The grand champion of business is your ability to continually grow and monetize your following.
Call it your tribe, if you will. These people who have found their way to your table need to be nurtured and fed. You will give them education, communication, tips, treasures and they will think of you as a friend.
A tribe that is attentive and engaging is gold. Not only does this improve your business today, but a well nurtured following increases the value of a business when it is sold. It’s a built in legacy feature.
The problem is that many businesses forget to take care of their tribe. They think that once you have them in your fold they will stay and remain happy. But everyone needs attention and special treatment. We live in the land of chaos and shiny objects that can fill our mind and blind our vision, ultimately leading us off course. By nurturing you have the ability to elevate you and your business to expert or authority status.
This continual nurturing also helps to ensure that they won’t forget who you are. For example, Susan owns a local bakery. She’s built quite the following and is known for her scrumptious creations that melt in your mouth. By reminding her customers of her weekly specials she is staying in the forefront of their mind. Then when she has a new menu item or specialty it is easily announced and received with grand reviews as people flock to her bakery to try the delicacy. If she hadn’t been nurturing her following and suddenly sends an email announcing her latest temptation it may be greeted with “Who’s Susan? Do we have a new bakery?”
By continually speaking to your tribe you have eliminated the need to re-introduce yourself time and time again. It is now an automatic “Susan has a new specialty we have to stop by this week”.
This is also another way you solidify your branding. By keeping your brand in front of your followers they begin brand association. Stay tuned as we discuss this in detail in the coming weeks.
For now know this: build a following, nurture your following, success is eminent.
