Tribal Marketing: Beginning of the Tribe

A couple of weeks ago I discussed my notion of tribal marketing in social media.  I invited you to join my tribe and several of you commented your interest.  So, today I’d like to lay out some ideas on how we can build a tribe that supports its members; building our networks and helping us be successful in our own ventures.

Tribal Marketing

While tribal marketing is effective in building your customer base, I’m building a different type of tribe here — one composed of social media professionals and those who want to learn social media marketing.  Maybe an example would help.

I’m not that creative, but you might have noticed I got a new heading last week — and I think it really rocks (I’d love to hear your thoughts about the new banner before it becomes a permanent part of my branding).  Craig Waterfield, an extremely talented graphic designer and web developer, did this for me.  Craig and I originally met a year or so ago on Facebook and, over time, I’ve given him my opinion on some projects he’s working on — mostly branding and UI stuff.  I invited him to join my tribe so we can support each other and he eagerly joined.  My banner is our first venture together.

Benefits of Joining the Tribe

If you talk to many of the folks who figure prominently in social media — or most other areas of business — you find they grew because they supported each other.  When one created a workshop, he/ she invited the others to participate as faculty.  When another wrote a book, he/she invited other members of the tribe to write the forward or contribute in some way.  Guy Kawasaki even offered to buy Mari Smith a blue luxury car if he sold a certain number of copies of his new book.

That’s my notion for my tribe.  We’ll all help each other and we’ll all grow our businesses beyond what we might do alone.

How YOU Can Join the Tribe?

The tribe is open to talented social media professionals who want to grow their business (Professional memberships will involve an application process and credential review as we’ll work together much like a referral network).  Associate memberships will be available to those who want to learn the art and science of social media with an eye toward becoming a professional.  Affiliate memberships will be open to those interested in supporting the tribe and commissions established on individual products.  Finally, anyone is welcome to join the tribe as a contributing member.

Members should support each other.  If you’ve got a job and need specialized expertise, use another tribal member.  Blog about other tribal members to highlight their skills and accomplishments.  ReTweet their Tweets, read and comment on their blog posts, share their content, etc.  And, above all, stop by Ask a Marketing Expert on Fridays from 12 – 3 (EST) to share your expertise and build our tribe.  The event takes place on Facebook on the Events tab at Marketing That Works.TV.

I’m starting a new weekly column where I interview tribal members.  Look for this beginning in a few weeks.  If you’re interested in being interviewed for this series, please let me know in the comments.

What YOU Should DO?

• Sign up for our newsletter full of great information about marketing and social media helping you become a successful social media professional.
• Join our Facebook group to share information, solicit help, and support each other.  Share your social networks with the group and invite them into your network.  Invite friends to join the group.
• If you’re interested in becoming a professional member, contact me to submit your credentials.

Your Turn

Share your ideas. How can we make this tribe more valuable to its members? How can the tribe support YOU to become a better social media marketing professional?

None of this is set in stone and I welcome your ideas.