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Why Building Your Tribe is Just as Important as Building Your Brand

In business, we’ve often got a mindset of reaching out to as many people as possible. The more people that see our products and brand, the more sales we’re likely to get…right? Well, this isn’t strictly true. Not only is there an argument for quality over quantity, every good businessperson knows that brand loyalty allows a company to stay alive over the years.

If you opened a hair salon, would you rather five people visit once, or one person visited once a month for the next decade? Even though it’s only one customer on paper, they will bring a larger return in the long term, which is why building your tribe is so important.

Importance of Building Your Tribe

In the next section, we’ve compiled a number of brilliant tips for brand awareness and growing a company with longevity. But first, why is brand loyalty so important in the first place?

  • Regular Income — Just as we discovered in the hair salon example, it’s better to have one regular customer than several people who only buy once. With a group of loyal supporters, we have a reason to continue developing new products while keeping a smile on their faces. The bigger the margin on your product/service, the smaller the group required.
  • Recommendations — When looking for a company with a passionate fan base, it’s hard to look past the likes of Apple. What do their loyal customers do? They recommend the products to others while debating with Android fans that Apple is better. Ultimately, it’s free advertising. These days, consumers hate to see companies shouting about themselves. If you can get a loyal group of customers shouting on your behalf, the result will not be disappointing.
  • Mutually Beneficial Relationship — To add on to the previous point, marketing has changed in recent years; it’s not just about who can shout the loudest. More than ever before, marketing is about cultivating relationships. We need to find people who share similar passions to ourselves. If we can do this, everybody benefits.

Back in 2008, Seth Godin released the book Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us and the term has been coined in this way ever since. In the book, Godin explains that there are two requirements for any tribe: a method of communication, and a shared interest. Again, we return to Apple as an example (a company that seems to get everything right!)

Why do people visit the Apple store? Sure, they come to look at new products and buy something that takes their fancy. However, it’s also fair to say that physical Apple stores are a hub for Apple fans to meet, share stories, talk about their experiences, and more. Over the past decade, we’ve seen a number of huge brands close their retail stores. Meanwhile, Apple is thriving and expected to continue on this path for the foreseeable future.

Tips for Building Your Tribe

So, how do you work on brand awareness, brand loyalty, and generally building your brand and tribe? We have some advice for you below!

1. Discover or Uncover Your Passions

First and foremost, why should any consumer get excited about something when you’re not excited yourself? Whatever your industry or niche may be, building a tribe is impossible without a passion for what you’re doing. If we return to our Apple example, they’re not just successful because they have passionate supporters, they’re passionate about the products themselves.

If an audience can see your passion and that you’re just like one of them, it’s MUCH easier to build a tribe.

2. Create a Mission Statement

Next, do you know who you are? This may sound like a silly question, but it’s one that many businesses cannot answer. Understanding who you are will allow the right people to find you and your service. As a starting point, we’re big advocates of writing down some key features of the business. As you create a value statement and mission statement, you have something tangible to relate to and offer to consumers.

At the same time, you might think about your target market and what they need from you. Once you have a target market, the question becomes why should people choose you over other businesses in that market. What’s your unique selling point (USP)?

3. Be a Leader

You know who you are, and you know your audience, now it’s time to stand up and be a leader for these people. Don’t just join the crowd and follow others, be the leader that your audience needs. When you really break down marketing, it’s a case of leading those who want to follow. With brilliant content and services, they have an outlet for their passion and join your tribe.

Too often, we see businesses enter a market and wait for something to happen. If you want to find success, you can’t hide in the background. Since you’re passionate about the industry, you know the type of leader the market needs; go out there and become it.

4. Find Your People

It’s one thing to be a leader, it’s another to be a leader in the right areas; the last thing you need is to waste resources concentrating on the wrong platforms. These days, there’s no better place to start than on social media.

Do your typical consumers spend most of their time on Instagram or are they a more professional crowd that frequents LinkedIn? Fortunately, there is a great deal of resources we can use online to find out where our demographic spends their time online. Once you know the platform, think about the influencers they listen to, hashtags, groups, pages, and more. As you listen and learn, you start to pick up on major problems (the problems you’re going to fix!)

