8 Steps to Attract Fans like a Rock Band

How can your company be more like a rock band in attracting fans?

1. Be Likeable

You’ve heard the adage that “people do business with people they like.” The same is true for businesses. According to Dave Kerpen, chief executive (CEO) of Likeable Local, the most important characteristic of businesses who want to be liked is to put themselves in their audience’s shoes. Kerpen suggests: “Take off your business cap and think like your customer. ‘If I were them, would I share this content or like it?’ If not, then don’t bother.”

2. Be Approachable

If fans can’t approach you, talk with you, and have a meaningful exchange with you, they’ll eventually lose interest. Apple is consistently ranked as one of the top companies for customer support primarily because they have an entire staff of employees called “Geniuses” trained to “enrich lives” by “deepening and restoring relationships.” The service approach of employees is characterized within the Apple acronym – (A)pproach, (P)robe, (P)resent, (L)isten, (E)nd.

3. Be Authentic

According to the Harvard Business Review, “Authenticity is actually a relational behavior, not a self-centered one. Meaning that to be truly authentic, you must not only be comfortable with yourself, but must also comfortably connect with others.” The way to do this is not to copy someone else’s business model but find what works for you and proudly own it.

4. Be Transparent

Buffer is a great example of a company so transparent; it publicly shares details about employee salaries, company equity, and even how employees divide their time outside of work. Their mantra “default to transparency” is by now legendary in the start-up world and is the reason why when they mess up, their fans are willing to forgive them in an instant.

5. Be Consistent

Bluehost’s consistent customer service experience keeps them positioned as one of the top shared Web hosting providers in the world. No matter how you connect with them – phone, email, live chat – their customer service is always consistent. They ask the same set of questions to get started and by being familiar and predictable in their behavior, they make the consumer feel comfortable. Consistency breeds familiarity and familiarity inspires trust.

6. Be Trusting

Brands who show their customers that they love them first tend to get back that love and trust. Zappos does this amazingly well by encouraging its customers to purchase different shoe sizes if they’re not sure of the fit, keep the one that fits, and return the rest. Even though it may seem counter-intuitive to encourage people to return merchandise, this trust-people-first-to-do-the-right-thing approach keeps them positioned as a brand with loyal fans.

7. Be Selectively Vulnerable

Showing vulnerability puts people at ease with your brand. Perfection is not necessarily seen as a trait of trustworthy people. So, to be vulnerable and show your imperfections in public takes some confidence and skill to do. To be selectively vulnerable, you don’t have to go to an extreme and share negative things about your brand but you can share stuff like challenges you’re currently overcoming or mistakes you’ve recently made and what you learned from them.

8. Be Humble

Apologizing for mistakes always has the effect of making you seem open, transparent, and real. But what if you were to humbly apologize for situations out of your control, too, such as the weather? In a 2013 study conducted by the Harvard Business School and Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, by apologizing for factors outside your control and empathizing with people, you increase your trust and likeability factor. Lady Gaga once apologized to her fans for the long queue outside Best Buy to buy her album by treating them to free pizza.

What Are the Benefits of Having Fans for Your Business?

By incorporating the above eight characteristics, brands can aim to increase their fan base and convert customers into fans. The power of fans is that they:

Are loyal and buy repeatedly from you so you don’t have to keep selling
Become advocates and brand ambassadors for your products and services without even being asked to
Support your business and the decisions it makes unhesitatingly
Refer and promote your brand constantly by their very public support

This is an excerpt from an article by Salma Jefri that was originally published on Clickz.