#BuildYourTribe - How to Engage Your Tribe

Jeff Goins once said “Something I’ve learned about building a tribe is that it’s not who you know, it’s who you help.” When you’re ready to engage your tribe, you need to keep in mind that you must connect on an emotional level with them. That connection has to be authentic and sincere.

Here are some fantastic ways to engage with your tribe:

• Share a struggle. Highlight the pain point and be vulnerable in a way that makes you uncomfortable. People connect with humanity. Keep your audience in mind during this process and try not to get too personal in areas that will make your tribe members uncomfortable continuing to follow you.
• Talk to them in one-on-one conversations. It’s okay to be the tribe leader and send your message down the pipeline, but if you don’t engage with them on a personal level, their loyalties may shift elsewhere.
• Help your tribe by offering valuable insights. Appeal to your community, and teach what you know.
• Ask them what they’re currently struggling with by asking the question (either through social media or through an anonymous survey): “What is your biggest struggle regarding _____?” You fill in the blank with a general topic that you’re familiar with. Leave the answer open. Don’t give a multiple choice. You may be surprised what your tribe struggles with. When you get the results, start looking for ways to help them overcome those obstacles.
• Be yourself. Do the things you love to do. Share the joys of your life with your tribe.
• Supportive and positive is the key. If you are constantly negative or passive aggressive in your conversations, your tribe will pull away from you. Every time you find yourself ready to say something negative, try to spin it into something positive. Remember, the only failure in life is the person who doesn’t get back up when they fall. They give in when they should persevere.
•  Encourage them to share their stories, their successes, their stumbles, and their joys with your community.
• Don’t let your tribe get stagnant. Focus on the less vocal members as well and encourage new blood. You don’t want an unofficial hierarchy to form. That can lead to isolation and frustration within your tribe. 

Take the time to cultivate your tribe and you’ll find them ready to move on anything you share. Their willingness to go the distance for you depends on your willingness to provide content they enjoy. They need that emotional connection in order for this to work. So make sure you do your part.

Be sure to Follow us and Let's Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars

#BuildYourTribe - Who Are Your Influencers?

Identifying the influencers that impact your tribe is not a complicated task. It requires interaction, paying attention, focusing on what makes them tick, and what piques their interest. These influencers will automatically be gathering the types of clients and customers you want. The largest benefit to this is that they will have their own large tribe of people that might also be interested in what you have to offer. Building a relationship with both your influencers and the individuals that influence your target audience will open up opportunities for growth that you would find both difficult and time consuming to do on your own.

Here are three steps to help you find and engage with your influencers.

• You need to understand your community.
  This includes your customer base, clients, power partners, followers and brand advocates. Research your target audience. Educate yourself on their demographic, psychographic, and social media preferences. Be prepared to engage based on their wants and needs in the market they’re interested in (make sure you are completely mobile-friendly, for instance). Get to know your customers. This is part of building your tribe. Once you find them, pay attention to what they are following. Who influences them? Where are they finding support and inspiration? What information are they sharing with their own audiences?

• Now that you know your tribe and you’ve targeted your audience, you need to where to promote your business, product or service. Your observations should show you where your tribe congregates, so make sure you’re there. Which hashtags are the most popular, what social media shares do they engage in with your posts, etc. are very important. Start building both an online presence and awareness for your signature programs. Before you go courting your influencers, it is vital that you have a handle on your brand and what you bring to the table.

•  Find your influencers and the people that influence your audience. Follow them. Pay attention to what content they are posting and actively engage with it and make your existence known. This can be a slippery slope since you don’t want to come off as spammy or appear to be poaching from their client base. This works best when you locate an influencer that has a similar audience to you but offers a non-competing product or service. This would be an excellent potential power partner for you and allow you both to refer to one another. Share their content, engage with them, and make your brand stand out. Ask to do a guest post or interview them for your blog/podcast/YouTube channel. This is a nice reciprocal move as you will both gain more online presence and expand your reach.

Keep in mind that any influencer you cold contact will need to benefit from having a business relationship with you. Any influencer is an essential member of your tribe. If you abuse the connection, their influence could swing in the other direction, so keep that in mind.

Follow these three steps and you’ll find your influencers are just waiting for you to connect with them. Be patient, listen, and most of all learn what makes your tribe tick so you can utilize that information to #BeAwesome at what you do and continue to grow your own list and funnel. 

Be sure to Follow us and Let's Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars

#BuildYourTribe - Who is in Your Tribe?