5. Be a Member of the Community

Just because you’re positioning yourself as a leader doesn’t mean you need to suddenly bombard with adverts. You won’t build brand loyalty by constantly selling, and any brand awareness you’ll get will be negative. Here are some general tips for entering the community seamlessly:

    • Don’t beg for people to visit your website
    • Look to add value to the community
    • Answer questions (and feel free to ask them too)
    • Make sure any content you produce is relevant
    • If you’re a local business, you should offer events, charity days, and other ways to get people involved

6. Learn and Grow

Over time, you should engage with your tribe, which will allow you to learn the type of content they need or enjoy the most. Depending on your service, their needs may range from serious advice, to something to smile about when they’re bored. While some will like to read blog posts, others want to attend events in person. Unfortunately, we can’t help you here; it’s all about knowing your own audience and growing together.

As soon as you reach a certain point, you can allow consumers to contribute to the business. What do they really like about your service over others like you? What would they like to see change? The more you listen, the more important your tribe will become. When they feel you’re listening and shaping the service to what they need, others will soon come along.

7. Be Kind

We only need to look at the language used to assess the character of marketing over time: we ‘target’ people and ‘hit’ them with content. Today, we’re in a different world and it’s time to ‘reach out’ and give back. Instead of focusing on taking from consumers, offer them something first.

8. Encourage Sharing

You’re now a leader and a trusted member of the community, there’s no reason why you can’t ask for a little help every now and then. As long as you aren’t continually spamming, customers will want to communicate your message. Ask them to spread your name to their followers and friends; now that you’ve built a reputation, you aren’t just asking for a favor, your tribe will want to share the message about your fantastic service.

In a marketing funnel, something we often forget is what happens after a sale. These days, we need advocacy and people to recommend us, and this is one way to achieve it.

9. Provide a Platform for Communication

Just like Apple and its stores, you need a hub for people to communicate. Of course, we aren’t saying you need to open a store in every major city. Instead, start with an online forum and through social media (maybe a Facebook group). According to Godin and his book, there are four channels of communication within tribes; leader to member, member to leader, member to member, and member to strangers.

10. Hire Well

Finally, every single member of your staff should havde just as much passion as you. If you can hire a tribe, it will be much easier to build one. They will have the knowledge to answer questions from members, understand the market, and know exactly what the company needs to keep moving forwar!

Source: medium.com ~ By Trapica Content Team ~ Image: Canva Pro

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15 Steps to Building Your Online Tribe

Your Tribe is Your Vibe

Success on social media is all about your relationship with your followers.

You may have heard of the saying “Your tribe is your vibe.” But, what exactly is a tribe?

Social media is just like real life: you need friends and family to support you while you follow your dreams. You need to build that special trust that at first brings people to follow you and consider you their “go to” person. Consequently, when that trust cements itself, these same people will resonate so strongly with you that they will have your back, no matter what. They will support your message and share it on social media to a multitude of people. When this event happens, you have successfully created your tribe.

Building a tribe is something very dear to me, as I owe everything to my community. I built it by following two principles: coherence and the empowerment of others before myself. I post only when I feel I can enrich my followers and when I have a strong message. Herein lies a special type of power that the millennial generation knows better than anybody else, the true modern revolution: be everywhere with a click. That click carries a lot of responsibility. If you want to build a tribe, you must understand that who you are and what you stand for matters.

If you are ready for this adventure here are fifteen key points to build your tribe:

1. Learn from who you admire

Study successful profiles and get inspired by them. Get to know their minute details and intricacies inside and out for some inspiration and structure.

2. Speak from the heart

Find your own message: make sure it sounds clear and coherent. Before publishing, write down your posts in your platform’s backend or if you are old school in a journal. This way you can plan your week ahead and see what your social media page will look like.

3. Pick your platform thoughtfully

Understand what platform your message will resonate better with, and study their way of communication.

4. Be consistent

Your followers need to see that you are present. Repetition is key but always do so in a different and creative way.

5. Value the attention of your audience

Post when you have something relevant to say. Do not just post the first thought that pops into your head. Carefully consider what you want to say, always keeping in mind if others will be enriched by your words.

6. Be generous

As in the real world: when you give, life gives you back. Find your own tribe by looking for people who make you feel fulfilled. Always support them with likes, comments, shout-outs, retweets, and tags.

7. Be open about what you need

Do not be scared to ask for what you want. Social media is analogous to real life: people like true relationships. Do not be afraid of reaching out to your followers and try to create a friendly and genuine relationship. Once that bond is established, ask clearly and you shall receive.

8. Be nice

Remember that good manners always win. Create healthy boundaries of self-respect and respect for others.

