July 31, 2021, 4 minutes readEntrepreneur contributors do not necessarily agree with the opinions expressed.A community of passionate fans is a valuable asset that can be worth more than its value. The reason is simple: when your brand is built around a community, it becomes one the best marketing engines in the world. IBH Media has recently helped me achieve my mission to impact millions of entrepreneurs and inspire women in this role. A passion for giving back is also a part of me, so 10% goes to investing in Asia-based women-led tech startups.How do you build it?1. Find Your nicheTargeting a specific audience is the first step to finding fans. Choose a topic that is relevant to your business, and identify a problem you can solve. You will be able to narrow down your focus and identify those who will be most benefit. This will allow you to build an association of people with the same niche or need. Clubhouse.com is a community that consists of more than 75,000 entrepreneurs who want to scale and grow their businesses.You need to understand your audience in order to market effectively and engage with them. This information will allow you to identify your target audience and help you market to them.Related: How to turn your customer base into a community to help your business succeed2. 2. Be socialOnce you have identified your target audience, start to identify the social media platforms it uses. If your target audience is made up of Gen Z and millennials, you will likely find them posting on TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook. Focus on Facebook and/or Linkedin if you are trying to reach an older generation. To reach a wider audience, you should always consider expanding your reach on multiple platforms. However, one way to do this is to use audio social platforms such as Clubhouse and Greenroom by Spotify. This allows you to speak directly to large numbers of people in real time, while they hear from you. Look for others in your niche that are having success and learn from them. You don't have to copy what they do, but you should appreciate what works for them and add your own spin.Reach out to your friends. Get to know them. Engaging with people makes them feel heard and seen, which is what they want. It is not easy to find the first 100 fans, but once they are there, it is worth taking the time to understand why they made that decision and why they want to stay.3. Provide valueThis is the most crucial step in building your fan base. Clients will pay for the products and services they use. Giving away information is one way to provide that value, basically teaching for free. This will increase trust and confidence in your company and your audience.Similar: Four ways to give your customers value4. 4. Make adjustmentsIt's time to analyse the results. What is working? You can view analytics on social media sites to see which fans are engaging with what. This information can be used to improve what is working and what is not.Keep these things in mind as you go through each step.
