If you have been following this series (Part 1 and Part 2) and applying it, you have now found your tribe (what others call a target market) and started developing relationships, both one-on-one, and as a whole. You do this via your Facebook business page. If you are a smart marketer (and of course, you are!), you are also managing a Facebook group that targets your tribe.
Targets your tribe? Huh?
To the outside world, that might conjure up images of somebody pinned to a range target. In reality though, tribes love being a target.
Why?
They enjoy being in your sights because you are there to meet their needs. That should be your reason anyway. I suppose, for some, it might be a fake reason, but we will assume your heart’s desire is to serve through your business.
Having assumed that, we are now going to share some ways to nurture that growing tribe by sharing the LOVE:
- L for Leading by Example
- O for Offering Help
- V for Value…though, it is not what you might think
- E is for Encouragement
What you will find is when you love your tribe and help meet their needs, they love you back. It shows in your profits, no matter what kind of business you have. What you give out, comes back.
So, let’s learn how to LOVE our tribes!
“L” is for Lead by Example
People are not as dumb as some folks wish they were. The fact is, you can fool some people for awhile, but the truth of who you are will show through eventually. Many don’t give much thought to that aspect of being ready to own a business, until the consequences are staring them in the face.
If who you are and the brand image you are trying to project don’t match, fix that first. You must be authentic. You will not last in a leadership position if you aren’t.
Authenticity is important for a couple of reasons.
The obvious one being that you can only be a fake for so long before the real you oozes out when you don’t wish it to. It will start ruining the image. If you are a vegan nutrition consultant, may you never be found pigging out at the local BBQ joint.
A less obvious reason to be authentic is because it is ever-so-much easier. Seriously!
What a waste of energy it is to maintain lies. You have to remember them, after having to think of them to begin with. If you don’t work at being consistent, you’ll blow it. We can soften it by calling it “hiding our rougher edges”. We can declare that “what I do in my personal life is my business”. The fact is though, to be one thing in public and another in private is to live a lie.
When you can get real about that, you can then decide to live that way no more. Do it, if you have not already. If there are ugly areas you wish to hide, clean them up and make them fit for company. Problem solved.
Now that you are committed to authenticity, promise yourself to…
Be consistent in who you are.
You are your brand. The goal is to be predictable. People will grow to expect you to be you, so don’t rock their boats too often by deviating from what is your norm.
For example, part of my brand image is “Hippie Warrior of Love” so let’s pretend 90% of all my posts support that. Then imagine that about once a week or so, I come out with a vehement rant. Not the humorous kind, or a little harmless venting, or throwing something cute out to rev up traffic… but the out-for-blood type.
Pretend I am feeling taken advantage of and by gosh golly, I am going to get even. It is not enough to remove myself from the situation, I want revenge and won’t rest until I get it. I am blabbing on and on about it (we want support for our poor behavior, right?). That is so far out in left field from the vibe I normally project, every time I do that, I create doubt in people’s minds about my authenticity.
Am I so together that I never get irritated? Heck no. I am human, and an Irish human to boot, so the potential for drama is there. I choose to walk in peace. I don’t go down to their level, but battle on the higher road and do my best to stick to it. It is who I chose to be, therefore, I am.
Again, it comes down to making sure that what you are putting out there is true to begin with. If what is true is also ugly, deal with that, so you are the person of integrity you project. That consistent, authentic person is who they will grow to trust, and count on to offer help is being a leader they can trust.
“O” is for Offer Help
An important thing to remember when offering help to your tribe is the 80/20 Rule. Make 80% of your posts about everything BUT your promotions.
Yes, the big picture goal is to sell your solutions and make money. But there are better ways to get there than by shoving them down people’s throats day in and day out. All that will do is get you tuned out.
When you LOVE your tribe, you want to help meet their needs even when the answer is not you. That doesn’t necessarily mean you only share others’ products either. Focus more on what your tribe’s actual needs are, and on finding ways to meet them. Then creating and sharing posts that accomplish that will become easy and natural.
Keep their needs in front of you and you will notice that article or post that will be of help to them. Share it.
When they are on your mind and you meet somebody, who would be a valuable resource to them, you think of them. Share the connection.
If the back of your mind is always churning on how you can help them…you’ll notice that amazing gizmo that will transform their lives. Then you’ll run to get online and share it with them.
That steadfast focus on their needs makes it easy to find the 80% non-promotional posts. Then they will trust you when you post the other 20% that tells them your product is the answer for their need. That love you show by nurturing them and putting them first will pay off. The key though is to see the pay off as the icing. Meeting needs is what you do.
That different mindset is behind our next point as well…
“V” is for Value
Each tribe member is a potential customer with monetary value to you. That is not our focus here though. Our focus is on how you should value them. It is a different mindset. The former says they are there to serve you. The latter says you are there to serve them. You are not lord over your tribe, but servant to them.
Adopting that perspective is powerful. That is heart-centered marketing. That is the way to thrive in business. Then there is the added bonus of getting to sleep soundly at night, knowing you are making a difference in people’s lives.
Like I said earlier, people are not as dumb as some wish they were. They can tell when you care. Value them, not just for the money they can bring in. Care about them. Be concerned for their needs. Put real effort into meeting those needs. Sometimes, it can be as simple as something to make them smile.
“E” is for Encouragement
If there is one thing everyone could use, even if they don’t want to admit it… it is encouragement. It doesn’t matter what niche you serve, who your tribe is, or what it is you sell. If you encourage people, they feel good, and come back for more.
Rich folks need it. The perfect specimens of health need it. The beautiful people… they need it too. The super-heroes and champions… the wildly successful. All those people who have the things we think are so important. We tend to think they lack for nothing. They still glow when encouraged.
One of my favorite Maya Angelou quotes says” I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. “
Make them feel good. Build them up. Praise them. Tell them you are proud. Show unconditional love and I promise you, they will keep coming back for more….and bring their friends with them. Think about the people in your life who encourage you and make you feel good. Would you walk away from that for no good reason? Nope. Not likely. Neither will your tribe, when your concern is genuine and you dare to show it.
Do YOU Dare to L.O.V.E Your Tribe?
I said, “dare to” because loving others involves risk. Anyone who has ever had a broken heart understands that. Putting out love risks rejection, betrayal, ridicule, getting bad juju back for your trouble… it risks getting hurt. The fact it happens is real…and the pain of it is real too.
But you can decide to love anyway.
You can love when it hurts. You can love when it is inconvenient. You can love when those you love don’t deserve it. You love because it is in you to give and others need it. The fact that they respond to it is just a matter of you getting back some of the good you put out.
What are some of the ways you show your love and nurture your tribe? How do they respond to it? We’d love to hear all about your experiences, so feel free to comment. Let’s talk!
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