true fans

Making It Start To Work by Identifying Your True Fans

In part of last week’s post, I mentioned that if we’re going to be involved in digital marketing, we need to be aware of who our Raving or True Fans are.

The question was asked, how do you find who those people are?

This is a great question. So good, in fact, that I’m going to make this post all about answering that question.

 

What Makes a True Fan?

So real quick, if you’re not familiar with the phrase “True Fan”, let’s fix that real quick.

A True Fan is basically someone that will go out of their way to be involved in your work.

They’re the ones that, if you’re speaking for example, will travel 150-200 miles to hear you talk.

They will open up and read your emails.

True Fans are those that tell others about you all the time.

And, they’re the ones who self identify themselves as fans of your work.

So, really, these folks are people that believe in what you’re doing and want to be a part of it in anyway they can.

 

How Does Someone Become a True Fan?

A person becomes a true fan of yours when they feel that they’re engaged in what you’re doing.

That word “engaged” is the key.

How do you build engagement? One person at a time.

If someone takes the time to comment on a blog post, or emails you, or does anything else to reach out to you, answer them. And I don’t mean answer them with a “Oh, thanks!” sort of response. I mean give them a paragraph or two that brings them in further.

A better response to a compliment instead of “Oh, thanks!” would be “Oh, hey <sender>! Thanks for reaching out. Yeah, that <whatever they’re complimenting on> is so important to me. I’m glad you found some value in it! What’s your thoughts on <insert related topic>?”

If they respond, great! Keep going down that path with them.

One thing that I’ve found which has helped me is by finding out how I can add more value to them.

I mean, they might not become a True Fan in the end (we can’t control that) but if they respond, then we might have better insights of helping your real True Fans.

Always seek to improve others lives by letting them have a part in your work. Whether it’s through your art, products, or other services, find out what they want – don’t guess if you can help it.

 

Identifying True Fans

Active True Fans

So, we’ve gone over what true fans are and how people can become one. But how do you identify them?

Well, for one, I think you should know that there are two types of true fans. The first group is a bit more active in following your work. For example, they always share, comment on, or like posts on social media. They always open your emails. If you attend conferences, they’ll definitely come and talk to you.

Usually these folks make it abundantly clear that they’re listening to you.

They’re the ones who you can count on and they’re relatively easy to identify.

Do you know a few folks like this? Make note of their names, their likes and dislikes, and their contact info. Heck if you’re just starting out, perhaps a Google spreadsheet might be useful!

Keep engaging with them and finding more and more ways to add value to these folks.

Passive True Fans

Not all true fans are outspoken as those that I would call active. There’s a more passive variety that you might only hear from time to time or not at all.

But, they’re still engaging with your stuff on another level. They might buy all your products, or they’re telling their friends about what you do.

Many times these same people don’t have the time to follow all of your posts on social media or read all of your emails. Perhaps they’re busy in their own world.

The thing is you have no idea that they’re out there because they don’t usually self identify.

So how do you find this group of fans?

The number one easiest way is to give them the opportunity to raise their hand and say they are a true fan.

Perhaps this might be a special landing page for a separate email list that will allow them to get special news as MVP’s. Sure, you might be getting your active true fans in the list as well, but it’s easier to communicate with them then as well!

Also, consider a special Facebook Group (like I have for the AoL Podcast here). Just make sure that whatever you create, that you don’t leave it on automation too long. I’ve seen some groups start well and then the leader disappears after setting it on auto-pilot with another group member.

I’m sure there’s other ideas, but these are the ones that I use.

 

Action Steps

The key takeaway that I want you to get this week is for you to start building engagement. Only then can you build products and give services that you know people want.

Here’s the strategy in short:

Reach out and add value.

Find out who engages back with you readily and regularly.

And offer them extra value to become True Fans (MVPs?).

Let me know below how you you’ve reached out to your true fans below!

 

P.S. I didn’t speak too much about Twitter. But you can use tools like friendorfollow.com to see who’s following you. Or, if you want more functionality, check out Commun.it.

(Note: If you decide to use Commun.it – do so while knowing that some of the functions in it might be somewhat annoying to certain individuals. While I was playing with it, I got on certain people’s radars in a way that wasn’t necessarily the best way!)

Then, send some messages to those who are fans of you (they’re only following you) or you’re following each other. Let them know about your MVP list or group.

