How do you get your message heard online? Do you work the different social channels to get followers? Recently, I reviewed One Million Followers, a book that comes highly recommended. Although it had some good information, I didn't like the book. Why? I have absolutely no interest in buying Facebook or LinkedIn ads. Superfans by Pat Flynn is a better fit for me. I'm more interested in building a tribe.
I don't know about you, but I find it too exhausting trying to keep up with algorithm changes. In Superfans, Pat Flynn outlines a process to turn your casual followers into superfans. This book is a better fit for my personality than One Million Followers.
I'm interested in Pat Flynn's book because I have an email list of a few hundred people. Most of the people on the list joined because of a free read the world reading challenge I offered a few years ago. Recently, people joined the list because of a reading tips sheet I created. The truth is that I hadn't nurtured this list until recently. Since December 2019, I've been sending out a weekly newsletter.
The question I need to answer is, ‘How do I convert very casual readers into superfans?’ That's what Pat Flynn's Superfans is supposed to answer.
Book Bite: You can build a successful multi-million, future-proof business by creating superfans around the world. Fans are important, but superfans are everything. When you build a tribe of superfans, you’re building a future-proof brand that will allow you to succeed. You want to move people from a casual audience to superfans. And in so doing, you need to find your super 1000 fans.
To build my tribe, I want a process that I'll actually follow. I want straightforward information and no hype.
What is Superfans by Pat Flynn About?
You can build a successful multi-million, future-proof business by creating superfans around the world. Fans are important, but superfans are everything. When you build a tribe of superfans, you’re building a future-proof brand that will allow you to succeed. Focus on experiences that create superfans. These experiences are critical and will enable you to get traffic, followers, views and subscribers. You’ll build a stronger, targeted tribe.
Superfans are the lifeblood of any business. But some business owners don’t realize that yet.
- What are the biggest pain points of your audience?
- How can you make your audience feel special?
Pyramid of Fandom
- Superfans
- Connected community
- Active audience
- Casual audience
You want to move people from a casual audience to superfans. And in so doing, you need to find your super 1000 fans. Kevin Kelly calls it your 1000 true fans. Your true fans buy everything you produce.
“You don’t need to change the entire world to build a successful business; you just need to change someone’s world.”
Superfan Journey
You have to show how you can add value to people’s lives. This is a baseline though, you need more than that for superfans. To create superfans you need to create memorable experiences to help them unlock something new in their lives. They’ll feel different and special.
Casual Audience
Your casual audience is the largest segment of your audience. They find you through recommendations, a link or mention on another website, search result, a related video, and so on. Create a trigger to let them know they’re in the right place. You want them to feel special, so you convert them to become a part of your active audience. The people on my email list are part of the casual audience.
Active Audience
Your active audience is aware of you. They know what you and your brand have to offer. When you share, create, or publish something new, your active audience decides whether to invest time, money or both in the new content or product. You have to convince this audience to take action and move them to the connected audience.
Connected Community
This is where the magic starts to happen with your brand. You communicate regularly and easily with them. But they talk with each other. Community members begin to identify with the group and each other and create a name for themselves. Members of this community will comment, provide feedback, and validate new ideas to help your business excel and grow. From here you build your brand’s Superfans.
Most business owners use the inverted sales funnel. Funnels are important. However you have to understand the customer journey to build a systematic operation that makes money for you. Don’t allow the funnel to become more important than the customer experience.
- Craft your superfan journey.
- Establish moments when people feel special.
Your active audience members are your followers and subscribers. To move someone from a casual audience member to an active one, you have a moment of activation. What connects them to you? Address their needs and pain points in the right language. Deliver value. When you solve people’s problems, you build a successful brand.
- Know what the problem is. How can you identify the problem to solve?
- How do people describe the problem? The language they use is the language you must use to reach them.
“Sing the right lyrics and you’ll get people to stick with you.”
3 Ways to Find the Language of Your Audience
- Find conversations that are already happening online. This isn’t the best strategy because you’re not having direct conversations with them. But social media is a great tool to use.Search Facebook and LinkedIn groups to find conversations that are already taking place.
- Ask people about their biggest challenge related to a specific topic. When you follow up, ask:
- What kinds of solutions have you tried so far?
- If you had a magic wand to solve this challenge, what would things look like for you?
- Find 10 people and ask them to spend 15 minutes talking to you about a problem or need related to your area of expertise.
Introduce points of connection so people can relate to you. This is breaking the ice. Use quick wins to win superfans. People want to know what’s going to happen in the future. Ask your audience for answers. Paint a picture of what life will be like when they take action with you. And what life will be like if they don’t.
Make a problem super clear. Tell them what their problem looks like when solved. They’ll be buying the change the product or service offers them. They’re buying how the product will transform their lives. People want to feel like they belong. Let people know your process. Find a name for your fans. For instance, fans of Star Trek are trekkies. Find ways to bring your community together.
Pay attention to your fans. Short, unexpected, personalized emails are very powerful. Get the community involved with your brand. Give them responsibilities that can evolve over time.
Final Thoughts: Superfans: The Easy Way to Stand Out, Grow Your Tribe, And Build a Successful Business by Pat Flynn
If you’re trying to build a tribe, this book is worth the time investment to read it. Additionally, if you’re not getting the engagement that you’d like, this book offers some strategies. And it’s a short book. Give Superfans by Pat Flynn a read.
Have you read?
One Million Followers: How I Built a Massive Social Following in 30 Days, Book Review
Own a Business? You Don’t Need Everyone, You Need 1000 True Fans
Next Steps
Wondering what to do next, you can do all of:
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Join the Art of Learning Membership Site
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First Published June 2020
