How To Build A Fan Base

trademark

Your fans are worth a million follows each. Fans show up, support you, buy your print on demand merch, and sing your praises. Fans are the ones who bring you your positive vibe and wear your t-shirts. Fans help you to get new fans. They are a reason why content creators do what creators do. But what if you have no fans or are just starting out and need to get fans?


Don’t overlook anyone when it comes to fans.

Not all fans are created equal and people who you might not suspect to be a fan, could become your largest fan. All fans are strangers first. Convert them from strangers to fans. Let’s break this down a bit.  

Your fanbase won’t be made of the same people. It will be made of people that are:

Drifters: that is, once big fans, but don’t hear from you much anymore or have lost a connection with you. Your job here is to inspire them to connect with you by creating great content or giving them something else they might want from you like merch.

Followers: These are big fans but perhaps don’t have the money to buy your merch, join your group, pay month-to-month membership fees, etc. Yet, there’s a tradeoff here. While they might not be able to buy your items or become members, they share your social posts and comment and interact with your socials. Your job here is to keep this group of people happy with great content. Possibly some of these fans will eventually go on to become purchasers.

Top Tier Fans: This is the group of people that will buy from you. These are the people that will share and comment on socials, buy merch, subscribe, and act as your best source of monetization. Your Job here is to continue to make great content with them in mind, keep their participation and interactions up, give them exciting merch to buy that resonates with them, and let them act as ambassadors of your brand.


People want to feel special. 

Every connection begins with a 1-to-1. Go above and beyond to show how much fans mean to you. Moreover, show fans how much they mean to you. Don’t just do the minimum to get by. Show fans you are real and show fans transparency. Reply to comments and messages directly while interacting with and generating conversations and buzz about you and your brand.

Again, your content needs to be real. If you are going to make random posts or not take the time to create quality content, you might as well not create any content at all. Bring value to your fans with content they eat up and connect with them on a 1-to-1 basis showing true appreciation for their fandom.


Be consistent.

People forget quickly. Posting a ton one week and then going silent and completely ghosting your audience for the next is a huge step backward in building a fanbase. Regular posts, videos, and content are key here but don’t post just to post. Think the content through and remember that time put into content creation will have a far greater value than half-hearted filler content. Give viewers and fans what they want, Good Content.


Collaboration Goes A Long Way. 

Collaborating with other creators, artists, or entrepreneurs in your niche can help you build connections and gain interest from others that would want to be part of your community.

Find creators that share not only a niche with you but ones that also share your message, vibe, and tone. Create content that speaks your message and gives your fans something to embrace while it serves a greater purpose helping you gain momentum in building your fan base.


Stay Patient.  

Building a fan base takes time. There’s no sugarcoating that, and it can seem completely overwhelming, but stay patient.

Take each day one day at a time and move that needle slightly each day. Imagine your success three months, six months, or a year from today. Success doesn’t come overnight, and a wise person did once say, “it only takes ten years to become an overnight success.”

Your dedication to creating good content, consistent efforts, and the small day-to-day changes you make will cause exponential growth over time. Don’t get hung up on needing to do it overnight.

Showing up, creating good content, building, learning, and making real connections is how one builds a fanbase. 


Enjoy the journey.

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