Tribe Building

10 Steps to Marketing in a Tribe

Marketing in a tribe is great way to boost sales, increase awareness and earn word of mouth evangelism.  This 10 step list is proven.  I’ve successfully marketed products this way and I’ve seen many other people and businesses successfully market this way.

1)  Forget everything you think you know about marketing.

2)  Locate a tribe with members who would benefit from purchasing your product/service.  For example, if you’re in the gun safe business, a tribe of passionate firearms enthusiasts is where you need to be.

3)  Join the tribe.

4)  Don’t attempt to “market” anything.  If the tribe meets in an online forum, don’t even put your business website on your signature.  You’ll be seen as a spammer and you’ll never truly become a member of the tribe.  Other tribe members and leaders won’t allow it.  Regular marketing in a tribe is a big “no no”.  If the tribe has a “profile page”, it’s okay to list your business and what you do.  The important thing is that the tribe members don’t view you as a someone marketing a product.

5)  Make quality contributions to the tribe in areas unrelated to your business (i.e. Start discussions, respond to discussions in a meaningful way, etc.).

6)  Make connections with other tribe members.  Find a few tribe members you resonate with and make a conscious effort to connect with them.

7)  After you’ve been accepted into the tribe, it will be inevitable that tribe members ask what you do - or what business you’re in.  Only now, is it wise to tell them your business (no sales pitches).  If curious, perhaps they’ll check out your “profile page” and learn it from there.

8)  When you see a discussion that’s somewhat relevant to your business - contribute to that discussion with facts (not sales attempts).  Facts about the product/service are needed.  That's probably why the discussion was started.  NO sales pitches.

9)  Eventually, word will get around to other tribe members that you’re in the “whatever” business.  That's okay, because you're now an accepted tribe member - not just someone trying to make a sale.

10)  At this point, the tribe has accepted you as a member and a few of the members know what you do.  If you’ve been a good tribe member, other tribe members will view you as a “trusted expert” in your business and they’ll be coming to you for recommendations.  Remember, trust is very important, so even at this point it’s not wise to try and make a sale.  Only present the facts.  More often than not, the other tribe members will come to you and choose your product if it meets their needs.

Aside from my own endeavors, one of the best examples I’ve seen of this kind of marketing occurs everyday in a firearms enthusiast tribe.   This tribe meets in an online forum.  One of the members happens to be in the gun safe business.  In fact, he’s a gun safe expert.  The key is that he’s NOT there to market.  He’s a member of the tribe, just like me.  However, anytime there’s a discussion about gun safes, you can bet he’s participating by talking facts (NOT marketing).  In the eyes of the tribe members, he’s a “trusted expert” and many tribe members go to him with their gun safe needs.  He sells many gun safes this way without any traditional marketing.  You can do the same if you follow these ten steps.

Zane Safrit’s BTR Interview of Ed Welch

A few weeks ago, Zane Safrit extended the opportunity to ask some questions about tribes, my ebook list - 101 Ways to Destroy Your Tribe (pdf) and my manifesto on Changethis - Learning to View your Customers as a Powerful Tribe.

If you don’t know Zane, he’s a super nice guy. One of his passions is to create a movement to help change the healthcare system. We all know it needs major changes and I admire his passion and work to get the word out.

When it comes to business, Zane is a lot like me, he wants to see businesses understand the power of tribes and better serve us (the customers).

If you would like to learn a little more about tribes, you can listen to Zane and I talk here. 

Enjoy! And a special thanks to Zane for taking the time to visit with me.

Tribes vs Communities

What’s the difference between a tribe and a community? The short answer? Passion. Tribe leaders are very passionate about “something.” Their passion is contagious, drawing followers into their tribes.

Tribe members are passionate as well - at least passionate enough to care about something and take action. It’s this passion that draws the members of the tribe together with tribe leaders.

Communities are more of a “gathering place”, they’re sort of stagnant. Communities are formed from common interests of community members. Great tribes are in motion, looking to accomplish or prove something.  It’s true that online tribes need a place to gather, but they’re usually on a mission. Often, you’ll find tribes within communities.  In fact, it could be argued that most online tribes come from within communities.  But, not everyone in the community will be a tribe member.

In Oklahoma, you’ll find two distinct sports tribes - Oklahoma Sooner fans and Oklahoma State Cowboy fans. These two tribes have been at war, both on the sports field and off, for nearly a century. The most passionate fans are out to prove their teams (programs) are best. Many of the tribe members degrade and ridicule one another.

