Recognize Your Fans

When Pam and I had visited California, we went to Disneyland in Anaheim, CA to enjoy a fun day experiencing all Disney had to offer. From rides to experiences to live music, Disneyland had it all.

I noticed the team at Disneyland did things right. One of those was the way their cast members recognized fans.

Statue of Walt Disney holding Mickey Mouse's hand

Photo by Travis Gergen

One experience Disneyland offered was a live marching band performance. These cast members rocked it out. They also showed the fans they mattered.

There, amongst the crowd watching the Disney marching band, were two young children. A boy and a girl… Both enjoying the music.

You could tell they enjoyed the band’s music because they were moving and shaking. They were experiencing the music!

The Disney marching band let these two young fans know that they mattered. They recognized the pair.

First, the band pointed them out. Next, they verbally spoke about the two children. Last, and not least, the band made the two dancing children a part of the show.

What The Disney Marching Band Did Right

Recognized their fans:

Above playing their music well, the Disney marching band did quite a few things right. They saw who their biggest fans were that day. It was two children enjoying their music and dancing along. The band noticed and called them out.

Engaged their fans:

The next thing they did was to honor those fans. They asked them to come be a part of the show. They approached them and brought them into a deeper experience than they already had.

Made their fans’ day:

Can you imagine being one of these two young children? Their day was made. They got to partake in a true Disney experience. More than that, they made raving fans of the children’s parents. The parents got to see their children join in a Disney experience.

How Leaders Can Recognize Their Fans

You’re probably not playing the tuba or beating on a marching drum. You’re more likely to be promoting your vision, sharing the mission, and taking care of business.

This doesn’t mean you don’t have fans. It also doesn’t mean you can’t do things to recognize those fans.

Leaders can recognize their fans by following in the footsteps of the Disney marching band. Recognize your fans by:

Offering a unique experience:

There are people who absolutely love what you do. They would follow you to the ends of the earth. They love what you’re doing that much.

What can you do to recognize them? Give them a unique experience.

You could offer up a small community where only your raving fans are able to interact with you. This could be through a Facebook group or an online website.

Offering a unique experience for your fans lets them know you recognize them.

Make them feel special:

Above and beyond a unique experience, you can do something that makes them feel absolutely special. When I think of something special someone has done, I think of Brian Dixon. He’s the author of Start With Your People.

I was a part of his launch team for his book. After the launch, Brian sent out a special surprise for his launch team. He had a designer create a custom avatar for those who helped him launch his book.

Here’s the custom avatar he created for me:

Drawn image of a man with a black shirt and hands in pocket

Simple. Inexpensive. Special.

You can find ways to make your fans feel special. It has to be unique to you and your brand. You can do this!

Make others feel special:

While the Disney marching band made the children feel special, they also made someone else feel special. The children’s parents felt special and excited because their children were able to take part in an experience.

Do you know what that does? That made their fanbase grow even more. The parents will rant and rave about the way Disney treated their children and got them to be a part of the show.

You can recognize your fans by figuring out who is important to them. Once you figure out who is special to your fan, recognize those people.

Doing this will help you to multiply your fanbase exponentially.

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