What drives these avid fans? It’s their commitment to their team — their love and loyalty to the organization they support. A dedicated fan will spend an average of 46 hours a month following their team, watching their team win or lose and keeping track of their favorite players and coaches. They are driven to support their team on and off the field at all times.

Can that same fan culture exist in the business world? Absolutely! You’ve certainly seen the long lines outside of an Apple store when a new iPhone comes out. And the latest Xbox X series is consistently on backorder, with buyers being willing to be put on a waitlist for the next available console. How does an organization turn a satisfied customer into a super fan? It does it by understanding its customer, listening to their feedback, leaning into loyal fans, staying connected and improving constantly.

1. Know your customer

A brand that knows its customer in and out can deliver a better-than-expected experience. 

Why does Target have such a strong following among women? Recognizing its customers were visiting for more than just shopping, Target redesigned its stores to create an experience that allowed visitors to wander and explore special finds throughout the store. So popular was this redesign that the hashtag #targetfinds has garnered over 96 million views on TikTok alone as buyers share what they have discovered. 

When you understand your customer, you can prescribe solutions to their pain points or pivot to meet new or additional needs.

2. Listen to customer feedback

If you’re not collecting and analyzing customer feedback, you’re missing out on your best tool for creating a super fan of your organization. 

Trader Joe’s has learned to use emotional cues from its customers to improve the customer experience. Employees are trained to stock shelves during customer hours in order to engage with shoppers. From these conversations, stores then pivot to stock more of what is requested, creating a boutique buying experience, which has built a cult following based on this “food democracy” approach. 

If you aren’t currently collecting customer feedback, start now! Then, routinely review the feedback to identify issues and improve the service you provide.

3. Lean into brand loyalists

An evangelist is a current customer who sings your praises to others, and no organization does brand loyalty better than Apple. In fact, in 2022, Apple topped the list for brand loyalty. How does Apple lean into that loyalty? It lets customers do the talking. Nothing creates more FOMO than knowing your coworker purchased the latest iPhone with its new camera, bigger screen size and other updates. Apple chatter is so powerful that in September of 2021, the iPhone 14 began trending on Twitter even before the iPhone 13 was released. How many organizations can stake claim to that kind of evangelism? 

If you currently have a set of loyal followers, how can you empower and reward them for sharing their experience? Consider implementing a loyalty program or a brand ambassador campaign that helps build entire communities of fans for your business.

4. Stay connected

Ever been ghosted by a company? You reach out, saying you need some help, and all you hear back is crickets. It doesn’t feel good, and it certainly doesn’t bode well for an organization that doesn’t stay connected with its customers. 

Social listening is a great way to see what people are saying about your brand. Nike has an established team of professionals who constantly listen for conversations about the brand. If there’s an issue, they’re quick to jump in to listen and provide assistance as quickly as possible. The @Nike Twitter account is dedicated to staying connected with their customers. If someone is talking about their brand, they engage — no bots, no AI, just people helping people. That’s a powerful way to build trust with your customers. 

Learn which channels your customers use to communicate, and get involved in the conversation providing help, thought leadership and answers that build your brand equity in the minds of current and potential customers.

5. Continuously improve

Just like an NFL team is continuously looking for the best players and coaches, you need to be constantly improving as well. Take everything you learn from your customers and your analytics and make real changes that improve the customer experience. 

In 2003, Lego posted its first loss on record. Needing a drastic pivot, the organization dove deep into understanding the customer experience. By increasing engagement with its customers, Lego realized it needed to put the “fun” back into the experience. From the feedback it received, it expanded into Legos for girls, architecture builds for adults and the ever-popular and highly collectible Mini Figures. Lego begins each year with the goal of “recruiting” every customer anew. Lego now sells an average of 220 million sets a year, making it the largest toy company in the market. 

All the feedback in the world means nothing if you don’t implement improvements in your processes. Set SMART goals now to help you get where you need to be in giving your customers the experience they deserve.

Super fans are not created passively: They are built. In order to turn a customer into a super fan, you need to know them intimately, continuously listen to them, lean into their loyalty, stay connected and constantly improve. The relationship you build with these customers will help you build the kind of brand that delivers the mission and vision you had for the organization when you first built it. By implementing these recommendations, you will find yourself creating your own fan club of loyal customers.

Peter Ord is the founder of GUIDEcx, a client implementation and onboarding project platform based in Lehi.