What makes these people tribe members is the passion they share for the success of their sports programs. They wear their schools colors and logos with pride. Make no mistake, these people are serious. When an O-State fan ventures into the hangout of the Sooner tribe (i.e. OUHoops) - they’re often treated quite poorly. Same goes for Sooner fans venturing into O-State tribal territory (i.e. Orangepower).

What’s the takeaway?  Look for tribes within communities, but don't assume that a community is a tribe.  Great tribes are formed by people with expertise, desire and passion, but don't place too much emphasis on expertise.

Connections.....Can you please elaborate?

Pam asks:  "Can you elaborate a little more about connections as you use the word in your tribes manifesto?"

When thinking about connections and tribes, it's important to remember there are varying degrees of connections.  Some are loose, others are strong and everything in between.

However, we are all connected in one way or another.  What defines a tribe is being connected to each other, a leader and an idea.  That idea can be a product, a website, a business, a concept, a political party, etc.

You need not even know someone in order to make/have a connection with them.  For example, Pam asked this question, I'm now politely responding via this blog post - thus, we have a "connection".  My hope is that when she reads this response, Pam recognizes the connection and retains it in the future.  Perhaps she'll continue to read this blog?  Maybe she'll read future ebooks I write.  Regardless, it's important to realize the subtleties of connections and the importance of those connections in the business world.  If I were to have ignored Pam, she might walk away with a negative opinion of me, never read (or refer) my blog, etc.  When you think of the positive word-of-mouth I lose - that's a HUGE wasted opportunity.

From almost any perspective, a positive connection leads to good things.  With the Net and tools like Twitter, tribes and connections are inevitable. 

Connections and Feelings

At one time or another, everyone is a customer and everyone has feelings. In case you haven’t noticed, people are generally driven by their feelings.

Successful businesses (and people) are able to establish connections that generate good feelings in other people and themselves. Think about it, when you walk away from a business transaction with good feelings, don’t you feel more connected to the business?

So here’s the big question: If you’re looking to build a successful business, why would you ever engage in a transaction with a customer (or potential customer) that didn’t stimulate good feelings in that customer? The answer, of course, is that you would never want to do that.  Right?

If you would like to learn more about the power of connections and how those connections relate to the concept of tribes, check out my newly published manifesto on ChangeThis.com.

http://www.changethis.com/55.04.CustomerTribes

Enjoy!

How To Be A Leader

This month, Seth Godin asked us, the members of Triiibes.com, to invent and accomplish a project in December. We brainstormed and came up with at least twenty ideas. Three or four of them were quite popular; a lot of people said "Let's do that one!" or "Count me in!" But only two of them happened: the Giant Squid Project and this one, the Triiibes Blog Project.

Why? Because those were the only two with a leader.

It's not as hard as you think to be a leader. Here are my thoughts on what it takes to be a leader, based on my experience with this project.

1. Talk a lot. I posted a lot of comments about the project on the relevant thread. I didn't spam (permission, not interruption) but I spread information and enthusiasm.

2. Create a home for your tribe. In this case, it was a sub-group on the Triiibes forum.

3. Listen, then take decisive action. If I had waited for everyone to reach consensus on our goals, infrastructure, topic guidelines, and editing rules, we never would have gotten off the ground.

4. Delegate. Give others an opportunity to lead as well. Two (or more) in harmony surpass one in perfection. And plus, you'll end up running yourself ragged if you don't ask for help.

5. Have fun! Enjoy the journey and find the joy in your project and the people in it.

Thank you, everyone, for making this a fun and unforgettable growth experience for me, and hopefully a great experience for our readers, too.

Thanks, co-leaders!
Jodi Kaplan and Judy Vorfeld

Thanks, content creators!
Becky Blanton, Bernd Nurnberger, Betsy Wuebker, Bette Miles-Holleman, Bonnie Larner, Ed Welch, Jean-Philippe, Jodi Kaplan, Judy Vorfeld, Dr. Mani Sivasubramanian, Marcos Gaser, Martin Whitmore, Megan Elizabeth Morris, Michael Donk, Stephen Martell, and Tom Bentley

Thanks, editors!
Judy Vorfeld (Editor-in-Chief), Bonnie Larner, Jodi Kaplan, Joel D Canfield, and Tom Bentley

Thanks, sneezers!
Anne McCrossan, Denise Milligan, Didier Daglinckx, Ellen Di Resta, Eric Dorsett, Greg Digneo, Joe Noonan, John W. Furst, Jordan Goodman, Jule Kucera, Martin Whitmore, Molly McMahan, Nadine Toukan, Norma Vela, Patrick Prothe, Rahul Deodhar, Rex Williams, Suzanne Matthiessen, Tom Larsen, and Wendy Siegel

Thanks, aggregators!
Jeremy Meyers and Megan Elizabeth Morris

Thanks, readers!
That's you! Thank you all for reading and commenting.

