A hat-trick of ideas for winning fans
5-minute read • 715 words
When supporters sing “Football’s coming home”, where’s “home”?
Is it England? Or somewhere more specific?
Actually, it’s Sheffield. In fact, “home” is a particular part of the Steel City, although you can’t visit it…
Football, or rather the association football that’s now played across the globe, was invented in a long-gone greenhouse on the corner of East Bank Road. And when those fans sing about their love of the beautiful game, they’ve got two 19th century cricket club members to thank:
Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest founded Sheffield Football Club in 1857. After organising informal kickabouts with their fellow cricketers, the pair wrote the ‘Sheffield rules’, parts of which are still used worldwide over 160 years later…
…and while the building where those rules were first drawn up is no more, plans are underway for somewhere new where supporters can honour football’s birthplace:
Sheffield FC have submitted a proposal for a 4,000-seater stadium and heritage centre, featuring an interactive exhibition highlighting the city as the place football began. The club hopes the “Home of Football” ground will attract a community of fans from far and wide, and here’s why small business owners should take note:
The best promotion your business can get is word-of-mouth, which means you need fans, not customers. So instead of talking at people, build a place where they can talk to each other.
If it succeeds, Sheffield FC’s new stadium will be somewhere football’s fanbase can celebrate its shared love of the world’s most popular sport. Here are 3 more examples of businesses who built something that turned casual customers into a community of fans.
3 back-of-the-net ideas for getting supporters
Starbucks and their social media group
Limited edition drinks are a huge part of this coffee giant’s success, and one in particular: the Pumpkin Spice Latte. According to customers, the annual arrival of the ‘PSL’ marks the start of autumn, so Starbucks thought up a way to tap into that…
The company made a private Facebook group where lovers of all things autumnal can share seasonal tips and recipes, once they’ve passed a special entry test, of course. And guess what the group, which now has over 42,000 members, is called? ‘Leaf Rakers Society’.
LEGO and their website forum
Part of the reason LEGO toys are so popular all over the world is that they allow people to make anything they can imagine. Everyone wants to show off their plastic brick masterpieces to friends, and the Danish company created a suitably playful way to make more of this…
Through the LEGO Ideas website forum, the public can share pictures of their creations, vote for their favourites, and take part in themed building contests. The best part? The most popular builds have the chance to be turned into official LEGO sets.
Harley-Davidson and their membership organisation
Starting in the 1950s, motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson suffered a series of setbacks which nearly left the company bankrupt, before a takeover saw an important change. The company switched its focus firmly back to customers which helped turn fortunes around, but one idea in particular was the real key to success…
The Harley Owners Group was established in 1983 as an exclusive community granting access to invite-only events, rallies and charity motorbike rides. Today, there are more than 1,400 H.O.G chapters around the world, where bikers can meet up and share their common passion.
Thinking on your feet
Though Sheffield FC are hoping to build a new football stadium to bring supporters together, that’s a luxury you probably can’t afford. But there are still some questions to ask yourself about getting customers talking:
What more could you do with one of your social media channels to encourage customers to interact with each other, like Starbucks did?
How might you be able to take inspiration from LEGO Ideas about a section on your website where people can hang out together?
What would regular events like Harley-Davidson’s meet-ups mean for your customers?
Turning customers into fans who feel happy and comfortable with your business is easy, if you understand their interests and provide somewhere they can discuss them…
…and when you’ve given customers a place to talk about what they love, dealing with your company isn’t going somewhere uninviting. It’s coming home.
Until next time,
Adam