 

 

 

digital marketing strategist

4 Important Beliefs a Digital Marketing Strategist Has About Their Craft

For those of us who are actively trying to figure out how to get our work out into the world, we know that the way to do that is through digital marketing.

Digital marketing simply means building awareness of what you’re doing through internet.

Nothing more.

You’re not asking for a sale – you’re just simply building awareness.

Marketing is not sales.

Let me repeat that.

Marketing is not sales.

As you probably know, digital marketing is all about creating content. For example, this post is a form of digital marketing because you, the reader, get to see what I know as the writer.

But, as you know, there’s good and bad ways to approach digital marketing.

In this post, I’ll be sharing with you what I’ve learned about digital marketing and how you should approach it. That way you can become the next awesome digital marketing strategist.

 

“Buy Here” Digital Marketing Doesn’t Work

The way that digital marketing is today, there’s a lot of noise out there. There’s a lot of companies that simply are using their blog, their website, or their social media accounts to shout “buy here!!!”.

It’s understandable. I mean, take Twitter for example. You really can’t fit complex thoughts, messages, and meaningful conversations into 140 characters at a time.

Perhaps you can chain a few messages together on there, but doesn’t that kind of defeat the purpose?

Then, you look at Facebook. A whole nother beast in itself.

The Facebook algorithm basically decides what you’re going to see based on what you’ve liked in the past.

Because of that, you are segregated into a different silo and echo chamber on there than say, your best friend. (Maria’s feed is hugely different than mine.)

It’s kind of like that anywhere you look online these days. Every person is split into a silo of content which is tailored to them.

If you have no idea what you’re doing in marketing via social media, it totally makes sense why it would seem that sending out a message of “BUY HERE!” is the best way to get people’s attention. It’s to the point and it seems like what most marketers are doing to cut through the walls and clutter.

But it isn’t.

Why is that?

 

1. Digital Marketing Should Be Considered an Art (Because It Is)

Personally I like using platforms that aren’t all up in your face. While there’s a lot of video online these days, I can’t say that I personally pay attention to everything that comes across my newsfeed. In fact, I’ve always had this feeling that if I’m forced content too rapidly, I might choose to ignore it all together.

Personally, I’ve always been more of a fan of evergreen content. This includes movies that stand up to time. I’ve been a fan of TV shows that people actually put time and production into. I guess that’s one of the reason why I’ve been a fan of Star Trek vs say any given reality show.

Heck, even when it comes to video games – I’m so much more about quality than quantity.

I could care less about today’s Candy Crush. Give me a good RTS like Halo Wars and I’ll play that for 8 years straight (which I have).

This being the case, I know that not everyone likes what I like. Just like we’re drawn to different types of content, there’s a good chance that we’re all drawn to different kinds of marketing.

So, let me ask you, does your digital marketing express your preferred content? If not, why doesn’t it? It’s your art after all!

Also, are you putting it out there in a way that jives with the social media that you’re using to share it?

Here’s a short speech summary of Gary V’s book Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook:

2. Great Digital Marketing Is Inspiring

Because of my tastes, I have a certain expectation of what good is.

As a creator, there’s a point in your own development where your ability doesn’t necessarily meet your tastes.

Ira Glass calls this The Gap:

If that video doesn’t inspire you as a creator, then I don’t know what will.

And truth be told, it makes a great piece of marketing. My first question that I asked when seeing this video was “Who is Ira Glass?”.

This speech and this video, are pieces of marketing for Ira Glass as well as the artist that made the video – Daniel Sax. You realize that Ira is the man behind the words, but Daniel is actually pretty good at what he does as well!

So, question 2: does your digital marketing inspire others? Remember, it doesn’t have to be as in depth as this video – it can be as simple as quote images in Instagram.

 

3. Your Digital Marketing (Your Art) Needs to Create Raving Fans

There’s a lot of people that want to impact as many people as they can with their work.

You might hear people say they want to inspire millions of people. Get millions of views on YouTube. That’s great for a metric, or if you’re an entertainer, I suppose.

But if you’re wanting to really make an impact on people, then I’m not sure how you’re really going to be able to do that yourself – unless you have a an army that will help you.

I’ve heard that 1000 True Fans is the secret.

