It is not easy to be liked in a big way online. Building a following, a community, can be more accurately compared to an extreme marathon versus a quick sprint to the finish line. This is because there is no end to community building; it is a continual effort.
Seth Godin coined the term “tribe.” Others call it followers, fans, disciples, or the pod. Whatever term you prefer, these are the people you need so that you can stand out as an authority. They like you and your message and they always want more of what you have. When you deliver, you can build your very own growing community of loyalists.
As you encourage lookers to become leads, market to them in consistent and subtle ways so that they recognize how much they need your service or product. Hopefully this leads to your first sale. After the initial transaction, you continue to deepen the relationship with the goal of building a strong inner circle. And guess what? Everyone in the inner circle is your brand ambassador—a dedicated fan who will tell anyone how wonderful you are. And a dedicated following is a prerequisite for building your authority and becoming an influencer.
Sound simple enough, right? But it’s easier said than done. Here are three ideas you may find helpful to get started with attracting your tribe.
- ) During my three-day CreativeLive broadcast of Building Your Authority Platform, my co-host Kenna and I regularly asked our audience to engage with us by sharing their AHA moments. My first tip is to be specific about what you want them to do. Asking for feedback in general is not as good as asking for the one thing that made a difference. “What was your AHA moment?”
- )It is clear that someone like Seth Godin cannot possibly connect personally with every single person in his tribe. But as we are beginning to build our momentum, we must reach out and respond to as many community members as possible. Personal engagement is the key to building your authority.
- )Stay in touch with consistent messaging so that enthusiasm over something you said or did doesn’t cool off. We have to keep the momentum going as much as we can, and we do this by regularly reaching out and engaging our communities. But beware, don’t make this simply a pitch fest for your services. Provide a good mix of valuable content that links to your services. Finding a balance is essential.
The key to having loyal fans and a thriving community is personal engagement. My advice: make it as personal as you can. And please let me know what works for you!