9. Be easy to find

Hashtags are key to reaching more people and finding those whom you are more in sync with. Use them generously and take advantage of trends to reach more people.

10. Deliver what is genuinely you

Do not over-deliver. People like genuine content. If you keep on posting randomly, it might seem forced or automated.

11. Only quality matters

Quality is always better than quantity. You cannot expect people to engage with your posts if your pictures are blurry and your content is unclear and not well thought out. Improve yourself and your tribe will respond kindly.

12. Learn from your “enemies”

Listen to your critics and see if there is something true to what they are saying. If there is, try on working to better yourself and those critics will become your biggest helping hands.

13. Earn trust

As in any relationship, respect and love take time to grow. On social media, it is post after post, action after action. Once you dedicate yourself enough to gaining that bond you have a tribe, and you are blessed.

14. Be loyal and give back

Post at least once a week tagging your tribe to thank them for being there for you. Tag your tribe in your pictures so that they will feel part of your journey. Propose a direct message group with your tribe. Organize giveaways and create strategic alliances.

15. Be genuine

Be you. All of the above statements lead up to the most important point: people want to see you and your own uniqueness. Do not hide behind imitating others, learn from them and get some inspiration, but YOU are the star.

Social media is a way to express someone’s soul: the more genuine you can be, the truer the relationship with your followers will become, and these people will slowly become your tribe. What you emanate with your posts and social media presence will be received and will reflect back to you like a mirror. This relationship does not happen overnight nor does it take place if you feel forced to be on social media.

Look for that joy that inspires you to post, ultimately building your tribe can be more personal than you think.

Source: entrepreneur.com ~ By SIMONETTA LEIN ~ Image: Canva Pro

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How To Build ‘Online Tribes’ Through Community-Based Marketing

ecommerce

Since the beginning of our animal consciousness, communities have been a part of our lives. In our deepest human desires, we crave togetherness and connectivity.

In our myths of lost kingdoms and the stories of rebels and wars between armies, we all live with an unconscious sense of tribes and societies. And therefore, businesses that focus on communities can thrive beyond their imaginations.

Just by understanding the principles of online community building, I believe you can increase your revenue, create better businesses and leave a long-lasting impact on the planet if you care for it.

You could say that Amazon’s Prime subscription brings shoppers together, while Netflix is creating a class of binge-watchers. The online community model is thriving already. In this post, you will discover three important pillars of the community-based marketing model and more.

You can create online tribes in coaching, e-commerce, SaaS and almost every business. They don’t even have to be like each other. A tribe of busy business owners will be different from a community of students who are learning to code. A yoga community will look different from a tribe of singers and dancers.

But in almost every business, creating communities can be useful. With that said, we can jump into the first pillar of community-based marketing.

Community Development (From Scratch)

What would inspire the first person to join your community? And how we can create a “system” for community growth?

I have helped people grow their communities and have done the same for my business. From working as a 17-year-old salesperson to helping individuals grow thousands of followers and fans, here is what I have learned so far:

“People come for money but stay for the community.”

You can use viral giveaways, Amazon gift cards, and many similar methods to bring people together. Giving something valuable for free attracts people faster. But it’s not everything.

You can also attract people with educational content that they can discover through social media and search engines; this is also a powerful way to turn strangers into an audience.

Once people discover your brand, you can invite them to join your group, channel or whatever place you meet with your tribe. It all starts with one person.

Community Engagement

I believe creating communities while not serving them is a sin.

If they’re provided with the right context, communities naturally start conversations, flourish together, walk together, and transform themselves (together). That also creates more opportunities for businesses to offer solutions with minimal effort.

Weekend events, ask-me-anything (AMA) sessions, and “community-only” perks are some tools that you can apply in the beginning to foster engagement.

My big lesson is this: The biggest source of engagement often comes from the clear goal and vision of the tribe. So it’s vital to create a set of rules or guidelines.

Another critical part of a successful community is a sense of belongingness. I have worked in the cryptocurrency industry, which I call an “attention-deficient” industry. Many people are young and hidden behind pseudonyms; they can get panicked quickly, and everything changes rapidly there. Yet in my experience, the success of many ventures in the initial days had a lot to do with the sense of belongingness that people found in them. The latest example is a fun cryptocurrency known as Dogecoin that gained popularity because of a meme.

Community Monetization

Once a community grows, it typically develops the need for more solutions.

If people are trying to stay fit in the community, they will require education and tools to achieve their goals. This is where you can monetize the community through your products.

