In a previous article, I wrote about the importance that your target audience has in marketing and why your audience accounts for up to 60% of your marketing success.
A great way to find the right audience for you and your business is to start narrowing down and defining your “tribe.”
What exactly is a tribe?
Seth Godin defines a tribe as “a group of people connected to each other, connected to a leader and connected to an idea.”
Let’s look at each element of this definition in a slightly different order.
1) A group of people…
That’s your audience. A group of people with common wants, problems, needs and a shared group identity.
The first step in defining your tribe is figuring out WHO your audience is. Who are you talking to? Who do you work with? Who do you help?
What do they have in common? What gives them that sense of shared group identity?
Knowing your target audience is critical because it drives all your marketing decisions. Once you know and understand WHO your audience is, you’ll know where to go find them, what kind of marketing strategies to focus on, how to best reach them (PPC, SEO, Networking, Social Media, Partnerships, etc.) and which tactics to use first (Facebook vs. LinkedIn vs. Twitter).
2) Connected to an idea …
People will want to join your tribe because they are attracted to the core idea that your tribe represents.
This is where the WHAT or topic of your work comes into play. What do you help your audience with? What problems do you solve? What solutions do you provide?
What do you stand for? What are your ideals and values? What causes or ideas are you championing through your work?
How does your work impact your client’s lives? How does it make their world a better place?
The more you can clarify these things and combine them into a single, compelling, overarching idea, the more attractive your tribe becomes.
3) Connected to a leader …
When it comes to your tribe, YOU are the leader. Your tribe is looking for someone to step up and communicate an inspiring vision of what’s possible for them; they are looking for someone to guide them and show them the way; to help them overcome the challenges and obstacles blocking the path.
That someone is YOU.
4) And connected to each other.
The more you can connect the members of your tribe to each other, the stronger, richer AND more attractive your tribe becomes. Building this type of interactive community allows your tribe members to engage and interact with each other even when you are not there.
This not only increases their participation and sense of belonging, but it also makes your tribe more attractive and compelling to others. As your tribe grows, consider incorporating more and more community, connection and engagement opportunities.
Defining your tribe will make your marketing more specific, clear and compelling, helping you attract more clients and grow a more thriving, profitable practice.
Share your insights about your tribe below…
Hi, Rodger, thank you for another enlightening article. It reminded me of what I intuitively knew and forgot: define your audience and then write for them. I knew this instinctively when I authored a book on the Naval Academy and on West Point: I got to know them intimately, their feelings, fears, hopes, and when I wrote the books, they were who I spoke to with every word. Knowing them so well (each book’s research took place on site, actively involved and over a period of 4 years), gave me the ability to write a book that appealed to them. The book became a magnet; for instance, out of 60,000 alumni and midshipmen, 10,000+ books were sold.
I had forgotten that need: Define your tribe, and speak to them.
Linda
Thank you for sharing your story and congratulations on selling so many books.
It goes to show you what can happen when you define your audience and really listen to them.
working, keeping and living together is one of the pillars of success