Do More with Less by Empowering Your Superfans

Doing more with less has been radio’s new normal for a while now. Every aspect of a station is impacted, but especially when it comes to growing an audience and fan base.

If you have a marketing budget to help you out, awesome. Use it wisely.

However if you don’t, there’s still a place to start and a plan for growth.  It starts by empowering your Superfans.

A Cheesy Story

One of the best examples of the value of Superfans comes via the Velveeta study which the Harvard Business Review reported on a few years back.

In the study, Kraft found that just 10% of Velveeta customers accounted for more than 50% of the profits. Not only that, these fans were looking for way to use the product even more.

Because of what they learned, Kraft created new product lines to augment the Velveeta “brick.” Recipes were solicited and distributed and in-store placement was improved.

The result was $100-million in sales.

Nielsen supermarket scanning data found a similar correlation. An average of just 10% of the consumers accounted for up to 70% of the sales.

Steve Olenski writing in Forbes notes that Superfans are the “most valuable marketing tool.”

Adweek writes that Superfans “act as influential advocates that have the power to amplify your brand and its messaging” making it “crucial to activate Superfans to remain loyal and amplify a brand’s products and services.”

Additionally, HBR noted that focusing on Superfans “can become a rallying cry for an organization—particularly one that has been marketing an old, slow-growing product perceived as unexciting.”

Beyond P1s

In radio of course we have our own version of Superfans – the Super P1s – or, as DMR Interactive coined the term several years back, the “Heavy Deeps.” 

A subset of P1s, these are your “Velveeta 10%” listeners. In a diary market they are likely among the 4.4% of your cume who are 100+ QHR users.  They interact with you and love to consume all that you have to offer. They share things they like on social media and elsewhere.

And they want to be recognized.

As such they’re a logical target in our “get the most bang for your buck” marketing economy.

Which brings us back to doing more with less.

So here are five ways Superfans can help you do more and grow more in the months ahead.

1 – Make Superfans the Stars of Your Marketing

Using your fans to endorse specifics about your station is both unique and powerful. Their advocacies can jumpstart Word of Mouth.

Plus, putting your most valuable users in the spotlight is an on-trend example of advertising transparency, a “surprise and delight” moment for your “best customers,” and a demonstration to all listeners that your station understands its fans and believes in staying connected to them.

2 – Make Superfans Socially Special

Everyone likes to feel special, and what better place to acknowledge Superfans’ importance than on social media in front of their friends? You could consider this the quid pro quo for singing your praises – or simply revel in the joy of making one of your best listeners happy and proud to be your station’s advocate.

Consider what “awards” would make them feel honored and valued.

Encourage them to interact with the station and the talent and then share those interactions.

Personalize your communications with them.

3 – Schedule Regular Face (to Face) Time with Them

Being in the presence of your big-name talent is magic – and a potential WOM generator – so arrange talent/listener encounters. Your talent may need some coaching or help brainstorming ideas to make this as “personal” an event as possible.

Additionally there can present sales opportunities.

4 – Create Sharable Content

Everyone likes to be seen. So it’s smart and superfan-friendly to post events spotlighting listeners and groups.

Make your Superfans look sharp and connected by giving then content to share.

Build a community where Superfans can interact with each other

Pre-promote what’s coming up on the show a week out and encourage fans to submit voice mail or cellphone audio to be part of the show.  Then encourage Superfans to share this content with their friends thus dramatically increasing your social reach and potential cume.

5 – Create Exclusive Content

This is an area where innovation can make a huge difference. So it’s absolutely time well-spent to create meaningful ways to reward your format’s best listeners that your competitor can’t or won’t.

The New Bottom Line

The American Marketing Association says one Superfan is worth more than 1000 random followers.

Meanwhile Nielsen found that over half (53%) of (Superfans) said they would be willing to pay to get exclusive content from their favorite band.

Investopedia’s Will Kenton writes, “The top 4% of a customer base accounts for 64% of total sales.”

Furthermore Steve Olenski writing in Forbes notes that Superfans “choose your products over your competitors’ products, share your updates and promotions with their friends, and serve as ambassadors for your brand, products and services. When you embrace your Superfans effectively, they will reward you with trust and friendship through thick and thin.”

So as you plan for the months ahead, build in ways to show your most loyal and TSL-heavy Superfans that they matter to you.

Empower them to them help you do more with less.

Related

Creating Buzz

Want to share some ideas that you’ve used to delight your Superfans? Feel free to leave a comment.

Photo Copyright: Sergey Peterman – Russian Federation