Creating A Profitable Fanocracy For Your Brand, with David Meerman Scott, Episode #130

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Have you ever heard the term “Fanocracy?” Probably not, unless you’ve already picked up a copy of the new book by my guest, David Meerman Scott. David is a master marketer, keynote speaker, and a keen observer of the way we operate as human beings. His latest book, “Fanocracy,” co-authored with his daughter Reiko Scott, is a dissection of how true fans of any group or organization develop their “fandom” and how we as business and sales leaders can organize our strategies around encouraging fans, which in turn can drive long term profits. Join us for this episode of the #ModernSelling podcast as we dive into this fascinating topic!

Long Term Profits Skyrocket With The Help Of Customers Who Become “Fans”

It’s possible to build a thriving business on the back of multiple one-time sales. But every sales professional knows that it’s far better to develop and market products that customers need to purchase and want to purchase over and over. Whether that’s through a repeat subscription or consumable goods, the model of repeat sales makes sense for the long haul.

David’s new book reveals that it’s possible and even preferable for brands to cultivate genuine “fan”-like relationships with its customers that will fuel ongoing growth. His research reveals that fostering and feeding a “Fanocracy” enables brands to become household names, create engaged communities around their products, and reap the rewards of those fan relationships for decades. Listen to hear some of David’s Fanocracy dos and don’ts learned from brands such as Microsoft and Adobe.

A True Human Connection: The Foundation Of A Profitable Fanocracy

It’s becoming clearer all the time that the content most brands share on social media is losing its effectiveness. Why is this? David says that many brands have lost their ability to be “real” amidst the clutter and noise of a social media stream. People are hungry for genuine human connections and loyal fans demonstrate just how true that fact is.

In this episode, David tells about the conversation he and his daughter had about some of the things they are personally fans of – The Grateful Dead for David and Harry Potter for his daughter, Reiko. It was this chat that sparked their curiosity about what makes people become fans and led them to discover how the brain is hard-wired to respond to certain stimuli in fan-like ways. Together, they wrote a book that explains this and other phenomena that shows what companies can do to foster the genuine human connections that their customers want from the brands whose products and services they use.

The 4 Zones Of Proximity And How Video Can Make The Most Of Them

When it comes to the way humans function in social environments, research has revealed what is being referred to as “Four Zones of Proximity.” This subcategory of non-verbal communication analyzes the way people respond to others who are physically within certain distances from them. Here’s an example of three of the “zones” most relevant to sales and B2B marketing or B2C marketing professionals:

1 – Public space: When someone is further than 20 feet away

2 – Social space: When someone is from 20 feet to 4 feet away

3 – Personal space: When someone is from 4 feet to 1 ½ foot away

For those of us who leverage digital sales, this research is very helpful when it comes to how we use video to make connections. Videos that are recorded with this “proximity effect” in mind are more effective than those that are not. David provides examples of the right way and the wrong way to record videos and how doing it the right way can impact your ability to connect with prospects and customers in genuine ways.

Employees Can Be Fans Too – And Here’s Why They Should Be

As we’ve been busy building the Vengreso team, it’s been important to me that the people we hire have the enthusiasm and energy to get behind what we’re doing in a big way. I want team members who are not only willing to promote the company but who are excited to do so. David says that when employees can serve as “brand ambassadors” or on-staff fans, they not only do a better job, they are instrumental in helping the company move forward.

We both agree that when a company’s employees are hesitant to help with the promotion or distribution of company messages, something is wrong with the company, not the employee. When employees are engaged with your brand on social media, there are many benefits for both the company and the employee. I’d love for you to hear what David has to say about this issue and what he suggests leaders can do to build a culture that cultivates a fan mentality in its team members. Join us for this episode!

This episode is brought to you by Gong.io, the number one conversation intelligence platform for sales. Gong helps you achieve revenue success, which means you win more deals, skyrocket rep performance and gain critical market intelligence. Get powerful visibility into your customer conversations with Gong. Head to http://bit.ly/gongio to get started.

Outline of This Episode

• [4:99] The story behind how David began researching his latest book with his daughter
• [7:31] How tapping into fans can be rocket fuel for a business
• [11:18] The most surprising thing about the power of fans that David discovered
• [15:58] Learning how personal zones of comfort translate into sales strategy
• [24:51] Why companies need to let go of their creations in order to create fans
• [35:21] How physical gifts can be used to create fandom
• [41:43] Why is employee passion infectious?

Resources Mentioned

• David’s and Reiko’s newest book: Fanocracy
• Get tons of David’s free resources at https://Fanocracy.com
• David’s website: https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/
• Follow David on LinkedIn
• Follow David on Twitter: @DMScott
• BOOK: The New Rules of Marketing and PR (by David)
• Modern Marketing Engine Podcast – Bernie Borges
• Top 15 Sales Podcasts to Follow in 2020
• Making the most of Dreamforce 2022

Connect with Mario!

• www.vengreso.com
• On Facebook
• On Twitter
• On YouTube
• On LinkedIn

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