There are three phases to developing a CDM Engine.

 

There are two types of Raving Fans

The beauty of social media and social networks is that they represent a 24/7 focus group for pretty much everything.

There are people already talking about your product or service. There are people sharing their frustration around a problem that YOU can solve. There are people talking about your competitors.

For a long time, marketers have been trained to shout, yell, and cajole their prospects. There was no two-way dialogue. You yelled, they listened (or didn’t).

Not anymore.

Listening is the new marketing.

Your first job is to listen. That is also your second job. How‌
Here are just some ideas:

I keep writing ‘people.’

That is because we can never forget that there are real, live people on the other end. You need to talk with them as a person. Not with some sanitized corporate marketing BS. You don’t like hearing that from others, why would you expect that others want to hear it from you‌

They don’t.

Be advised, this part is more time than money. Once you start finding these people, reach out to them. Ask questions to clarify their thinking. Thank them for their blog posts about your product or for the mention on Twitter.

Do not ask for anything in return. Instead, ask for permission to add something of value in a relevant way over time.

A product company could thank a blogger who wrote a positive post with a gift basket of free samples. No strings attached. Similarly for someone who posted a positive review in a forum.

A services company could highlight the blogger on a website or offer to invite that person (again, no strings attached) to a meeting with some clients or an industry show as a guest.

There are a lot (a ton!) of possibilities. The big point here is to

Step by step, one by one, brick by brick (pick your analogy), your job here is to get to know your core Raving Fans, what makes them tick, and why they love you.

Next up: Cultivate the Raving Fans: Showing the Love (& Really Meaning It)