One component to building an audience, growing a customer base, and/or increasing word-of-mouth referrals is by sweating the details. Put delight in your work.

It’s the little things, the moments of delight and the unexpected quality in a product, that prove to our audience and our customers that we care.

When we sweat the details it shows. It’s proof we take our work seriously. And that builds trust with our audience our customers.

In the super-cool hand-drawn chart above, you can see that I’ve dissected what I believe to be the primary components related to building an audience. Seventy-five-percent of the work around building of your audience should be spent on the art itself — the content.

Your brand is also important. I’m not talking about logo marks here, I’m talking about your reputation. How do people perceive you (as professional or amateur; friendly or angsty; humble or self-centered; etc.)? What topic or subject people do people connect to you (design, development, typography, photography, etc.)?

Your content and your brand are summed up as being what you make and who you are. This is true for the individual, the small business, and the large corporation. And over time the two become deeply intertwined. What you make represents who you are, and who you are fuels what you make. Your brand and your content become one and the same.

If you are willing to sweat the details when it comes to all the things you make and all the expressions of your brand, then the overall result will be greater than the sum of its parts.

People notice when we take the time to build something great. They may not always be able to put their finger on exactly what it is, but they know they appreciate it. And they repay us with their accolades, attention, and money.

Thus leading to a healthy and mutually beneficial relationship between the maker and their customers.

The maker is happy because she is building something she’s proud of and is has the financial supported to sustain her work. And the customer is happy because she is buying something that was crafted with mindfulness and quality.

Committing to sweat the details is a commitment to the long game. It means not giving in to the tyranny of the urgent. It means focusing on quality from the start, and being willing to spend the extra time and resources to do it right and do it well.

In the moment, sweating the details often burns. But a month from now, a year from now, a decade from now, you and your customers will still be reaping the benefits.

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P.S. This concept of building your audience and customer base through delight is from one of the new chapters in the update to Delight is in the Details that comes out this wednesday.