Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Dan’s Biz Bookshelf: Fanocracy: Turning Fans into Customers and Customers into Fans

This one’s going to blow your mind. It’s the past, present, and future all rolled into one. It is about exactly what the title indicates—finding ways to connect with customers by creating bonds between your company and your customers.

It’s interesting to note that one of the co-authors, David Meerman Scott, also co-authored a book 10 years ago called Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead in which he provided a breakdown of how the Dead has become the most iconic band in the world and has created the most loyal and dedicated fans ever by making rooms for their fans and by giving their product away. The band even has a special “Tapers” section set aside at their concerts for people to get a clear view of the stage so they can record and tape the concerts, then send them along to as many others as possible, thus creating an even wider fan base.

This was by far the most useful message in the book. The message was too antithetical to what I have thought, and it did indeed blow my mind. The message: Give my content away and engaging fans by literally giving them my content with the tacit agreement that they will give it to others. That is brilliant. After spending years protecting my tips, tools, plans, writings, and strategies, reading this advice left me feeling completely liberated.

Let’s look at my case for a minute, I’m not Stephen King or John Grisham. My content is not worth millions of dollars. I use my content to become better known and promote my business. I use it to help companies take advantage of what I know and how I can help them. So why not get it out there, for free, as much as possible?

The rule is simple: The more I give away, the more it is passed around, the better I will be known, and the more I will be appreciated. It all makes sense.

There were many more of these kinds of lessons in this book. For example, the authors detail how to create tribes and create your own “fanocracy” by connecting likeminded people. In one instance, the book shares has many real life stories from gamers who are playing the same games, and creating a society for campers who can come together at the same time. Think about just about any subject or interest from quilting to golf and you can create an active and dynamic fan base to create connections. Choose your pertinent products and offerings over your less connected competitor. Try it—it works.

This is a good one for all of us trying to make our way in business and organizations. So, join the other fans of this book and create your own fanocracy.

Dan Beaulieu is president of D.B. Management Group.

Fanocracy: Turning Fans into Customers and Customers into Fans

Authors: David Meerman Scott and Reiko Scott

Copyright: 2020 by Penguin Portfolio Press

Pages: 284 pages with index

Price: Hardcover $26.00 / eBook $10.99