the pyramid of fandom (2/5)

Before I proceed with discussing my key takeaways from Superfans, I wanted to go through the core model that Pat advises us to use to create superfans. He refers to this model as the Pyramid of Fandom.

The Pyramid of Fandom is nothing but a hierarchy that categorizes every person who has ever encountered your brand or business into four distinct levels: Casual, Active, Connected Community, and Superfans. Each level is based on their respective level of engagement with your company.

The casual audience is the biggest level and represents more than half of your user base. This is the part many marketers spend most of their budget money to grow. However, the goal is to convert people from your Casual Audience group to being an Active Audience member. This area is approximately 30% of your total audience. As an Active Audience member, these people have taken some sort of action to indicate that they like your business, brand, and what you have to say. In simple words, these people align with your core message. This group could include email subscribers, social media fans, and possibly customers. The next level up from Active Audience members are those within your Connected Community, which accounts for 15-20% of your audience. This level is where your audience members get involved in purposeful conversations and truly start to feel a sense of belonging. Moving on further up, the smallest section at the top of the pyramid is arguably your most valuable section. This section is around 5% of your entire fan base, but it represents your Superfans. This level is where your highest engagement, best repeat customers, and people spending the most time and money with you and your brand come from.