How to Find Your 1000 True Fans

Five years ago, Kevin Kelley wrote a thought-provoking article 1000 True Fans that caused quite a stir on the internet, and which still holds true today. He said that you don’t really need thousands or millions of fans or followers to live a financially comfortable life as an entrepreneur or artist. All you need is 1000 true fans.

Kelly defined a true fan as “someone who will purchase anything and everything you produce.” He went on to say that if you want to raise your sales ratios all you need to do is connect with your true fans and build long-term relationships with them.

But how do you find your 1000 true fans? Here are some helpful steps to take:

Define your goal

Be sure to have a well-defined mission for your business organization. Why is it that your organization exists? What do people get when they join in your community? What are you trying to improve?

Build membership website

No matter what your business model is, you will need a membership website with a members-only back end and publicly-accessible front end. Offer members  real-world benefits and up-front incentives for joining the community.

Make your true fans your friends

Interact with your social media followers and make them your friends. Find time if you can to meet them in person during a business gathering or a summit.  Follow them on Twitter and comment on their blog posts. Initiate conversations and get to know them more both online and offline.

Build a prospect marketing system

You need to have in place a good educational content marketing system that attracts new visitors to your website and social media pages. Build relationship with prospects.

Joint ventures for launch

Develop a killer program with like-minded people in your business circle. They can help you do pre-selling for your new product or service with endorsement from them, which can yield better results than advertising. 

You just need to contact and negotiate strategically with your prospective joint venture partners.

Ongoing content and social media marketing

The ultimate goal of content and social media marketing is to acquire new sales. Acquiring new sales also requires ongoing marketing activities designed to connect with your target audience, and establish a relationship with them over time.