Finding your tribe, your group of true fans, committed followers, and influencers, is a challenging prospect for many. What if I told you that you already have a community waiting for you? They’re out there. You just have to help them find you.

The best part is…you may have already found your core group.

Start with ten people. Name ten people who have supported you and your dream in some way. Who is supporting you? Who makes a great team captain when you need it? Who do you rely on when your back is against the wall and you’re not sure where to turn? Write them down.

Those ten people are part of your tribe. If you can’t find those people, perhaps your work has been unfocused, scattered, or you haven’t invited others to join you. But if you have found them, let them know that they are on your team and that you appreciate them.

Remember, a tribe is a group of people who are passionate about you and what you’re passionate about. The key to engaging that audience is by making them feel as though they are part of a bigger purpose. You can do that by helping them improve their lives: making them laugh, providing self-helps or how-tos, brightening their days with art and photography, and helping them feel respected or understood through your personal storytelling. It should always be about “us” rather than “me”.

Start with the group you have, whether it’s on Facebook (or some other social media site) or a current mailing list. Ask them “What is your biggest frustration with _____?” and fill in the blank with something you feel passionate about. When you get responses back, create engaging content that speaks to their frustrations and helps them solve that problem. You are on your way to building that rapport you need.

Here are a few tips to help you communicate with your tribe:

• You don’t have to be a perfect individual (This isn’t the same as grammatically perfect, by the way. Make sure your content is high-quality). As a matter of fact, your failures and struggles will connect you with your tribe in a way you never imagined. With every story you tell, however, make sure there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Show them the challenges you have overcome and they’ll love you for it.
• You need to empower your tribe and make them feel as though they are part of a larger picture. You can do this by asking them questions, creating a survey, letting them know how much they mean to you, etc.
• Know what you’re passionate about and commit to a path. If you knew that you already had a group of people who were passionate about you, how would you change the way you work? Would you stop campaigning? Stop chasing rainbows and “opportunities” at every corner? If you already had a core group of people clamoring for your content, what would you produce? That, more than anything, is what you should be doing.
• No two tribes are the same. There is no “right way” to go about this. You have to find your own way. And you know, what? You can do it.

Members of your community, or tribe, will eventually become brand advocates if you work on developing, connecting and nurturing them. That will mean the work of promoting your business can be shared with a tribe that respects you and is excited about what you are doing. This is exactly what it means to #BeAwesome with your work and truly make an impact.

Be sure to Follow us and Let's Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars

#BuildingYourTribe – What is a Tribe?

Essentially, a tribe is your community. When it comes to your business, a tribe is a unique group of friends, fans, customers, brand advocates, partners and followers who are willing to become a voice to your message. Some call it “1000 true fans”. It’s a place where you belong, can be heard, and known. Most of all, it’s a place where you can make a difference.

Before we delve into the key aspects of a tribe, we need to spend some time talking about what a tribe IS NOT.

A tribe is not a pedestal you use to dictate your awesomeness.

It is not fame.

It is not a number.

It is not a group of people who agree with everything you say at all times.

It is, however, a core group of people who help you think, force you to move beyond your limits, and keep your world positive around you. Constructive criticism is not negativity. It’s a chance for growth. They challenge you to be better, inspire your creativity, and spread the message because they genuinely believe in what you have to offer.

Your tribe supports you when you feel like giving up while providing energy and strength when you least expect it. You can create life-long bonds that can never be broken. Best of all, this tribe can help you turn your passion into your livelihood.

You may already have tribe members supporting you, and you don’t even know it. Who picks you up when you’re down? Who pushes you to try harder, learn more, become a better version of yourself? Who stood with you when you wanted to step out on your own? Those people are your tribe.

They are your most loyal and devoted fans. Right now.

It’s not a numbers game. I have to stress this. There’s a lot of bad advice out there. Numbers do not equal loyalty.

In future posts we’ll be discussing who makes up your tribe and how to build it from the ground up. In the meantime, why not try this exercise? Write down, either on paper or in the comments, at least one person who supported you when you were willing to give up. It doesn’t have to be about your current pursuits. It could be a teacher who encouraged you to write or read. A coach who told you he believed in your efforts. A boss or fellow worker who reminded you that it was okay to make mistakes and rise from them.

Then, when you’ve finished writing down those names, close your eyes and remember those moments. Try to bring those emotions back to life.

Your tribe is an emotional connection. Don’t forget that. Understanding your tribe, your community, is a way to tap into the best type of marketing – word of mouth. Those who know how to #BeAwesome in business also understand the value of having a dedicated tribe.

Be sure to Follow us and Let's Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars