In this article we are going to be looking at 3 Practical ways you can use to identify and build your core fan base.

A moment of clarity for the everyday artist and creative. We start by imagining a scenario in which everybody says they like your sound, everyone you come across.

Okay, a much better way to put it, a scenario where everyone around you says they’re a fan of your brand as an artist because you’re currently hot on the airwaves, perhaps the most requested on radio, streamed on Spotify etc. Hmm, sounds good but perhaps you don’t like that.

Imagine a community of selected fans liking your style of music because you have nurtured them overtime to appreciate your sound that it makes them special. I’m writing this article as events unfolding in the music industry inspire me to because, artists and creatives today need to see the importance of building a true core fanbase.

I’m not making reference to Twitter followers or instagram followers now, at least not the whole of it. Your total number of followers on social media does not equate your true core fanbase.

Your core fanbase as an artist probably might just be 20% of your total followership on social media but guess what, those are the fans that turn up for shows and buy your merchandise at events. That being said a true fan is more valuable to you than 1000 followers waiting for you to make the wrong move so that they can be the first to tweet about it.

It’s important to identify and nurture your true fans at the inception of your career. Think about Beyoncé and her beehive of fans. They adore, know and follow everything about her and that is because she has nurtured them to do so from the very beginning. They don’t go on Wikipedia when they need a fact about her because they know Beyoncé. Nurture your fanbase the same way you nurture a child. Give it your world and attention. It’s that’s simple. Lol. Don’t be that artiste who wakes up to a ton of followers but knows nothing about them and vice versa.

I have broken down some practical ways on how to grow your fan base as an artist. The process involves three steps: Identify, Nurture and Convert (INC).

Our goal is building our followership into a paying and supportive fanbase. Let’s dive in.

1. Identify Your True Fan

I’d advice you beforehand to know your crowd on social media. That is seeking out people who share the same ideologies and tastes with you.

If you like music and you follow people who talk about engineering all day, social media is going be boring to you. That being said, in the crowd of people who share your tastes, seek out the industry players, people who have established some form of recognition in their industry. The goal here is not just to follow them but to interact with their fans as well knowing that they are most likely going to share your tastes in music, art, photography, etc.

Anything you’re expressive and creative about has some potential number of other people interested in it as well. Identify these potential fans of yours and introduce yourself to them.

As I stated earlier, nurture your fans the way a mother would nurture a child. As a baby grows, it gets familiar with the voice and facial features of its mother due to the amount of attention the mother pays to it. In this same way, pay close attention to your community of fans by interacting and engaging with them regularly.

Sharing your creative process and getting them to be part of it is one way to nurture them into knowing you better. Make a schedule for your social media accounts and share your process accordingly. Instagram is great for photos and videos, twitter is for sharing your opinions and interacting with people and your Facebook page is for general information and updates.

Don’t just post when you have a new song. The key is to be balanced with your posts and be interactive with your fans.

3. Convert Your True Fan

So you’ve being nurturing your community of fans for a while now and it has grown considerably. It’s now time to convert them into true fans.

True fans who will drive to your shows and buy your merchandise, fans who will support you when you need them to crowdfund your next project. One very effective way of doing this is getting them to sign up to your email list.

Creating an email list where you can reach out to your community of fans via email and get them to subscribe to your shows, promotions and general interactions is how you convert a follower to a true and supportive fan. Getting them to subscribe to your email list builds trust and a more personal relationship with your fans. There are many platforms that offer these services on the Internet. MAILCHIMP is a good place to start.

The process of building a true core fanbase or a community of true fans is one that requires consistency on your part but if done properly can be the best decision you’ve made as an artist and creative.