With all the buzz about viral videos, social marketing, guerilla marketing and other “new” marketing techniques … When it comes right down to it more important than having novel ways of advertising is to provide a great experience for your customers and let them do the talking.

No one wants just customers … We really want fans.

A customer is someone who treats a football game like a bit of entertainment, or a cultural event … A time to visit with friends or socialize with business acquaintances. Attendance is optional and when asked about their team allegiance responds with a casual “I don’t really follow (sport X).”

A fan is someone who gets up on Saturday morning and paints their body in team colors, creates a sign, climbs into their car with the obligatory antennae flag to go to the game and MAKE SOME NOISE!

These are passionate people who want to know all the “between the lines” info about their team, it’s players and what other people think about them.

In the business world as in the sporting or entertainment world to garner fans you must pursue excellence and put out a product / service / message that people want to have.

Here is the great thing about fans . . . they talk. They talk to friends, to each other and to random people about their loyalty to this team / player / star / company / product / cause.

You don’t just want fans. You need fans.

A company that has fans excels in customer satisfaction and service and most of all listens to their fans.

Are you listening?