How to use psychology to get more fans

Learn how to get inside the heads of your listeners to create and grow a budding fanbase…

by Randi Zimmerman from the Symphonic Blog

Everyone talks about how important it is to understand your audience. Understandable, of course. Being able to relate to and understand what’s important to them is the key to fostering a dedicated fanbase who truly cares about what you have to offer. In addition, understanding how their minds work gives you an inside look into how to best cater to their needs as fans. What better way to understand them than to learn about the psychological factors that drive those needs?  In this post, we’ll give you some insight to help you out…

What Drives Emotional Connection?

When you post something online, what typically motivates a person to take action? A couple things, actually. People connect deeply with something that promotes community, aka a “sense of belonging”. Not only that, things like supporting a cause, admiration, empathy (sharing your feelings), nostalgia, humor, and many more factors all come into play with the brains ability to connect deeply with something. (The neuroscience behind our emotional connections goes beyond just these. If you’re interested, this post explains all the other emotions that contribute to the way we connect to others.)

Utilizing these feelings is a great way to connect more deeply through your content with your audience. A way to implement these feelings into your strategy is to get deep with the things you post. Give some background insight into why you wrote your latest love song. Tell a childhood story of what inspired you to be a musician. Share information that means a lot to you personally. Letting your audience in is the best way to gain genuine fans that last a lifetime.

Happiness Sells

It’s psychologically proven that happiness is addicting. Sharing happy moments of your career gives the people who follow you a boost of serotonin. So, don’t hold back on sharing your accomplishments! You’ve worked hard to get to where you are, and your fans are proud of you. I can’t begin to describe the happiness I get from seeing my favorite artists succeed. It genuinely makes me feel like a proud mom at my child’s first winning soccer game. What’s better than that? Your fans feel the same way about your success.

FOMO is Real

Ah, the fear of missing out. I think we have all experienced this feeling before. When you see others enjoying themselves in an experience, it’s only natural to wish you were a part of it too. You can use this feeling to your advantage. One of your top priorities as an artist is to create a unique experience for your fans. Whether it’s at your shows or your community online, it’s important to nourish your community to make it something others can’t wait to join in on.

FOMO is already a big part of why people are on social media so much in the first place. Studies have shown the fear of missing big news is a prominent driver for many to open socials on a daily basis. That’s one reason why sticking to a posting schedule is so important as an artist looking to grow their fanbase online.

Exclusivity

Supply and demand has shown us that the more rare or unattainable something is, the more valuable it is. This phenomenon is similar to that of FOMO, where owing or being a part of something exclusive helps grow your audience exponentially. It promotes shares, selling tickets fo meet and greets, better seats at your shows, pre-saves, and more.

In Conclusion…

We’re all human. Why we do the things we do and like the things we like varies from person to person, but one thing we all have in common is a need for community. We all want to belong somewhere where we feel understood. As an artist, one of the best parts of the gig is feeling loved and seen by your fans. They want to feel the same way about you. With the right strategy, the community you build should stick with you through thick and thin. By understanding the mind of your community, the connections you make will drive your career to new heights with a community that has your back.

Good luck!