Championing Fandom: A Three-Phase Approach to Building Brand Love
Consumer behavior across social is evolving at a rapid pace. The brand-to-consumer relationship is becoming more and more personalized by the day, and your audience now expects brands to go the extra mile if they want to receive meaningful engagement.
One powerful strategy to maximize engagement on social is through cultivating fandom. By actively listening to what your fans are saying online and reacting thoughtfully, brands can foster a sense of community and loyalty that transcends traditional marketing tactics.
Let's explore this three-phase approach to harness the power of fandom and build brand love!
Phase 1: Social Listening 👂
The first step in championing fandom is to actively listen to the conversations happening online. For a select group of brands, there’s already major conversations happening on TikTok around your brand, and it’s the superfans that fuel them.
Social media platforms, like TikTok, serve as virtual hubs where fans can gather to share their thoughts, opinions, and experiences. And when a video or creator begins to pick up steam in relation to your brand (such as this TikTok from a Chili’s superfan), category, or culture at large, brands can leverage this to find new ways to connect with them and grab their attention even more.
Your superfans are out there, you just need to find them.
Phase 2: Brand Reaction 🤩
Armed with the existing conversations in phase one, brands can now take creative and meaningful actions to engage with their fan base and ride the wave.
When a brand remains agile and quickly responds to what’s happening in culture, it can create a “cool factor” with the target audience and build trust within the community.
This phase presents an opportunity for brands to proactively surprise and delight their audience.
Take the Chili’s example from the first phase. A creator went viral for catering her wedding with Chili’s, and the brand responded by not only hooking her up with the ultimate Chili’s Swag Bag, but by also launching a contest for other superfans to have Chili’s at their own wedding.
By listening and engaging authentically, brands can create memorable experiences that strengthen emotional connections and deepen brand affinity.
Phase 3: Brand Love 😍
As brands create responsive content, they pave the way for the ultimate goal: building brand love. At this stage, fans don't just view the brand as a provider of products but celebrates it for listening and engaging authentically.
Consumers also see this as an opportunity. They understand that your brand is clued in, see the benefit of speaking about your brand on social, and, if all the cards are lining up for them, will create their own content to catch your brand’s attention.
Championing fandom prioritizes community and connection. By embracing this three-phase approach, brands can forge deeper, more meaningful relationships with their fans and inspire loyalty along the way.
Curious to learn more? Register for our Advanced TikTok Strategies webinar that highlights three disruptive approaches to build brand love on TikTok in 2024.
