youneedmillionsofdollarsinyourbankaccount,abreakthroughidea,andtheambitionofbuildingthenextFacebook.That’stheapproachyouneedtotaketowardsnewcreativeentrepreneurshipprojects,right?Well,in2008,KevinKellydispelledthemythwithhisessaytitled“1,000truefans.”IttooktheinternetbystormandimplementedbyrenownedpersonalitieslikeRamitSethiandTimFerriss.Thepremiseoftheessaywasthatanywriter,designer,musician,artist,entrepreneur,investor,oranyotherkindofcreator,canleadacomfortablelifestylebysimplyfindingonethousand‘true’fans.UnlessyourgoalistobethenextBieber,youdon’tneed100millionInstagramfollowersandtodrowninahugebusinessloan.Youneedtoappealtoanicheaudiencethatravesaboutyourworkandpaysforeverycreation.Asacreator,howdoyoufindthesededicatedcustomerstoliveacomfortablelifestyle?Inthisarticle,you’llseetheexactactionablestepswithexamplesofbrandsconnectingwithafewsuperfans.First,let’sdefinewhata“true”fanis. TableofContents WhatIsA‘True’Fan?ButIsThe1000TrueFansTheoryRelevantToday?HowToGet1000TrueFans:4SlowAndPainfulStepsStep#1:DefineWhoYouWantToAppealStep#2:CreateForYourSuperFansStep#3:BuildACommunityOfYourTrueFansStep#4:SolicitFeedbackAndCreateMOREForYourExisting“True”FansLet’sThankKevinKellyForCoining1000TrueFansByShowingHimAnotherExample! WhatIsA‘True’Fan?Essentially,atruefanissomeonethatisenthusiasticaboutallofyourwork.Theyfollowyoucloselyandpurchaseanythingandeverythingyouproduce.Theywillplanovernightjourneystoattendyourconcertandgetyoursignedcopies.Theywillbuyyourmug,t-shirts,andeverymerchandiseyousell.SinceyourtruefansareSOenthusiasticaboutyourcreations,youshouldpersonallyconnectwiththem.Besidesexpressinggratitudefortheirsupport,youshouldgivespecialaccesstothesesuperfans.Theymayactasyourunpaidmarketingforceandspreadyourworkthroughwordofmouth.Theycangetyourcasualfansandregularfollowersonboard.Forexample,Slipknotcallsitsfans‘maggots‘.The‘true’maggots(likeme)don’tjustwatcheverynewmusicvideotheyreleaseonYouTube.Theybuymusic/masks/merchandisefromtheirsite,closelyfollowtheupdatesabouttheirbandmembers,anddon’tmissachancetowatchthemlive.Insomecases,theyplantotravel4,500milestowitnessthebandliveattheirmetalfestival(thatwouldbeme!)ButIsThe1000TrueFansTheoryRelevantToday?Kevinconceptualisedthetheoryin2008.Backthen,Google,YouTube,andFacebookwerefairlynew.Forthedistributionofanykindofcreativework,somemiddlemendecidedwhichproductgetstotheendusers.Asacreator,youdealtwithentitieslikerecordlabels,brickandmortarretailstores,bookpublishers,TVchannelexecutives,andthelike.Flashforwardtotoday,andtheinternethasdemocratisedthedistributionofcontent.Thereareanamplenumberofplatformswith:Nomiddlemen,Directaccesstomillionsofusers,Increasingconsumerattentionbytheday.Thecurrentscenariolookslikeacakewalkforanytalentedcreatortostarttheircareersandhitahomerun.It’seasypeasytopublishcontentandattractyour1,000truefans,aye?Well,notsofast.Ifyoudelvedeeper,youwillfindanissue.Itrelatestotheexponentialriseofcontentcreation.Sinceanybodycannowpublishtheirarticles,videos,andothercreativeworkontheinternet:Morethan400hoursofvideoisuploadedonYouTubeeveryminute.Over2millionblogpostsarepublishedeveryday.Andmindyou,thosestatsarefrom2015.Todaythenumbershavefurtherpeaked.Sothatmeans1,000truefansisadud?Easy,Lenny.Withtheriseofdigitaltools,creatorscannowpickfromsomanyplatformstoconnectandengagewiththeir“true”fans.Hereiswhatthenumberssay:Kickstarter,thelargestcrowdfundingplatform,hasseenover100,000creativeprojectsfunded.Andtheaveragenumberofbackersforasuccessfulprojectstandsat255.ThatmeansyoucanrunasuccessfulKickstartercrowdfundingcampaignwith“true”fans.InhisrevisedversionoftheessayforToolsofTitans,mentionshoweveryidea,product,anddesirehastakersontheinternet.Evenifyouappealto1-in-a-millionpeople,theycanaccessyourworkwithafewclicksontheinternet.Here’showKevinputsit:“Yetifevenonlyoneoutofamillionpeoplewereinterested,that’spotentially7,000peopleontheplanet.Thatmeansthatany1-in-a-millionappealcanfind1,000truefans.”Theverdictisclear:Thetheoryismorerelevantthanever.Theinternetiswideopen,butnichingdownyourcreativeworktofocusonyour1,000truefanshasneverbeenmoreimportant.So,let’sgetdowntothestep-by-stepmethodoffindingyour“true”fans,shallwe?HowToGet1000TrueFans:4SlowAndPainfulStepsForgetgoingviral.Abandonyourpursuitofgettingthousandsofsocialmediafans.Andstopfocusingontryingtogaintheattentionofthemasses.Takethesefourslowandeffortfulstepstofindyourtruefansandmakingasustainableliving.Step#1:DefineWhoYouWantToAppealThenoiseontheinternetcallsfornichingdown.It’snolongerabouttryingtocreateavideoorablogpostthathundredsofthousandsofpeoplewill‘like.’Anymetricthatdoesn’ttiecloselywithyourrevenueisavanitymetric.Insteadofcreating,withoutadocumentedaudienceandsansstrategy,youneedtoattractcertainkindofpeople.Notethatthesesuperfansarenotsupposedtobean“ideal”audience.Theyareactual,realpeople.Don’tfallinthetrapofcreatingforasetofpeopleinyourfantasyworldthatdon’texist.That’sthesolereasonwhymanystartupsfail,blogpostsdon’tgettraffic,andartistsfailtobreakthrough.Hence,research,getclarityoftheaudiencethatyouwanttoattractwithyourcreationsanddocumenttheaudience.Inhisadviceoncreatingcontentthatsustainsacareerbelow,TimFerrissnotesthatyourgoalistodefinethepeoplethatabsolutelyLOVEwhatyoucreate.Theyfindyourworkextremelyvaluableandwillrecruitcasualfollowersforyourcreativeendeavors.Herearethequestionsyoucanbeginwithforabasicoverlayofyour“true”fan:Whoismyaudience?(Writedowntheirage,location,gender,jobtitle,annualincome,andthelike)Whataretheirtopchallenges?(Writedownafewpainpoints,questions,andconcernsthattheyhave).Listtheirmajorinterests.(Includehobbies,bookstheyread,blogstheyvisit,andotheraspectsoftheirpersonality).Whatarethedesiresthattheycurrentlyseek?(Listanyresultsandgoalsthattheywanttoachieverightnow).Youcanalsogiveavisualrepresentationtoyourtruefanbyattachingaphotoalongsidetheabovecharacteristics.Here’sanexamplepersonatoguideyou(rememberthatwe’resketchingoutour“true”faninsteadofanordinarybuyer).Notethattheaboveavatarisadynamicentity.Onceyouhaveafew“true”fansonboard,thenyoucankeepfleshingouttheavatar.Step#2:CreateForYourSuperFansWhenyoucreate,yourgoalistoconnectandaddvaluetoyour“true”fans.Evenifyoucreatewiththemindsetofappealingtoanicheaudience,theengagementfromtheseenthusiastscancatapultyourreach.EvenFacebookandGooglealgorithmsareweighinguserengagementtodecidethecontentthatgetsvisibilityontheirplatforms.Now,whenyougetdowntocreating,youcanusetheformulabelowdevisedbyDanaSitar.Beforeshebeginswriting,Danalikestofillinthefollowingstatementthatshereferstoasa‘readerstory.’Youcanmodifyanduseitforyourothertypesofcontentaswell.“Asa[typeofperson],theywant[somegoal]sothat[somereason].”Ifyou’restuckforideas,thendon’tdirectlyruntopayingforatoollikeAhrefsandfindingthehighest-volumekeywords.Rather,youshouldgetoutthereandtalktoyourtruefans.Don’talreadyhaveaccesstothem?WaitforthenextstepwhereI’lltellyouanactionablestrategytobuildacommunity.Untilthen,youcanjointhecommunitieswhereyour“true”fanshangout.Tryexploringnicheforums,Facebookgroups,subreddits,andthelike.Ifyourunintosamequestionsrepeatedly,thennotethemdown.Onceyouhaveafewquestionsfromthesefans,thenit’stimetocomeupwithcontentideasandfindtherelevantkeywordsthatfitwiththem.It’slikeaninvertedkeywordresearchstrategybyGrowandConvert.Thecoolpart?Itprioritizesreachingoutandengagingwithafewdedicatedcustomers,overgettingLOTSoftrafficthatdoesn’tconvert.Step#3:BuildACommunityOfYourTrueFansMikeShreevesolicitstheemailofhiswebsitevisitorsinexchangeforvaluableadviceonfreelancingthathistargetaudienceseeks.Oncehehastheiremail,hesendsthemnuggetsofhelpfulfreelancingadvicedaily.EvenifFacebookshutsdowntomorrow,Mikecanstillcontinuetogrowhisbusinessbecauseofowningalist.Here’showheputsit.Laterintheaboveemail,Mikeaptlysummarizestheadvantageofbuildingalist,“Intheworldofdoingbusinessonline,theemaillist(andtherelationshipyouhavewithyoursubscribers)istheonlyrealassetthatyouown.”Now,howisbuildingalistequivalenttobuildingacommunity?Yousee,acommunityisallaboutrelationshipsandinteractingwithyouraudience.Anemaillistachievesbothofthesegoals.Theonlydrawbackisthatyoumissoutonthevaluablediscussionsthathappenbetweenyourcommunitymembers.Soifyouhavethebandwidth,thenyoucanalsostartaFacebookgroupandinviteyour“true”fans.AuthorityHackerhasadedicatedFacebookgroup(foritspaidsubscribers)wherepassionatesitecreatorstalkaboutmarketing,SEO,business,andthelike.Infact,thefounderofthecompany,Gael,alsodropsbyoccasionallywhenwritingablogpost.LookatthenumberofcommentscontainingquestionsGaelcouldaddressinhisarticle.Evenwhenheplanstorevamphispaidtrainingcourse,Gaelconductsapollaskingthecommunityonwhattheywant.Isn’tthatagreatwayoffindingtheEXACTissuesandrequirementsofyour“true”fans.Intheprocess,youalsomakeyourworkextremelyrelevantandvaluabletothem.Thecommunityalsofulfillsanothercrucialaspectofhavingthosetruefans.“You’realwayshangingoutnearbyyourtruefans.”Step#4:SolicitFeedbackAndCreateMOREForYourExisting“True”FansIfyoudon’tinnovate,thenyourexisting‘true’fansmightgetbored.Here’showyoucanengagethemandkeepyourfansnearyou.Ifyou’reacontentcreator,thenservenewcontentataregularpaceandaddressthequestionsraisedbyyouraudience.Youshouldalsocreateexclusivecontentandgivespecialaccesstothesesubscribers.Forexample–WaitButWhyisoneoftheworld’stopblogs.Ithascloseto3,500Patrons(atthetimeofwritingthisarticle)thatpledgeamonthlyamounttocreatehigh-qualityblogposts.Theauthoroftheblog,TimUrban,hasn’tpublishedanewarticleatWaitButWhyforalmostayear.Yet,you’llseeexclusiveupdatesfromWaitButWhyfortheirpatrons(liketheonebelow).MarkManson,authorandwriter,alsodoessomethingsimilarforhissitemembersofferingthemexclusiveprivilegesincludingbi-yearlyAMAs.Ifyou’resellingadigitalproduct,thenitmakessensetovalidatenewproductideaswiththemandservethem.Youcanbuildathrivingbusinessandleadacomfortablelifestylebyfocusingonyourdie-hardcustomersalone.Forinstance,RamitSethitookusbehindthescenesofhispremiumcoursebusiness.Heattributed$8millioninrevenuetohistop1,000studentsalone.Indeed,hesharedthathisaverage“true”fanhadpurchasedsixoftheirproducts.Here’sacomparisonofhowtheaveragespendofa“true”studentstacksupagainstanordinarystudent.Recommendedreading:15BestOnlineCoursePlatformsToSellYourSkillsLastly,evenifyou’resellingphysicalproductsasaDirectToConsumerEcommercebrand,theninteractwithyourtightly-knitcommunity.Andcomeupwithnewerproductsforyourexistingcustomers.DollarShaveClub(DSC)startedwithsellingrazorsonasubscriptionmodelandgainedquickrecognitionwiththeirviralvideo.Then,theylaunchedtheirsecondproduct:“OneWipeCharlies”,whichwasbasicallytoiletpaper.Notrendforecasterwouldhavepredictedthatguysareunhappywiththecurrentproductsforwipingofftheirbutts.SohowdidDSCuncovertheneedandlaunchanothersuccessfulproduct?Well,thebrandconductedlotsofsmallconsumerpanels.Aparticularpanelwascomplainingaboutroughtoiletpaper,andthat’swheretheideaforOneWipeCharliessprungup.Fromabusinessperspective:Thecostofacquiringanewcustomerisbetweenfivetimesto25timesmoreexpensivethanretaininganexistingone.It’sundebatablethatyou’vetodeepenyourrelationshipwiththerightkindofcustomers(your“true”fans).Socarefullypickmemberswhomyoucanaddvaluetoandkeepthemnearyou.You’llfindthatthesefewsuperenthusiasticcustomerswillkeepaddingLOTSofvaluetoyou.Let’sThankKevinKellyForCoining1000TrueFansByShowingHimAnotherExample!Ifyouwantstardomandaimtomakeafortune,then1,000truefansmightnotbetheidealway.However,withtheriseofhundredsofdigitaltools,youcanbuildathrivingbusinessmerelybycateringtoyour1000“true”fans.Indeedtofinanceyournextproduct/creation,youcanraisemoney.InNorthAmericaalone,over17.2billiondollarshavebeengeneratedviacrowdfunding.AndKickstartercreativeprojectshavebeenpledgedover$4Billion.Thebestpartisthatyoucanleverageyourdirectrelationshipswithyoursuperenthusiasticfansalongsidethetraditionalintermediaries.Thatis,youcanleanonapublishingpowerhouse,yetalsoself-publish(dependingonyourgoalwiththecontentyoucreate).Now,it’syourturn.Areyoua“true”fanofanyartist/company/creator?Letmeknowinthecommentsbelow. 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