In 2018 I started an Instagram page called Your Marketing Mentor. I grew it to over 100k followers in just under one year.
All organically.
But then in the fall of 2019, Instagram removed it without telling me why. I think it might have been due to copyright issues — I curated a lot of content and did mash-ups of other people’s content.
But I’ll never really know why.
The things I’m going to share below are based on a “first principles” mindset.
Tactics, tricks, and technology will change. Principles will last forever.
If you build a large audience online doing the five things below, and then for some reason, you lose it all as I did, you’ll still have everything you need to do it all again.
The reason for that is because these five things are built on principles.
These principles won’t change.
Here are five tips, built on timeless principles, that will help you grow an audience of Super Fans.
1. Discover Your RVP and Target an Audience
First of all, you should already know who you serve and what transformation you bring to them.
If you don’t, then start here at this post.
Take the time to determine what kind of person your brand is catering to and ask yourself: What are their deepest pain points and problems related to my expertise? Can I solve those problems?
Answering this gives can give you content ideas for many days, weeks, and months to come.
2. Conquer Your Social Media Anxiety
I talk to people all the time who despise social media. Some of that is because of their personality. Extraverts and 3’s on the enneagram love social media, for example.
But being there helps you build your audience and “practice in public.” You need a relentless commitment to being focused. That focus will enable you to forget that others are there. Starve your distractions and become a content creator who could care less what others think or say.
Choose one of these four platforms as your primary launching pad, and then syndicate your content to the other three.
Medium.
Twitter.
LinkedIn.
Facebook.
Here’s a tip: If you need inspiration, go to Quora and look at what questions are being asked in your market. Then, answer that question on Quora and turn it into a piece of content for the other four platforms above.
Social media can very quickly become the engine of your success. If you’ve been consistently creating content on these platforms for a few weeks, a flywheel effect will eventually kick in and work to your advantage. You’ll reach and engage people in ways that TV and radio could never have done before.
Instagram and Youtube are great for other reasons, but I would say start with one of the four above.
Get used to writing and publishing content regularly, and you’ll see a massive shift. You’ll become a prolific producer on social media — rather than a distracted consumer of social media.
3. Be Community Centric
Build a community for your readers. Your community should be exclusive and loyal to your brand, but also real-life and authentic.
Facebook is prioritizing groups in their algo right now like crazy. Start a Facebook group that’s free for people to join where you can share content regularly. Ask questions and engage with people.
By fostering a community around your message, you’ll create a culture that goes deep with you.
This is where super fans are born!
4. Be Different
If you’re looking for a way to make your message stand out, then you need to be different. People don’t like having all the same choices to choose from.
Spreading a message and building an audience is a game of attention. But too many people are fighting for attention rather than simply being different. Being different makes you stand out, and you won’t have to fight as hard.
If you can make someone say, “Wow, that’s unique,” then this is where the magic happens!
5. Become a Super Fan Of Your Mission
To create “Super Fans,” you must be a Super Fan yourself.
This is the most important tip of all. If you’re not fanatical and passionate about how your expertise can help others, people will pick up on that.
You’ll also burn out a lot faster.
Let the love for your mission fuel you! Your enthusiasm will be contagious and spread to others who will become Super Fans too.
If this was helpful at all, please share this (look for the share link if you’re on social media) so that these principles can inspire others as well.
Here’s to making the internet a better place,
Nate Fancher (founder and writer at Tellus Media)