But even 1000 fans seems like a huge number. How do you tackle that?

By impacting 10, 20, 100 on your own. Those people will then go out and help you build that army for you.

And at a personal level, I’m not interested in getting myself out to millions of people on a superficial shallow basis.

If I can personally impact a couple hundred if not a couple thousand folks, I’m totally up for that.

How about you? Does your media marketing have a deep impact with just a few people? Are you creating it just for them or are you creating it for everyone?

If you’re creating it for everyone, maybe you might have better results if you focused on just a handful of folks?

 

4. Your Digital Marketing Should be About Monetization

Again, there’s a lot of ways that we can all screw up our content. We can screw up on all the above. But if we’re going to make a living on our work, our marketing needs to be about monetization too.

I mean, you can go hungry while delivering your message if you want – but why if people are willing to help you foot the bill to keep creating?

What exactly does that mean if we can’t say “BUY HERE!!” in our messaging?

Well, it simply means that you have to know how to get people into your sales funnels.

You have to learn how to move them away from Facebook or Twitter to your site – to get their email, to give them value (for free) and eventually give them the opportunity to buy from you.

If they’re not ready yet, no big deal, if they like your stuff enough, they’ll eventually find a way to give you value in some way – even if it’s simply telling other people about you!

 

Action Steps

So now that you have these 4 ways of building better content and hopefully better fans, I’d be interested to hear if any of it sounds like it’s something you’ve been missing out on.

Were you not making something you liked as content? Maybe you were using Facebook like Twitter – #hashtags everywhere!!

I’d love to hear if this changed your perspective on something or how it will help you out in the future below.

 

jack sparrow cosplay

“Long Jon Sparrow” Jon Boersma: Business to Arts, Arts to Business: How to Find Your New Horizon (AoL 073)

For many of us creators, we do things because we have a passion for it.

The question often is, how do we monetize something we enjoy doing without taking the fun out of it? Or, if we’re doing it because we see it as a mission – how do we keep from tainting that mission?

Like today’s guest, I believe, if done right, you can take something you love to do and make a living doing it.

That’s why I believe in Fizzle so much. That’s exactly what they teach people to do.

In this session, Laila and I sit down with an entrepreneur who has taken his passion of geeking out as Jack Sparrow to another level.

He gets paid to actually impersonate Jack as Long Jon Sparrow.

In today’s chat with Jon Boersma, we find out what inspired him to impersonate Captain Jack Sparrow, how much of his work was learned from formal education vs being self taught, and we dive a bit into how knowing about the 4 basic personalities have helped him in his career and how others can apply the same info to their lives.

As always, thanks for listening, and enjoy the show!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • What inspired Jon to do a Captain Jack Sparrow impersonation in the first place? 8:40
  • Where did he get the help to come up with his costume? 11:43
  • When was Jon first bitten by the entrepreneur bug? 14:45
  • Where did his company, Horizons, come from? 16:05
  • How much of his work is formal education vs self taught skills? 17:43
  • How did he get started with Super Gainz Fitness? 23:23
  • When did his business really take off? 26:22
  • What’s the deal with his project Business to Arts, Arts to Business? 31:08
  • Does Jon deal with any copyright issues with impersonation? 34:28
  • What’s some more info on the personalities and how can they help in someone’s career? 36:23
  • What are some of the things that Jon’s looking forward to in 2017? 43:11
  • Three books that he tells others about. 46:47
  • What social norm has taken a 180 degree turn in the past 10 years? 48:50
  • What’s the smallest decision Jon’s made that has had the largest impact on his life? 57:26
  • If he woke up tomorrow as his 10 year old self with all of his memories intact, what would he do? 59:42
  • What’s the secret to achieving personal freedom? 1:01:14
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Long Jon Sparrow giving a business presentation:

Prince EA: Everybody Dies, But Not Everybody Lives:

Shawn Achor: The Happy Secret to Better Work

Alyson Tabbitha’s Jack Sparrow Transformation/Tutorial:

jack sparrow cosplay personality types jack sparrow cosplay jack sparrow cosplay

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunesStitcherSoundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

bungie.org

Claude Errera on Halo.Bungie.Org: Build The Games You Want to Play (AoL 072)

For many creators, money isn’t the driving force for them in their craft.

They do it simply out of the joy that it brings them.

