All the World’s a Potential Fan

As we enter a new decade, we dive into an era of new language, too. You’ve no doubt heard it, maybe even used it yourself --- a new lexicon used to communicate about business, social interaction and brand. Welcome to 2010 and a world of fans and followers powered by social media engagement.

Remember when being a fan simply meant you joined a club, bought all of somebody’s works and maybe gushed in a letter about how much you loved what your favorite singer, artist, writer (fill in the blank) did? Okay, there may be slightly less gushing involved now, but never has a more efficient, cost-effective way of gathering “fans” exploded onto the scene.

The process is simple.
1. You make a product or offer a service.
2. You let your marketplace know you’re out there, ready and willing to hear from your customers --their feedback, their stories, their suggestions.
3. And then when they speak to you, you respond and encourage even more dialogue.

What could be easier than that?

So what’s in a fan or follower and how can you know everything there is to know about who’s following you? First things first, get to know the specific online communities available to you.

• Establish a product or company page on Facebook and invite friends and colleagues to support your business and become a fan.
Use the page to tell about upcoming events, promote new product news or happenings with the company or ask direct questions of those who become fans. Reach out to other organizations that you believe in or that you support directly and encourage others to invite their own friends to follow. Consider this page a window to your business. If people were walking by, what would you want them to see or hear? If they’ve become a fan, you’ve got their attention. Don’t lose it.

• Set up a profile on Twitter and begin following those in your marketplace and community to stay on top of industry or local news/trends and invite them to become a follower.
Share information that will be both meaningful and helpful to the online community. Remember: unlike Facebook which is open only to those who specifically request to follow you, on Twitter, everyone “hears” you if they happen to search for you by name or topic so if you are speaking on specific issues, be sure to denote this by using # before the topic at the end of your comments or “tweets.” For example, let’s say you’re an accountant offering tips for tax season, you might add #taxes at the end of your comment and anyone searching specifically for tweets related to taxes would find you.

• Follow the unwritten but understood rules of engagement.
Social media networking only succeeds if both parties contribute and interact with one another. If you receive comments or questions and don’t respond, you become simply a billboard promoting your wares and the potential two-way conversation becomes you with a bullhorn. And for Pete’s sake, remember what your mama told you growing up: always say please and thank you. If someone forwards your “tweet” to all of their followers or mentions you by name, thank them. If someone recommends your Facebook page to their friends and you hear about it, show them the love in return.

• Keep an eye on your followers – who’s in and who’s out.
Nothing is more puzzling than when a follower or fan who’s shown previous interest in your page suddenly removes themselves from your fan list or “unsubscribes,” another new made-up word in this crazy millennium of creative vocabulary. (In personal social media circles, this is curiously known as “unfriending,” another bizarre verbal incarnation.) Why did they leave me, you may ask yourself. It’s hard not to be troubled or feel personally rejected, and while you may never know the exact answer, you can monitor the flow of your page’s growth and the kinds of fans you are acquiring – where are they based geographically, age or marital status info if provided, etc. If for example, you begin to talk on a more frequent basis on a particular product or service that might be appealing to parents, you may begin to see a growth in that demographic but some of your followers without kids may possibly drop off if they thought your business was more geared toward twenty-somethings. It’s important to know who your target audience is and keep your messages as consistent and focused as possible to this audience if that’s who you want to attract and keep as listeners.