debbiestier: One Fan Per Day

Monday, June 28, 2010

debbiestier: One Fan Per Day

Love this. Patience is a virtue in the high-speed digital space. There’s a lot of noise; it takes time to get traction. And there’s a lot you’ll get wrong before you get right—but given the time to correct, refine, and grow, a digital presence can make a world of difference.

If you are a writer, or an artist of any kind, you MUST read the blog post 1000 True Fans. In fact, if you’re a marketer of any kind, you must read it too.

I first read the post a few years ago, and I’ve since read it over and over and over again, and I’ve recommended it hundreds of times because I find it empowering, and hopeful.

I work with a lot of writers on their digital strategy, and I very often hear that they don’t feel their hard work and engagement online is making a difference. @garyvee would say HAVE PATIENCE. And he’s right. If you’re a writer (and I would encourage you to do ANYTHING else if you can, because it’s really really hard to be successful as a writer), you are building a long-term relationship. It’s not just about THIS book; it’s about your career.

The take-away from the post that I’m always left with, is: ”If you added one fan a day, it would take only three years.” One fan per day just seems so doable, right?

I’ve never taken the 1000 number literally, and in fact he says he has no idea what the actual number of fans needed is:

“…..the actual number may vary depending on the media. Maybe it is 500 True Fans for a painter and 5,000 True Fans for a videomaker. The numbers must surely vary around the world. But in fact the actual number is not critical, because it cannot be determined except by attempting it. Once you are in that mode, the actual number will become evident. That will be the True Fan number that works for you. My formula may be off by an order of magnitude, but even so, its far less than a million.”

But again, the gist for me is ONE FAN PER DAY. LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP.

Now here is something that I hadn’t noticed before in my reading of the post:

“Same is true in book publishing. When you have corporations involved in taking the majority of the revenue for your work, then it takes many times more True Fans to support you. To the degree an author cultivates direct contact with his/her fans, the smaller the number needed.”

I have to think more about that, but it does remind me of a new company I’m intrigued by, The Open Sky Project. Seems to me a company worth an author exploring.