It’s been said that being successful is about being great at doing something, not necessarily pursuing to be great in itself.

Being great is a very vague goal.

In this chat with Claude Errera, we find that he built Halo.Bungie.Org (HBO) because he wanted there to be a place to discuss Halo (and to practice code for his day job as a website developer).

Not because he wanted to make a profit off of all the fans of Halo.

What did that plan and goal get him?

Well, at it’s peak, we find that HBO had over half a million visitors a day.

In today’s chat, JC speaks with Claude about how HBO got started, what he does as his day job, and some of the things he’s learned as father of HBO which will help others build their own communities.

Maybe you can apply some of his knowledge to your new business or passion project!

Enjoy!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • What Claude is known as on HBO and why he chose that alias. 9:56
  • Why did he want to start HBO in the first place? 12:57
  • How did HBO become structured as it was and is? 15:57
  • What does Claude do as an actual online entrepreneur? 18:58
  • How did HBO get some successful in the first place? 24:03
  • Was there ever a time where he thought he’d pass it on or have it pay for itself? 26:17
  • What has been his relation with Rooster Teeth over the years since RvB first started? 30:23
  • Are there any other successes that he’s been able to watch grow in success? 34:51
  • What are some steps that Claude would take to duplicate the success he had with HBO? 38:19
  • What tactics does he employ to prevent himself from becoming a complete fan of something? 41:30
  • What’s he looking forward to (or not) in 2017? 44:24
  • Claude’s top 3 favorite books and/or movies he tells others about. 37:42
  • Smallest decision he’s made that has had the largest impact on his life? 47:30
    Three truths he’s found out over time that he’d want others to know. 48:27
  • Who does he think of when thinks of the word success and why? 50:01
  • What’s it mean to have a life of abundance? 50:42
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Louis Wu receives the First Claude Errera Award:

Claude is interviewed first time on video while talking to dboTV’s Duncan about PAX 2013:

Claude’s house party scene via the Making of Halo 2 DVD:

For Fans of Bungie: Claude is interviewed on Guardian Radio about Destiny and Bungie:

bungie.orgbungie.orgbungie.orgbungie.org

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunesStitcherSoundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

rebranding a business

Sharlotte Bouniol: Rebranding, Hustling to Provide Value, and Growing Like a Boss (AoL 067)

When crap hits the proverbial fan, what are you going to do? Do you buckle down and get through whatever has come your way? Or, does something else distract you from what you were already doing?

What if you were starting a successful little business and then all of a sudden you got a cease and desist letter? On top of that, the social media accounts that you had been building suddenly disappeared?

This is exactly what happened to one of our guests last year.

Sharlotte had every reason to pack it in and say that being a freelancer wasn’t for her.

But she didn’t. She kept plugging on.

Find out in our interview with her how she was able to get through her rebranding, what’s up with her new mastermind group, and some of the decisions she’s had to make to become more successful since we last spoke.

And for those keeping score, this is Silver Edition number 2!

Enjoy!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • Why Sharlotte had to reboot her company 9:35
  • What kept her from giving up when she did reboot 13:55
  • What she’s changed for her marketing strategy as a result 15:16
  • Where the idea of her mastermind group come from and what does she offer with it? 16:25
  • What does it take to run a successful mastermind? 20:09
  • How has she been able to use her strengths to be a good facilitator? 23:31
  • What kind of travel has she been able to experience since she was last on the show? 26:41
  • How does traveling inspire her work? 27:46
  • How does she find time to enjoy the fruits of her work versus actually do it? 31:04
  • What’s her take on time management? 33:14
  • What kind of things has Sharlotte hired people to help her with? 35:04
  • What’s going on with her Branding Like a Boss Academy? 40:42
  • Top books that Sharlotte tells others about 44:02
  • One gift she likes giving others 44:35
  • What she would do if she woke up tomorrow and she was her 10 year old self 45:30
  • How can someone be a difference maker in their online or offline community? 46:18
  • What’s the secret to achieving personal freedom? 47:15
  • What are three or four steps to making a brand better today? 47:50
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Magic Makers Mastermind Group:

iOS 7 Review:

Elizabeth Demeusy’s Testimonial of Sharlotte’s work:

Cyril gets his Green Card:

rebranding a business

Thank You For Sharing Some Time With Us!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunesStitcherSoundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

Jesse Winton: Making Movies, Millennials, and Learning to Mind the Gap (AoL 066)

People will come up with a million excuses not to do something. But it takes one good one – one why – to actually go and accomplish a big lofty goal.

