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“True leadership must be for the benefit of the followers, not the enrichment of the leaders.” |
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I have always been a Grateful Dead fan. They were the first "jam band", and they were ahead of their time in so many ways.
For example, most of the music they played during their live performances was improvisational and not a lot was planned as far as the performance. You may see them in concert one night with one show and then see them a few nights later with a totaly different show. That's what made them interesting.
Another way they were ahead of their time is in how they ran their business.
There are many business case studies on the Grateful Dead, but if you want a quick and interesting read on the subject, the book "Marketing Lessons From The Grateful Dead: What Every Business Owner Can Learn From The Most Iconic Band In History" by David Meerman Scott and Brian Halligan, covers it very well.
One of the chapters in the book discusses how they built such a loyal following. As early as 1968, they had someone in a booth at their live shows signing people up for their mailing list.
They also had a "call to action" on the inside of their "Skull and Roses" album that was released in 1971 - "Dead Freaks Unite: Who are you? How are you? Send us your name and address and we'll keep you informed. Deadheads, P.O. Box 1065, San Rafael, California 94901"
This was the beginning of their fan club mailing list. They realized the importance of having a large list.
Within six months they had over 10,000 names. Remember this was before social media and the internet. Within five years they had over 63,000 names which was quite a feat at the time. And their list continues to grow.
And these were very, very loyal followers of the band. These were not just "Facebook friends". These were people who felt a very personal connection to the band. They were eager buyers of anything related to the Grateful Dead brand - CDs, t-shirts, concert tickets.
Think about that as you are building your list of followers on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Are these people just taking up space in your social network or are they eager fans and buyers of your products and services?
It's one thing to have 5000 Facebook friends. It's quite another thing to have 5000 Facebook friends who are loyal followers, fans, and buyers of your products and services.
To
Your Success,
Mike Coleman
P. O. Box 291642
Nashville, TN 37229
615-308-8078
www.mikecoleman.net
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