Lady Gaga has her Little Monsters, Justin Bieber has his Beliebers, Kiss has their Kiss Army, and your dealership has ______? Where are your fans? Musicians focus their marketingon connecting with fans, that’s nothing new, but that approach is grounded in solid business sense. A 2010 Satmetrix study found that evangelists or fans, spend 13% more than the average customer, and they refer business equal to 45% of the money they spend.

How can your dealership think like a rock star?

• Work to better understand your advocates. This will also help you determine the context of your relationship.

• Give your fans the tools and the ability to "share the love."

• There's an old marketing adage: Sell the benefit, not the product. Remember that your fans typically love your brand for many reasons other than just the product itself. Think about how your fans use your product and what's important to them.

• Seek ways to embrace your fans and stay more connected to them, it makes it far easier  for fans to advocate on their behalf.

Now you have your fans, but how do you keep them? Let’s take a look at the Loyalty Playbook:

1. Focus on Your "One Percenters": Gaga spends most of her effort on just one percent of her audience, the highly engaged super-fans who drive word of mouth.

2. Lead with Values: Create an emotional connection with customers by showcasing what you believe in, whether it be a community event or a charity your dealership devotes its time to.

3. Build Community: Connect your most loyal customers with each other to strengthen their bond with you. Have a ladies night or a new owner welcome like this dealership.

4. Give Fans a Name: Gaga calls her fans her “Little Monsters.” A name gives customers a way to self-identify as part of the group.

5. Embrace Shared Symbols: Shared symbols help customers bond by creating a collective experience. Give them a t-shirt or cool keychain.

6. Make Them Feel Like Rock Stars: Become a fan of your fans and find ways to make them feel special. Interact with your customers online, do trivia and giveaways!

7. Generate Something to Talk About: Make your business “word-of-mouth-worthy” by continually giving your fans reasons to talk about you.

Musicians and artists know the value of connecting with fans. Hopefully you do too. Use social media and blog to keep your fans aware of your dealership and what your brand stands for.

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What do you think of this loyalty playbook? Would you use this playbook for your dealership?

As always follow @activengage and @kettyc for dealership tips and live chat updates!