If it’s a business community, creating masterminds and online courses is a wonderful way to create a wildly profitable business while serving your tribe.

The idea of community monetization is simple: Offer what people are looking for. It can not only make you profitable but also create a natural system of long-lasting growth.

Conclusion

I’ve discovered how to use online tribes to create more meaningful and profitable businesses. Often, I’ve seen people who didn’t want to buy my products join me for a sense of belongingness and warmth. I like this part of marketing more than anything. It reminds me more of my humanity.

Marketing is “broadcasting your message to one person at a time,” and communities have a natural power to do this. By creating communities and setting the right context for them, it’s possible to build a business without selling the soul.

Source: forbes.com ~ By Himanshu Bisht ~ Image: Canva Pro

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To Thrive You Need to Wake Up to These 5 Hard Truths

Hard truths for Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurship isn’t an easy journey, and we’re in uncertain times for sure. With overwhelming complexity, insurmountable change, and big competition, it’s becoming more important than ever to be strategic and intentional.

I want to share a couple of insights that I feel can make a difference in the results you achieve in your life and business, but more importantly, help you thrive regardless of the economy. Some might make you mad at first, but that’s fine. Sometimes the things you don’t want to hear are the things you need to hear the most. Most blogs you’ll read will try to make you feel good, and tell you exactly what you want to hear. That creates no real change, just a good feeling in the moment. They don’t spark your mind or make you think, they don’t challenge you, and they don’t go against traditional thinking.

This one will.

1. Do the opposite.

Strange tip for those not familiar, but a real GAME CHANGER. This is a killer strategy for those serious about improving their life. The more people do something, the less valuable it is.

    • Most people overeat and eat based on pleasure vs. health.
    • Most people sleep in and have no morning routine.
    • Most people make excuses instead of progress.
    • Most people focus on the negative vs. the positive.
    • Most people spend more money than they make.
    • Most people talk about success vs. taking action.
    • Most people go to college, get into debt and get an unrelated job after college.
    • Most people pray on weekends and hate Mondays.

Don’t be like most people! No one wants to be typical. We all want to be special and different, yet most of us do the same things. The majority of us live like one another and then wonder why we continually don’t achieve any real results or success in our lives. We follow each others’ lead and rarely break the mold. Life becomes so much more convenient when you really take this seriously.

All the greats in our society live life to their own choosing, not other people. One way to be outstanding and valuable is to do what others aren’t doing, or what most can’t.

2. The 90-day focus.

What is your #1 goal that you want to accomplish in the next 90 days? What’s the #1 skill that you need to master that will have the biggest impact on your #1 goal?

There are specific skills you have to master to reach that goal at a fast rate. Skills are weapons in your industry, so figure out the top skill you need right now and master it. Sadly, most people operate on information overload instead of mastery and have too much noise. Or, even worse, they learn just enough to get by and stop learning. Apple said it bluntly…

“We shouldn’t be criticized for using Chinese workers, the U.S. has stopped producing people with the skills we need.”

Ouch!

3. Destroy your momentum killers.

Write down your top three potential distractions and momentum killers that have held you back in the past. Now create a prevention plan for each. If you don’t have the plan to interrupt your interruptions, your plans will always be interrupted.

Distractions kill productivity, creative expression, and income. Either you control your days or your days control you. Learn to concentrate and focus on the most important tasks with no interference or distraction. Prioritize your activities based on importance and then get to work with no distractions! Remember, activities without purpose are the drain on all life, wealth, and peace of mind.

4. Analysis vs. emotions.

Base your decisions and actions on intelligence, not emotion. Ask yourself before every choice you make “is this the most intelligent action to take right now, and does this action or decision get me closer or farther away from my 90-day goal?”

When you pass the stage of making decisions based on what others think or current emotions, you will start seeing real success. The best can silence their ego, push away anxieties, and analyze the situation. Don’t judge, don’t overreact, just analyze.

5. Stop the ideas, and start the execution. 

“Innovation is  rewarded, execution is worshipped.”   —  Eric Thomas

Hard work trumps IQ seven days a week. Great accomplishments don’t happen overnight or even in a few months. They will take years of consistent action linked to failure, sacrifice, and discipline. If you want real changes in your life, expect that your actions need to be substantial. If you truly have the desire to create something you’re proud of, your addiction to ideas and other mindless distractions must be retired and replaced with meaningful action.

