If you’re trying to put together an online business, or trying to build a following on social media, you’ve probably heard the term “tribe.”
While not as PC as it once was, the term denotes a powerful approach to online marketing. Building a tribe produces businesses that have very strong staying power, helping founders produce consistent income over the long term.
But, can you purposefully create your own tribe? How?
Today I want to walk you through what a tribe is, why it’s so powerful, and the steps you need to take to build your own tribe.
Can I Create My Own Tribe?
Yes, it is definitely possible for you to create your own tribe as an online entrepreneur. In fact, it is probably easier to build your own tribe today than it has been at any point in the past. More on that below.
When you look around, you can see a lot of businesses that managed to build their own tribe of followers. The photographer Ken Rockwell, for example, has been around for decades, and people love him for his reviews, candid takes, and photography skills. People pay thousands each year to snap photos with him in person.
Another great example is the folks at MicroCap Club, led by Ian Cassel. This is one of the top Microcap spaces on the internet, full of devoted stock pickers who follow Ian’s lead in dissecting and discussing microcap stocks.
So, yes, it’s definitely possible.
What Exactly Is a Tribe?
Let’s take a step back, for a moment. Take out your pen and notebook and jot down what I’m about to write on this blackboard here.
A tribe is a special sort of community group headed by an influential leader, where there is significant member buy-in and enthusiasm either for the leader’s unique take on a market niche or for the leader and/or his/her work.
Note that we have a few key characteristics here:
- It’s a community
- The community has a clear leader
- There is a strong amount of member buy-in
- There’s a strong amount of enthusiasm for the leader and/or their work
All of these need to be in place to constitute a tribe, at least in the marketing world.
Why Would You Want to Build Your Own Tribe?
In the business world, a tribe of followers can produce some fantastic and predictable earnings. When you have 1000 followers, a certain percentage of them will really love what you do and will go out of their way to purchase everything you produce in order to get more of you or your work.
This means that, so long as you keep producing products to sell that focus on this group of buyers (or, better yet, run a membership business), you can count on a certain amount of payoff for all the work you produce. The larger this group, the more money you make.
Key Steps You Need to Build Your Own Tribe
Tribes don’t spring up from the ground like dandelions in a meadow. It takes work to create them – but the effort is well worth it.
First, you will need to create work in your selected niche. This means writing articles, producing videos, doing podcasts, posting pictures, etc. Whatever it is that you do in your niche to get eyeballs, do it. And do a lot of it, over a long period of time. Try to get better at what you produce as you go.
Second, and maybe actually the most important, you need to be authentic. You have to be yourself and produce work that is consistent with who you are inside. It sounds woo woo but authenticity is key to building your tribe. People are attracted to the unique thoughts and perspectives of others. People can also tell when you are not being yourself, and this can repel passersby who might otherwise be open to you and what you have to offer.
Copying what others do will not yield great results. First, if they are being authentic in producing what they produce, they are going to be much better at it than you are and can produce with a lot less effort – because it comes naturally to them. And, copying really means unoriginal work… and people don’t like creative projects that they’ve seen other creatives produce.
Third, cover topics that are relevant and of interest to the people in your niche. The better you can align your output with the conversations that are taking place in the minds of your target prospects, the more relevant you will be to your niche. You want to be where the action is – where their attention is – and then capture it by displaying your work. Remember, this work could be in the form of articles (unique takes on microprocessors, cooking, raising kids), or any other more traditional artistic expression: podcasting (aka spoken word), vlogging (aka film), etc.
Fourth, begin a dialogue with your audience. Give them a place to come to so they can interact with you, get them on your email list, answer their questions on a forum, email, or call in show, etc. Connecting with people who are interested in your work and doing it in a genuine and friendly way helps turn your followers into fans. They feel the connection, like your attention, and feel great afterwards.
So, can you build your own tribe of followers?
Absolutely. With the advent of search engines and social media platforms, it’s more possible to reach people in tiny niches and expose your work to a much larger number of people than it ever has been in the past.
But, to get there, you do have to start. So, put pen to paper, click that shutter button, or pick up your paint set and get to work.
Read next: What Are The Advantages of Tribal Marketing?