Case in point – Jesse Winton, had never made a movie before. But yet, his first one, made it national.

Sure, he could have psyched himself out by saying that his goal was unattainable, but instead, he chose to kick those thoughts to the side and go after this goal.

In this session, learn from Jesse how he was able to get his idea off the ground, what his perception of Millennials are when it comes to how they’re viewed, and how he handles discomfort during the middle of a project – aka The Gap.

Enjoy!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • How did his homeschooling background contribute to where he’s at now? 6:01
  • Were his parents supportive of his aspirations? 8:07
  • What kind of specific knowledge or training did he have to get his ‘Targeted’ off the ground? 11:16
  • Jesse’s perception of Millennials vs what others view them as. 15:34
  • How do we convert more Millennials to become creatives? 21:03
  • What sparked Jesse to create the film? 25:07
  • Why Jesse identifies with Libertarians. 28:27
  • Why did Jesse create Wintons Motion Pictures? 33:00
  • What goes into preparing for pitch meetings? 35:34
  • How Jesse went national with his documentary. 31:33
  • Was there any fear in reaching out to influencers? 42:29
  • How did Jesse and his dad find interviewees for the documentary? 46:26
  • How does he handle discomfort that comes up during the middle of a project? 51:57
  • What’s coming next for Jesse? 58:50
  • Who are three influencers that have helped him get to where he is today? 1:01:17
  • Top Favorite Books that he recommends 1:02:22
  • Smallest decision he’s made that has had the largest impact on his life 1:03:18
  • What is one thing that all high school students must know… even if it involves Dane Maxwell. 1:04:08
  • What’s it mean to live a life of abundance? 1:06:14
  • What can people do to live an inspired life? 1:07:15
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Targeted DVD Promo:

Interview with Glenn Beck:

Interview with Perry Atkinson via theDoveTV:

The Gap by Ira Glass:

Jesse’s mad skills on the Fiddle:

making movies

Thank You For Sharing Some Time With Us!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunesStitcherSoundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

online content marketing

Felipe Frietag: Business Pivoting, Focus, and Online Content Marketing Done Right (AoL 057)

Of course you’re worried about your business idea. Of course you don’t want to put all the time and effort into building a business only to realize there was a mistake built into the idea that will forever stunt it’s growth.

But how do you know if something that comes along is better than what you were already doing?

How do you know it’s time to put something that you poured into onto a shelf, say “It’s not working as well as I’d like.” and start doing something else?

In today’s session, content artist, Felipe Frietag talks about how he essentially stumbled onto the business he has today.

Even though that’s not what he started off doing. In fact, he started off as a trainer and coach.

We talk about his artwork, when he knew it was time to pivot, why he’s focused on providing his particular type of service, and what counts as good content marketing.

Enjoy!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

 

  • What’s a Brazilian education like and what was his experience with it? 7:22
  • What made him want to set out on his own? 10:16
  • What were some of his first attemps at creating his own business? 11:47
  • The first time he was inspired by hearing a story of a successful entrepreneur. 17:18
  • What gave him the idea that his drawings were something that was needed in market? 19:54
  • How long does it take for him to do one drawing and what’s the process like? 22:14
  • What kind of flexibility has he received by just focusing on one area of his business? 28:39
  • Why do people need content marketing in the first place? 30:27
  • What are some examples of bad content marketing? 33:38
  • What’s makes his drawings different than the “hand animations”? 41:26
  • How he believes he can leverage the success that he has with the drawings. 45:27
  • Who are his top 3 favorite influencers? 47:59
  • What are his top go to podcasts? 50:20
  • Something he believed as a 25 year old but now thinks is wrong and why? 54:00
  • What Felipe believes all high school students should start practicing. 55:44
  • What does “living a life of abundance” mean to him? 57:13
  • What are some steps that someone can take to find a business they should be working on if they’re struggling with one they currently have. 58:49
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Felipe’s Notes on SPI Podcast 224


Notes for GaryVee on scaling


GaryVee on long form content marketing


Brené Brown on Vulnerability

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunesStitcherSoundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!