I know people who would rather poke their own eyeballs out than take action, and I always find them struggling with another challenge followed by another validation or excuse. Execution is the foundational key to success. Once that happens, doors will consistently start opening for you.

Get serious about who you are and where you want to go. Realize the only way to get there is to differentiate yourself, invest in real education, and start doing more than your talking.

Source: entrepreneur.com ~ By: Peter Voogd ~ Image: pixabay.com

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Three Emotions You Experience When Conquering Fear

face your fear

I was sitting on my front porch, drinking my morning cup of coffee, and scrolling through Twitter when I came across a video that stopped me in my tracks.

I bet you’ve seen it—the video quickly went viral and got millions of views.

It’s about a 14-year-old boy named Tim Bannon who was born without arms. In the video, he attempts a 20-inch box jump at a summer camp he attends for limb-different youth. Take a look:

Powerful, isn’t it?

What caught my attention about this video was how clearly it demonstrated the power fear can have over us. If we allow it, fear will consume us and hold us back in every area of our lives. From careers to relationships, no part of your life is safe from fear’s trap.

But notice how I wrote allow it. Fear is real, and it’s paralyzing. But at the end of the day, we have what it takes to overpower fear so we can reach our highest potential.

This video taught me that no matter what emotions we experience when facing fear head-on, we’ll be better equipped to know what to do with those emotions if we’re able to identify them. Identifying the emotions will help you go from being a passive participant in the situation to an active one.

If you rewatch the video, you’ll witness Tim power through three emotions as he conquers his fear of falling. Instead of caving into the roller coaster of emotions, he was able to channel each emotion to propel himself forward—and I want you to be able to do the same.

As you can see from Tim’s experience, you’ll experience a range of emotions when trying to conquer a fear. Let’s talk about three of those emotions.

1. Agony

Fear torments us, doesn’t it?

In the video, you can see Tim agonizing over his fear of falling as he attempts an exercise that typically involves momentum from your arms.

He hesitates during the first couple of jumps he takes, which keeps him from succeeding. That’s because when you’re focused on the possibility of failing, you’re not able to put forth all the effort and power you have within.

What’s interesting is that Tim’s fear of falling during his attempt is—in a way—not reasonable. There are two large men standing on either side of him, ready to catch him if he falls. But he’s too focused on the agony to realize he’s believing a lie. Because the truth is, if he messes up his footing, he won’t really fall. He’ll be just fine!

Don’t we all do that? We focus on where we might fall short and what might make us fail, rather than putting our focus on what is actually true in that situation.

The truth in your situation might not be as obvious as two large men standing by you, ready to cushion your landing. But I’m willing to bet there is a truth that can replace the lie you’re believing—and that truth will help silence the agony.

If you’re unsure about what the truth is in your situation, talk with people you love and trust. When you’re in the thick of it, it’s hard to see beyond your fear—but a trusted outside perspective can help clear up some of that fog.

2. Anger

After experiencing the agony of fear, you might begin to feel angry. Just like Tim, you get frustrated because any failed attempts affirm the lie you’re believing.

This is probably the most important emotion of the three because anger could be what either makes you or breaks you, depending on how you channel it.

When you’re feeling anger in the process of conquering your fear, you have a choice between one of two actions:

Retreat and let the anger overpower you (the flight response).

Turn the anger into power to propel you forward (the fight response).

The second is exactly what Tim does in the video. After agonizing over the fear of falling and getting angry at his failed attempts, he’s had enough. He turns that anger into power, jumps harder and higher, and conquers the box jump once and for all.

3. Awe and Astonishment

Do you know what it feels like to finally conquer a fear? It’s exhilarating. You experience a rush of emotions that quickly overwhelms you. You stand astonished because now you have proof that you have what it takes to do the thing you were afraid to do.

And no one can take that away from you.

You can see the awe and astonishment on Tim’s face when he jumps off the box and falls straight into the arms of his coach, tears streaming down his face.

He gets affirmation from himself and from others that he is, in fact, able to accomplish more than he thinks he can.

And the same is true for you.

Whatever fear you’re struggling to conquer, I want you to know that it’s normal to experience agony in the beginning and that the agony might turn into anger. But that’s when it’s up to you to decide what you’re going to do with that anger. Which will you choose: fight or flight?

Only one of those choices will lead to the overwhelming exhilaration of crushing the fear that once haunted you.

Press on, folks—you are more capable than you think!

Source: ramseysolutions.com ~ By Ken Coleman ~ Image: Canva Pro

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