Why do rockstars have fans instead of customers? They are fans themselves.

This is the second post in a five-part series on What Rockstars Can Teach You About Kicking Ass With Social Media.  Part one is here.

If there is a ‘secret weapon’ that rockstars have in converting customers into fans, this is it.  By default, they are a member of the very community of fans that they are trying to reach.  Since they are members of their community of fans, that means they are much more closed connected to them, and better understand them.  And the fans also feed off this increased interaction, and it makes it that much easier for them to relate to and trust the artists.

Graco is a great example of a company that’s using social media to put themselves in the shoes of their customers.  When Graco decided to launch a blog a couple of years ago, the company invested several months studying the ‘online chatter’ and trying to decide how they would position their blog, and who they wanted to reach.

After doing initial research, the company decided that it wanted to reach parents, and that the blog itself should focus on parenthood, moreso than Graco’s products.  A great move, but what Graco did next was even better.  In selecting the team that would write for the blog, Graco decided that if they wanted to reach primarily younger parents with a blog focused on parenthood, why not have younger parents be the bloggers?  In this way, the bloggers are speaking with the same voice and point of view as the people Graco wanted to connect with!

Graco’s former Social Media Manager Lindsay Lebresco told me that one of the key goals for Graco’s blog was to help “underscore the fact that the people behind the products at Graco are on the same journey that our consumers are on or are headed on.”

That’s incredibly powerful, because in doing so, Graco has positioned its bloggers as a member of the community they are trying to reach.  And what have the results been?  In 2007, 68% of all online mentions of Graco were positive, but by last year, that percentage had increased to 83%, and total online mentions had DOUBLED.  And of those additional online mentions that the company gained after launching its blog, almost 100% were positive.

That’s the power of a well-positioned blog that’s creating relevant and valuable content for its readers. It’s also a great example of what happens when a company puts themselves in the shoes of the customers they are trying to reach.  Rockstars do this every day, and thanks to social media, companies now have a greater ability than ever before to do the same.

Coming tomorrow, the second way that rockstars can teach companies how to kick ass with social media; it’s all about giving up control.

BTW if your company would like to learn how to use social media to better connect with your fans/evangelists, please email me.