How to Build Your Tribe

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The Everyday Agency
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Successful brands consider the audience part of their tribe. Followers share the same values, and support the mission. How do you go about building your tribe?

Us humans are ‘social animals’ with a need to feel a sense of belonging. As part of a group or community, we feel stronger and supported both physically and emotionally.

The saying ‘strength in numbers’ also applies to your business. Building your community is essential for success, but maintaining it is even more important and a difficult task. It’s just like keeping a family together, you need to lead, build and nurture it carefully.

In his book Tribes, Seth Godin famously defines the concept as “a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea,” adding that “Tribes need leadership… People want connection and growth and something new.”

Most successful brands nowadays consider their audience as part of that tribe. Their followers share the same values, and support their mission.

So How Do You Go About Building Your Tribe?

1. Have a Purpose

Two key focus points of your tribe should be its members, and its purpose. According to marketing and brand-building expert Chris Grams, communities that lose their purpose often turn into ‘exclusive clubs’. When this happens they become all about the leader or brand at the helm rather than a cause or the members at its core.

2. Create an Inspiring Culture

According to community leadership manager Ruth Suehle, “Great cultures activate great people.  Great people activate great communities.” Be deliberate in the culture you create in your business, and give different members of your tribe the opportunity to step up and lead.

3. Tell Your Story

Godin says, “Marketing used to be about advertising, and advertising is expensive. Today, marketing is about engaging with the tribe and delivering products and services with stories that spread.” Stories about how your brand or business was born – engage and build meaningful relationships between your company and your tribe. A story can communicate your unique selling point, your values and your mission, but in a more interesting and relatable way. So, what’s your story?

4. Find Tools and Strategies to Communicate and Engage

Having a mission and purpose is great. However, building a strong tribe is all about being able to communicate your mission clearly, so the right audience that resonates with your purpose can find you. Understand how to best talk to its members. How can you overcome language barriers or cultural differences? Are you dedicating enough time to engage with your community and exchange ideas? How can you bridge any gaps?

5. Involve and Empower Your Members

They say a group is ‘only as strong as its weakest link’ – so once you have created a community full of creative, forward-thinking individuals, you want to help them grow! You should trust and believe in every single member of your tribe and empower them to become strong leaders themselves.

Looking for help building your tribe and community online? Speak to The Everyday Agency about how to create a long lasting tribe that grows with you.