You are a / (an) _____________. That’s right! Fill in the blank. No matter what you placed into the blank, congratulate yourself as you took a level of ownership by adding the word. People like to have fans regardless of their stage in life. Think about how this might have worked in your favor at one time and how you might regain that advantage.
Infancy
As a baby, especially if you the first one your parents hold, you are unique and demanding in a cute way. Make no mistake though, all babies regardless of their birth order are special in the eyes of their family. You coo, giggle, and gain attention to those closest to you. In turn, these raving fans of the new addition show you off, dress you up, and shower you with love. Plans for your future are made and you start down your path toward success. Along the way you receive praise for accomplishments.
Student
Growing up and interacting with teachers and your social peers, the same types of things potentially occur. You do well on a test, produce a special art piece, write a poem, get elected to an office, or win the part in the play. For any of these accomplishments you gain some raving fans. These fans admire your accomplishments as well as talk about your abilities to others.
This broader voice, touting your wins gains additional note from people outside of the smaller circle such as parents of friends, community leaders, church families and so forth. You hit a stride which builds your confidence as well as spurs you onto to trying new things and growing your skills further. You try new things and depending on your education level you may try one or more internships in fields that might interest you professionally.
In this phase your networking really begins to create raving fans who stick with you and pay attention to your progress. The more you take on and accomplish the broader your fan base. This could be in actual as well as virtual circles of your influence. There are steps you need to take to maintain these fans as well as to add to your fan base.
Think about people or things you admire. What do you do for brands you like?
Do you:
- Wear them (think symbols that might identify them)
- Talk about them (think your friends or in random conversations),
- Post in your favorite social medal (think photos and schedules for upcoming events or appearances)
- Recommend them (think to others through any contact channel) and/or
- Simply wait to toot the horn for the next step they take.
Grown up/Professional
Once you are grown and out in the world with your chosen profession things take on a different light. Time becomes an issue in how many of the above activities you can continue to keep up. If you married, your family is your entire focus. If you are working, regardless of the profession, then your boss and peers are keeping you on your toes. If you are doing more than one thing, you are flat out busy and need to schedule yourself to keep up with the demands.
None of this means you shouldn’t keep up with your raving fans. If you received a detailed Christmas letter from someone who recanted the activities of their year in reflection, the simple story might have reminded you how much you enjoy just knowing. Don’t miss these opportunities to promote and extend your raving fan base.
I’m an Author. I also have a full time job in technology focused on optimizing customer experience. I love people and look forward to hearing about you. Bring it.
