020: Creating Devoted Fans with David Meerman Scott.

How do we harness the power of human connection to create stronger and more valuable relationships with our customers and clients? 

David Meerman Scott spotted the real-time marketing revolution in its infancy and wrote five books about it, including ‘The New Rules of Marketing and PR’, which is now in its 7th edition and has sold over 400,000 copies sold in English (having been translated into 29 languages).

Now David says the pendulum has swung too far in the direction of superficial online communications, with tech-weary and bot-wary people hungry for true human connection. Successful organisations have learned to win by developing what he calls a “Fanocracy”, tapping into the mindset that relationships with customers are more important than the products they sell to them.

His Wall Street Journal bestselling book of the same name, which was written in collaboration with his 27 year old daughter Reiko, focuses upon Fandom culture and how any business can turn fans into customers and vice-versa.

David has authored a total of eleven books to date, has a popular blog and provides advisory services for fast-growing companies. All this plus his speaking engagements around the world give him a singular perspective on how businesses are implementing new strategies to reach buyers directly and in real time. 

In this episode of The Remarkable Project David discusses the relevance of tribes, how putting passion on display can attract likeminded people and why trying to tightly control fan behaviour can prove counter-productive. 

Key Takeaways

·       Humans are craving a return to personal connection, to humanity, because we’re hard-wired to want to be part of a tribe of likeminded people. 

·       When you find a group of people who love something that you do too (music, sport, books etc.) you have an opportunity to join a tribe. If you act upon this, then over time the safety and acceptance you feel from the group becomes part of what you love about the ‘thing’, bolstering the emotional connection. 

·       Any business can find and nurture a tribe of fans, regardless of what industry they operate in. By actively fostering Fandom you can mobilise tribes to create new knowledge and attract new people via warmth of intention and shared understanding. 

·       We’re all fans of something, so when we share what we’re truly passionate about in a genuine manner we attract people to us. 

·       Close proximity to other people brings with it more pronounced emotional reactions – it’s biological.  

Remarkable Quotes

 “...big companies, small companies, it doesn’t matter…if they understand how and why somebody becomes a fan of something they can do business in a different way than the nastiness that’s going on right now in social media.”

“...once you create something and put it in the world, it no longer belongs to you, it belongs to the fans.”

“…you can try to aggregate a group of fans, but keep in mind that the ultimate is when they self-aggregate.”

Relevant References

‘The New Rules of Marketing and PR’ by David Meerman Scott [2017 – Updated Edition]

‘Fanocracy’ by David Meerman Scott and Reiko Scott [2020]

‘Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead’ by Brian Halligan and David Meerman Scott [2010]

‘Beyond Culture’ Edward T. Hall [1976]

 Connect with David

Learn more about David here and Fanocracy here

Follow David on Twitter (@dmscott)

Connect with David on LinkedIn