  | Book Details Title: Fanocracy: Turning Fans into Customers and Customers into Fans |
Book DescriptionReview “Reiko and David have captured the essence of how organizations, small and large, can organize and amplify the passions of their best customers. It’s not difficult, but it’s not common either: by building personal relationships and thus doing better work. A breakthrough in clarity and simplicity.” —Seth Godin, author of Tribes and This is Marketing “Fanocracy is a deep dive into strategies to build a powerful culture that drives business success. It also explores the thinking of a new generation—one that values community, sharing, and justice. David and Reiko share surprising ideas you can implement immediately, such as letting go of your work and allowing people to make it their own, seeing the world as a gift and giving gifts in return, celebrating your customers’ stories, and the power of compassion.” —Tony Robbins (from the foreword) “The intergenerational perspectives presented [in Fanocracy] demonstrate a unique approach to business development.”—Booklist “Our customers are no ordinary customers; they are die-hard fans who bleed for us. They love calling themselves Spartans – they bear Spartan tattoos and share their experiences with family and friends, bringing hundreds of thousands of new Spartans to the brand each year. Fanocracy will teach you how to do the same for your business.”—Joe De Sena, founder & CEO of Spartan “In our three decades advising tens of thousands of CEOs and executives, I’ve learned that most spend too much time internally. A focus on the customer is THE essential component for scaling up to build an industry-dominating organization. In Fanocracy, David and Reiko offer surprising insights into how to put the needs of people ahead of all else, so that your customers become passionate fans of all you do.”—Verne Harnish, founder of Entrepreneurs’ Organization and author of Scaling Up“David and Reiko make the idea of fan culture real, accessible, and actionable for all business—big, small, nonprofit, for-profit, b2b… and yes, even yours! Most of all, they shine a light on the joy of growing a business when you’re surrounded by customers who positively LOVE what you do.”—Ann Handley, author of Everybody Writes and Content Rules“The single most important force in my business is the relationship that I have with my fans. Yes, singing ability, songs, and industry support help tremendously, but the direct fan to artist friendship is the most coveted tool in the equation. Fanocracy truly emphasizes the importance and how-to’s that are necessary to maximize that all important friendship. I just read it, it’s FANTASTIC.”—Ronnie Dunn, of Brooks & Dunn“The world is not changed by people who sort of care. Or companies who sort of care. The world is changed by those who passionately, relentlessly care because your customers will too, and your brand becomes impossible to resist. Fanocracy shows how to change customers into fans, so your brand can change the world.” —Sally Hogshead, New York Times bestselling author and CEO of Fascinate® Read more About the Author David Meerman Scott is an internationally acclaimed business strategist, entrepreneur, advisor to emerging companies, and public speaker. He is the author of ten previous books, including The New Rules of Marketing & PR (now in its 6th edition and in 29 languages) and Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead. In his spare time he surfs and travels around the world for great live music. Reiko Scott earned a neuroscience degree from Columbia University and is now a medical student at Boston University. In her spare time she writes and publishes fanfiction based on her favorite fantasy worlds and loves to cosplay at Comic Con. Read more Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter OneOur StoryThe two of us, father and daughter, are obviously different; however, our observations on the state of the world today are uncannily similar. As we discussed our experiences over the past few years, we were surprised at how important our passions and the fandom worlds we inhabit are to our lives. The father loves surfing because being out on the water and interacting with other surfers helps him relax and clear his mind. The daughter loves to draw and share fan art of the books she loves for the same reason. And, over time, we both realized how alike our views are on growing a business by tapping into fandom.Because of the changing nature of the world, it’s essential to understand how to reach all kinds of people, including millennials and Generation Z as well as those of all races and orientations. It is for this reason that we’ve researched and written together.In the chapters that follow, we take deep dives into major elements of developing fans, including the importance of proximity to customers, letting go of your work, giving gifts without any expectation of something in return, harnessing the power of transparency in business, and other concepts. Through interviews, examples of success, and a set of strategies, we looked at how entities of all kinds-including companies large and small, nonprofits, entrepreneurs, restaurants, artists, musicians, teachers, health-care professionals, and insurance agents-can tap into fan cultures and connect deeply with followers.As we discussed our experiences over many nights across the dinner table, we began to consider the ideas that you will now find in our book. It was a sharp reminder to both of us that hobbies and passions don’t disappear as soon as one steps into “adult” or “professional” life. We both agree that the myth of unyielding professionalism can obscure our genuine connections. That’s why we chose to write this book.Exchanging texts about television shows or comic books has gotten daughter, Reiko, through study hours that extended far into nights that would have otherwise felt endless. And father, David, has forged deep, lifelong friendships with those who are as passionate about live music as he is.To love things outside work is to make meaningful connections with like-minded people.To achieve the success that comes with developing passionate fans of your business, fandom culture is necessary. Yet there’s another important reason to understand these ideas, as we said earlier: exposing ourselves to people who share our interests leads us to live happier lives. And when you can introduce your fandom passions and bring in others who are completely different from you and they become fans, you create an ideal environment-a place where great things happen.An understanding of how and why people become passionate about a company, product, idea, or artist serves as a way to do business. This understanding also delivers a blueprint to bring friends and family together to celebrate what they love, a place everyone wants to be part of because they can be their authentic selves and successful at the same time. Read more Customers Review: FANOCRACY is not just another business book. It’s a revelation.There is a fundamental truism of business that most people working today have never learned or have simply forgotten in our hyper-digitized world: regardless of the sector we are in, or the product or service that we offer, we are all in the business of relationships. Our success (and our failure) stems from our ability (or inability) to generate a true human connection in an increasingly dehumanized world.FANOCRACY by the father/daughter team of David Meerman Scott and Reiko Scott lifts the lid on this important insight, and provides a powerful, engaging exploration of ways in which businesses – and, indeed, ANYONE, from garage bands to YouTubers — can build life-long relationships with fans and super-fans. As David and Reiko make clear, creating a FANOCRACY around your product or service is at the very heart of what it means to build a brand or any meaningful corporate culture.As the authors make clear, people crave meaningful and relevant relationships in their lives. Some of the most powerful (and enduring) relationships are built around shared passion. As the many examples in this book illustrate, the strongest and longest lasting relationships are formed when our personal passions intersect with the normal daily activities of our lives. Are your customers your biggest fans? Do they crave engagement with your company like they do when they engage in their hobbies? If not, and you WANT them to, then you NEED to read this book.In reading FANOCRACY, I was also particularly impressed with the generational perspective – from boomer to millennial — as Reiko and David each bring to the table their own personal, insightful observations and lessons. This unique dynamic infuses FANOCRACY with an engaging and urgent authenticity.FANOCRACY is a unique and invaluable business book. It’s a page turner. And a heck of a lot of fun to read. In a word: I’m a fan. Buy the book. Read it. Practice it’s simple but fundamental lessons. You will be a fan, too. | |
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