Tribal Marketing

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The Importance of Tribes in Today's Business Environment

AsThere's so much attention being given now to the idea of "building a tribe" but is it really that important? And what role, if any, does it play in building and growing your business? Let's take a closer look to understand things more clearly, shall we?

To begin with, let's try to understand what a "tribe" really is.

According to Definition.com, a tribe is "a class or set of persons, esp. one with strong common traits or interests".
Likewise, a tribe is a "group of people sharing an occupation, interest, or habit"- TheFreeDictionary.com.
Now, according to Seth Godin, a best selling author, entrepreneur and agent of change, a tribe is "a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea".

Additionally Seth Godin claimed that most of us exhibit tribal behaviors. There is an inherent need for us to connect with other people who share the same interests as we do. Why do you think that is a site or a blog on almost any topic, no matter how obscure it may seem? And why is there an online forum for almost any topic known to man? It is because of our need to connect, our need to share our views and opinions with kindred souls. And that makes us a part of a tribe.

You may not know it but you probably belong to a number of tribes. Consider these:

You love surfing. You share this passion with a few of your friends. You have your own uniform (wetsuit when you're in the water; board shorts, jams or baggies, Ugg boots, Vans or flip-flops, T-shirts and Hawaiian shirts when you're out of it) and your own language. You check the waves every morning and gather around the ocean when there is a swell. You and your friends are, in fact, members of the Surfers Tribe, along with countless others you may not even know of. J
You love your Mac and you're extremely proud of it. For you, it's Mac or nothing. Well, guess what? You're a part of the Mac Tribe!
You most probably are a member of a church. And this, in a sense, is one classic example of a tribe. You are connected to the head of the Church and to the other members as well, right? And you most probably share the same views and opinions when it comes to your religion.

And the list goes on and on and on…

So, what is the relevance of "tribes" in today's world, particularly in our economy? Do they have any important role to play in the way businesses operate? Yes, they do! And the importance of tribes had never been more significant than it is now.

As Seth Godin puts it, tribes have huge implications for marketers. The way tribes think, act and decide greatly influence the way we do business today. Gone are the days when you (the marketer) just have to make sure everyone knows about your product, service, or idea in order to grow your business.

Now, with the emergence of tribes, the success of your business depends on whether or not you reach out to people who are passionate about your idea, and lead them toward achieving a common goal. Hard sales pitches and loud advertisements don't work anymore. You need to genuinely relate to your customers, your tribe, to make it work.

Now, are you starting to see the potentials of harnessing the power of tribes? How can you build a tribe, be a good leader, and grow your business at the same time? We'll talk more about these later so watch out for it!

As you can tell Seth Godin is a true leader in the art of any kind of marketing and especially Tribal Marketing so I have included 2 videos for you:

Seth Godin Explains Why You Need a Tribe

Seth Godin on the tribes we lead

Tagged as: Baggies, Blog, Board Shorts, Boots, Business Environment, Closer Look, Entrepreneur, Fact Members, Habit, Hawaiian Shirts, Jams, Kindred Souls, Marketing, Online Forum, Passion, Seth Godin, Surfers, Syndication, Tribal marketing, Tribe, Tribes, Vans, Water Board, Waves, Wetsuit

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Ian Brown January 20, 2010 at 6:26 am: Christine. Fantastic post! Such valuable information. Yes, the concept of a "Tribe" is quite simple and a tribe creates synergy for the members in whatever sphere it is. Thanks for a clear and concise explanation of what they can do for us. And I loved the videos. The complimented the post very well!
arts college April 30, 2010 at 1:22 am: You need to genuinely relate to your customers, your tribe, to make it work.
admin May 3, 2010 at 9:40 pm: That’s right and it is soooo rewarding working and communicating with like minded people.
Thanks for you comment.
admin May 3, 2010 at 9:45 pm: Hi Miri – haha Seth is wonderful, have you read any of his books? Brilliant, especially if you are in marketing. Sometimes the things we need to hear, see, listen to most turn up at the most appropriate time.
You are such an inspiration and doing wonderful things too!

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