Every time your company and its employees interact with customers, you have the chance to create a superfan. You know what a superfan is, now it\u2019s time to learn more about why it\u2019s so important to focus on creating them.<\/p>\n
![\"brand](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/brand-superfan-engagement-why-it-matters.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n
Source<\/a><\/p>\n If your company sells products or services, and most do, you’ll look for salespeople with lots of enthusiasm<\/strong>. Someone who looks or acts bored when trying to sell a product or service isn\u2019t likely to get great results. In the world of sales, you need excited and positive employees<\/a>\u00a0to get these same emotions from your customers.<\/p>\n The same goes for customer superfans: they need to be enthusiastic about you to sell your product. You don\u2019t necessarily have to create new job postings to find these enthusiastic “salespeople,” though. If your company has superfans, you\u2019ll have an entire team of them. Brand superfans work for free to sell brands they love to others in the form of referrals<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and word-of-mouth marketing<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0The infectiousness of a superfan\u2019s enthusiasm and excitement makes it easy for others around them to start feeling the same way.<\/p>\n Plus, hearing about a company from a consumer is as honest as it gets. This is great for people who don\u2019t like being pitched to by a company and its employees.<\/p>\n Brand superfans don’t just passively like your company. Rather, they are passionate about all things involving your brand. When you\u2019re passionate about something, you usually find ways to sneak these topics into everyday conversations.<\/p>\n Think about the last time a company went above and beyond\u00a0to help you. This might have been in the form of a helpful customer service call\u00a0or a salesperson taking their time to explain a product or service\u00a0to you. If you\u2019re like most people, it\u2019s hard not to tell others\u00a0about how happy you are with this business.<\/p>\n One study found that 59.3% of loyal customers<\/a> will refer others to the brands they love. This type of referral marketing<\/a>\u00a0is a powerful endorsement of your company. It\u2019s also great for increasing your company\u2019s social media presence. For instance, research shows that 38% of survey respondents<\/a> would follow a company on Facebook\u00a0if close friends or family members did the same thing.<\/p>\n Many companies work hard to do everything possible to acquire new customers. After all, new customers mean more profit, right? While it\u2019s true that new customers are essential for company growth, make sure you\u2019re not neglecting the customers you\u2019ve already won over. These brand fans might be spending more on your business than you think.<\/p>\n One study found that 43% of customers<\/a> spend more money with companies they\u2019re loyal to. When superfans continue showing brand loyalty<\/a> through purchases with your company, they\u2019ll often spend much more than any other customers. How much more? Recent research\u00a0found that a company\u2019s top 10% of customers spend three times more\u00a0than an average customer.<\/a> It gets even better, the top 1% of customers spend five times more!<\/p>\n While it\u2019s never something a business owner wants to think about, there might be times when your company is facing a bit of bad press. This can happen for many reasons, some of which might be outside of your company\u2019s control.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s imagine you\u2019ve recently had to fire an employee. After that happens, this former employee decides to get on a social media account and publicly blast your company. Making matters worse, this person is telling outright lies\u00a0in an attempt to win the public over.<\/p>\n While this can wreak havoc on certain companies, it\u2019s rarely the case for a business with lots of extremely loyal customers<\/a>. If your company has superfans, they\u2019ll be ready to defend your company at a moment\u2019s notice.<\/p>\n After learning why it\u2019s so important to have superfans, you\u2019ll need to learn how this happens. It indeed takes time and effort to create superfans. Fortunately, we\u2019ve created a helpful list of tips\u00a0that are easy to implement. Here\u2019s how to use these tips to create hyper-engaged brand superfans.<\/p>\n Source<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s almost impossible to find your company\u2019s superfans<\/a>\u00a0if you\u2019re not sure of what to look for. Fortunately, there are several ways to accomplish this goal. It\u2019s a good idea to use social media monitoring software\u00a0to keep an eye out for any mentions of your company as well as its products or services.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re ready to find your brand\u2019s superfans, make sure to check out our list of 16 of the best brand mention tools<\/a>. By using these tools, you\u2019ll have a much easier time searching for and finding your brand superfans.<\/p>\n During these searches, you might come across one or several people who continue positively mentioning your brand. These are your superfans. After finding them, it\u2019s a good idea to like and share\u00a0their superfan posts.\u00a0Also, make sure you send them a message letting them know how much your company appreciates their fandom.<\/p>\n If you can\u2019t find any brand superfans, it\u2019s ok, we have plenty of tips to help you out below.<\/p>\n If you want to create true superfans, you\u2019ll need to always be interacting with your followers on social media<\/a>. It\u2019s easy to leave an occasional like or comment and leave it at that. However, this isn\u2019t an effective way to create superfans.<\/p>\n Instead, your company needs to like and comment on all positive mentions of your company. Let all of your company\u2019s followers show just how much your business cares. In addition to leaving likes and comments, it\u2019s also important to make sure you\u2019re focusing on the importance of sharing user-generated content.<\/p>\n And, yes, you’ll also want to interact with customers who are unhappy with your company. Look at JetBlue’s response to an angry customer as a great example.<\/p>\n Throughout a typical year, businesses spend countless amounts of money on marketing efforts. If you\u2019re tired of testing various marketing campaigns with less-than-stellar results, think about having superfans create what\u2019s known as user-generated content<\/a>.<\/p>\n This type of content doesn\u2019t come directly from your company or community influencers<\/a>. Instead, it\u2019s from consumers who love a company show much they want to share it with the world. Best of all, user-generated content costs your company nothing<\/a>.<\/p>\n A great example of how to do this comes from the coffee company Starbucks. Each year, Starbucks holds its\u00a0White Cup Contest<\/a>.<\/a>\u00a0To participate in this contest, all you need is one of Starbucks\u2019 iconic white cups, a bit of artistic creativity, and an Instagram account.<\/p>\n After fans complete their works of art, they enter this contest by using the #whitecupcontest hashtag and include their images. This contest shows how dedicated Starbucks\u2019 fans are and it\u2019s a great way for this company to effectively promote itself on social media.<\/p>\n Having brand superfans is great, but it\u2019s also important to remember to give back to them. Most companies with superfans know the importance of making these brand ambassadors<\/a>\u00a0feel rewarded.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a good idea to include additional rewards points for shoppers who leave reviews\u00a0about purchases they make from your company. You can also offer additional reward program points for people who share your company\u2019s posts\u00a0on their social media accounts. Companies often like to do this when they\u2019re hosting social media contests.<\/p>\n The North Face\u00a0does a great job of rewarding its biggest brand superfans with a great rewards program. This program rewards loyal customers while giving them several options to earn Peak Points.<\/p>\n Source<\/a><\/p>\n Whereas certain retailers reward customers for making purchases, this company also issues reward points for those who check-in at this company\u2019s retail locations and take part in brand events. Being an outdoor apparel brand, The North Face offers generous rewards for loyal customers,\u00a0including paid trips to beautiful locations around the world.<\/p>\n Another great example of how to reward superfans comes from the Toronto Raptors. This NBA team has had lots of ups and downs, and Raptors superfan Nav Bhatia was there to see most of them. The true definition of a superfan, Nav hadn\u2019t missed a single Toronto Raptors home game since 1995.<\/p>\n How did the Raptors reward this brand superfan? By giving him his very own championship ring\u00a0to celebrate along with the team after the Toronto Raptors won the 2019 NBA Finals. In this case, it certainly paid off to spend decades being a Toronto Raptors superfan!<\/p>\n If you drive a Jeep, you might notice fellow Jeep drivers begin waving at you as your vehicles pass by each other. This is the phenomenon known as the \u201cJeep Wave”. This connection between people who drive Jeep vehicles wasn’t the result of a genius marketing campaign. Instead, it’s something that fans of this company started on their own. As these drivers wave to each other, they’re silently exchanging their\u00a0brand super fandom\u00a0to each other.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t have to be a Jeep owner to experience the many ways this company bonds with its customers. While driving, you\u2019ve likely seen drivers of these vehicles proudly displaying their brand superfan status\u00a0with Jeep branded spare wheel covers. You know, the ones featuring a scruffy, smiley face or the name of this company in bold lettering.<\/p>\n Another way Jeep fosters brand super fandom is by encouraging customers to take part in Jeep groups. These groups consist of proud Jeep owners who get together and share their love for this brand.<\/p>\n Source<\/a><\/p>\n When these brand fans get together, they often share photos of their experiences. By doing this, Jeep is also receiving the potential for lots of new user-generated content.<\/p>\n If you spend any of your time watching content on YouTube, you\u2019ve likely seen the channel Good Mythical Morning<\/a>. This channel was started by Rhett McLaughlin and Charles Neal, better known to their fans as Rhett and Link. With over 16 million subscribers, this duo is a great example of how one company can create an army of superfans\u00a0or \u201cmythical beasts,\u201d a term for their fans used by Rhett and Link.<\/p>\n One way Mythical Entertainment creates a brand community<\/a>\u00a0is by encouraging their viewers to create intros\u00a0for \u201cThe Wheel of Mythicality” segments of their flagship show. And, throughout the history of Good Mythical Morning, over 1,600 fans have been featured in these intros. As you can see from the image below, Mythical Entertainment makes it incredibly easy\u00a0for fans to submit their videos.<\/p>\n Source<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s understandable to wonder how Mythical Entertainment can monetize this amount of viewers. After all, YouTube ad revenue is a lot different than television commercial ad space. Rhett and Link monetize this viewership\u00a0with revenue from this company\u2019s Mythical store. This store features branded clothing, cups, and other items that Rhett and Link include on their hit YouTube series.<\/p>\n For another great example of how to create brand superfans, you\u2019ll want to check out the Mythical Society. The Mythical Society is a monthly membership group\u00a0for superfans that entitles them to exclusive content and even the ability to video chat with Rhett and Link. With this membership group, Mythical Entertainment further involves fans and superfans in this continuation of this business.<\/p>\n The Mythical Society also provides a great example of utilizing exclusivity and harboring a tight-knit community by offering gifts\u00a0that only certain members are eligible to receive. Most superfans of Rhett and Link will want these items (including a few pictured below) that aren\u2019t available to the public.<\/p>\n Source<\/a><\/p>\n Hear me out. Yes, I know that professional wrestling is all rehearsed by trained professionals. The thing is, so do most of this company\u2019s millions of fans. Yet, they continue to show their super fandom. If you\u2019re wondering how to create brand superfans, World Wrestling Entertainment or WWE is an amazing case study in how to do so.<\/p>\n WWE\u2019s social media statistics<\/a>\u00a0also speak volumes to how fan interaction and forming a community of fans can catapult a brand in terms of popularity. This company currently has:<\/p>\n How do they earn these types of followers? By posting lots of exclusive social media content. This type of content encourages people to follow these brands to ensure they don\u2019t miss out on anything important. WWE also posts lots of content that promotes interactivity\u00a0between this company\u2019s performers and their social media audiences.<\/p>\n Throughout the year, WWE hosts over 500 live events throughout the world. At these events, you\u2019ll find plenty of brand superfans vocalizing their support. Fortunately, you don\u2019t need WWE\u2019s budget to create these types of superfans. Think about hosting events\u00a0on a smaller scale that allow fans of your brand to meet up and share their support as part of a community<\/a>.<\/p>\n In closing, one of the most beneficial things a company can do for itself is to create brand superfans. Some of the best ways to achieve this goal include focusing on fan interaction, creating a sense of community, and providing unmatched customer service. By following these strategies, you\u2019ll have superfans who champion your brand\u00a0every step of the way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Brand superfans\u00a0are the biggest supporters of your business. Learn more about these types of fans and why they\u2019re so beneficial for your company.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":27997,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5928,5874,2676],"tags":[5985,5920,5919],"class_list":["post-1308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advanced-brand-strategies","category-brand-strategy","category-word-of-mouth-marketing","tag-key-takeaways","tag-completely-unaware","tag-education"],"acf":{"takeaway_1":"Superfans are passionate about your brand and naturally promote it through word-of-mouth, acting as enthusiastic \"salespeople\" without direct compensation.","takeaway_2":"Superfans tend to spend significantly more than average customers, contributing heavily to a company's revenue.","takeaway_3":" Superfans are fiercely loyal and will defend your brand during difficult times, offering invaluable support and credibility."},"modified_by":"Jessica Huhn","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1308"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1308\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37385,"href":"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1308\/revisions\/37385"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}They\u2019re enthusiastic about your business<\/h3>\n
They gladly share your company with other people<\/h3>\n
They\u2019re often big spenders<\/h3>\n
They defend\u00a0your company through any bad times<\/h3>\n
How to turn fans into hyper-engaged superfans<\/h2>\n
![\"one](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/one-superfan-equals-75-typical-fans.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nIdentify current superfans of your company<\/h3>\n
Fully interact with your customers on social media<\/h3>\n
![\"social-media-interaction\"](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/social-media-interaction.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nEncourage brand superfans to post user-generated content<\/h3>\n
![\"whitecupcontest\"](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/whitecupcontest.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nReward superfans for their engagement<\/h3>\n
![\"North-Face-Peak-Points\"](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/North-Face-Peak-Points.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nReal-world examples of how companies create superfans<\/h2>\n
Example 1: Jeep<\/h3>\n
![\"Jeep-meetup\"](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Jeep-meetup.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nExample 2: Mythical Entertainment<\/h3>\n
![\"wheel](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/wheel-of-mythicality.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n![\"mythical](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/mythical-society-rewards.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nExample 3: WWE<\/h3>\n
\n
![\"wwe](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/wwe-social.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nWrapping things up<\/h2>\n