December is over and so is this project, but stick around; Ed will be continuing to post excellent articles about tribe building, and you'll still see the occasional guest post from us Triiibespeople as well.

Happy New Year!

-Pace (of Pace and Kyeli)

Doing the New Archimedes

"Give me a place to stand and a lever long enough and I will move the world." ~ Archimedes, 220 BC

No matter who or what or where you are, you have everything you need to build your tribe. It's all in there -- or out there -- somewhere. All you have to do is find it... and use it.

Don't hold back. Don't hesitate. Don't make excuses.

You can sit there and tell yourself that you "can't," or you can get out there and find a way to make it happen.

We (that's me and you) are better equipped than anyone in history to get connected to the people who care. All it takes is the right leader, the right tool, the right words, the right moment. YOU are that leader. You have the tools and the passion and the understanding of what your tribe needs. There are people out there who want to hear from you. They need your vision and your connection. The time for you to act was yesterday... so what are you still waiting around for?

You have exactly the leverage you need -- and you only need a little. (Hint: The internet gives you a LOT.) All you need in order to succeed is the willingness to try.

I'm completely serious. Just... try.

So? Go leverage something already!



Friendly badgering by Megan Elizabeth Morris; triumphant illustration by Martin Whitmore.

Ants: The Oldest Tribe on Earth

Ants are fascinating. It’s hard to imagine how creatures with such a wee brain can manage such a complex social network, but manage they do. Ant tribes perform tasks such as nest building, navigation, foraging, food storage, tending the young, garbage collection, and on occasion, war.

Contrary to popular belief, ants aren’t workaholics. After lugging a tidbit to the nest, ants curl up and take a break. Another myth is that ants are ruled by a caste system. Not so. Each ant makes its own choice about what to do based on clues it gets from its environment; either its nest mates, the weather, or contacts with ants from other tribes. Ants just seem to know what to do and change jobs as needed.

Ants get things done by accident, by experimenting with and constantly testing their surroundings to see what there is to eat, and who’s trying to get at it. Amazingly, ants organize and accomplish their work without a boss. No ant has power over another. Who, then, leads the tribe? Her name is Survival.

What can ants teach you about strengthening your tribe?

More answers in these books:

Journey to the Ants: A Story of Scientific Exploration (Paperback)
by Bert Hölldobler

Ants at Work: How an Insect Society is Organized (Paperback)
by Deborah M. Gordon

Bonnie Larner, Finder of Possibilities, barbermartin.com

How long does it take to form a tribe?

Many business people reading this post know that building a balanced, thriving tribe usually takes thought, work, and patience. Once in a while, however, a tribe is born in a split second.

A good tribe? Not necessarily. But that is beside the point.

Recently I was enjoying a thriller by Ian Rankin. The most obnoxious character in the book was Inspector Abernethy, a visiting member of London's Special Branch.

Well into the story, Abernethy invaded the Crime Squad's office in Edinburgh for the first time. He read the sign on the door. "Crime Squad," he sneered, sounding amused as he took in the office and its inhabitants. He patronized the music being played and surveyed the premises as if he was thinking of moving in. He lifted a coffee mug from a desk, slurped from it, then made a disgusted face.

"The three Crime Squad officers," says Rankin, "were like a frozen tableau. Suddenly they looked like a unit: it had taken Abernethy to do that."

From co-workers to tribe in all of ten seconds.

Sometimes tribes form to achieve a common goal but other times a common enemy can galvanize a tribe instantly.

What common enemy can you think of that could galvanize your tribe into action?

-Judy Vorfeld

The Down Side of Tribes

There is a road marketers often go down when trying to shift their focus from throwing a headline at consumers to creating an environment that supports consumer engagement.

This usually involves a well-orchestrated attempt to reach out, but it fails in sincerity and honesty.

1. In an effort to diversify, we narrow our focus. We find what fits our company or ourselves. Blogs, newsletters, books, conferences, events: every waking moment we entrench ourselves in the subject of our focus.

2. We surround ourselves with likeminded individuals. We start using the social tools that allow us to exchange ideas and increase our knowledge base. Striving to be experts, we follow other experts.

3. The information and new community only serve to entrench us in our beliefs and affirm our attitudes. We move from curious to comfortable.

We begin conforming to the standard. It may not have been the original standard, but it became the standard as the tribe grew stronger. Conformity in industry creates a stagnant environment, and is perfect for breeding competitive business.

How do we avoid this and create a tribe diverse enough to evolve? Start with continuous conversations and connecting. Connecting keeps our tribe moving, evolving, and avoids the status quo.

Stephen Martell