Some of the links below may be affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
5 Effective Ways to Identify and Engage Your Tribe’s Point of View
Yes! You want to know, connect and engage your tribe or community of top fans and followers. At any stage of your business and brand’s journey, your raving fans and avid followers will stick their heads out for you. They’ll come to your rescue, eager to be supporters and ambassadors.
Do you know who your tribe is?
Before you put any effort into getting to know your tribe’s perspective, you must know who they are and where they are.
Your tribe is that select group of people, within your community, that’s totally and consistently engaged with you; your brand or business.
These are the people who have your back, no matter what. Because they love what you do/stand for, they see themselves represented in your own message and values. They are willing to spread that message out of principle, and out of love.
Ask yourself:
- Am I speaking directly to my tribe as much as I’m talking to the larger community?
- Do I have a space in place, a virtual “home” or ‘hub” for my tribe?
- How can I involve my tribe in the evolution and communication of my brand/business’ narrative?
- Do I know why they like it here and how our narrative is being assimilated into their own?
What if you only have access to your tribe through social media?
This scenario will be the new reality for businesses and brands in the next weeks and (possibly) months to come. What this means for you is a greater (or complete) focus on engagement strategies for social media and other virtual platforms. As a way to access, support and grow your tribe.
This is an opportune moment to reach out to your tribe! They are there, like you and me. They’re bound to feel the pain of isolation, as more and more people do the noble thing and stay home. We are after all, gregarious and social. Your tribe wants to stay connected, share and support each other, and you!
You don’t have to read minds, just ask!
But, as I mentioned before, you must go first, you must be vulnerable and share first. You must also cultivate a safe space for your tribe to share diverse points of view. Help them find common ground.
Here’re 5 effective ways to gain clarity on the perspective of your tribe:
#1 Questions
Asking questions. It’s about asking the right questions! To get this first way right though, you must implement in sync with effective way #2. The right questions to ask will come to you by actively listening to your community. To the leaders in your tribe particularly.
Inc. co, in their article How to read people instantly by asking one simple question? “getting to know people you work with”, can be applied to the people in your tribe. And toward finding out their feelings about the community you are building for them, your brand and your business.
According to the article, the key question to ask is: How are you liking it here so far?
#2 Listening
So, you listen, you ask, and then you listen again. What’s the point of asking questions if you’re not going to listen to and do anything with the answers?
Listen to their positive feedback as much as their complaints. Listen to find pain points and possible solutions; hidden gems within their own interactions with one another. Listen without taking things personally, which is easier said than done. Listen with compassion.
#3 Give First
Before you ask your tribe to dive deep, go to the ends of the earth, you must give first. And you must give something of great value.
A person’s point of view is something valuable.
You must make your core perspective clear to your tribe. They are in a safe, inclusive space, where all ideas are welcome, feelings are respected, opinions are valued. But you stand up for something. Even though your points of view may vary, you are all standing on common ground.
#4 Offer Empathy
Exposing yourself to others by sharing your perspective is an act of bravery. Reward the willingness to overcome their vulnerability and share their thoughts, feelings, and opinions with you by offering empathy.
Empathy is something that you must cultivate in every piece of content you create. As part of your narrative, and as a way to ease people in your community to open up.
Perspective and empathy should go hand in hand. Perspective is what gives empathy a reason to move into reflection and action. This is ultimately what needs to happen in order for you to give your tribe the solutions that will work best for them. From the perspective of where they are now.
#5 Set Clear “House” Rules
You must see yourself as the leader of your tribe.
Even if there’re other leaders bringing people together, ushering fans and followers into your home, hosting them and asking them to enjoy the party, you are own the house. You’ve set everything in place, you are there making sure everybody is having a good time.
The best way for people to have a good time is to know what they can and cannot do. What’s allowed and what’s not. Which perspective about sharing and connecting should we all abide by in your house?
You’ve found common ground and have gained new insights into your tribe’s perspective around issues that matter to them and should matter to you too. By setting clear “house” rules and guidance, you let your tribe know they are in the right place.
What gaining perspective will help you accomplish
- It will help you set the right Tribal Values.
- You will gain practical knowledge about your brand, it’s direction, it’s language, it’s content.
- They can help you design a better business/brand by getting them involved.
- You will have a willing group to experiment with before making and unveil costly/drastic changes.
- It will offer new opportunities to encourage their creativity and that of your team.
- You will be able to discern “the tribe” from “the audience.”
- It will show you new ways to offer support and ask for support from each other.
- You will gain opportunities to provide playful interaction – (Check out the Story Share and Collaborative Storytelling approach used/taught by CreateBeing)
How to keep in mind and guide your tribe’s perspective in uncertain times?
I could not bring this post to a closed without addressing the current health crisis we’re are facing on a global scale. We’re seeing waves of fear, panic, and violence spread along with the virus.
How can we help our communities manage and overcome the intense emotions this situation has created? Why don’t we stir them toward a more positive and productive perspective?
I’m glad to see brands and business doing their part and offering compassion and empathy to their customers and followers. I’ve also seen people sharing empowering actions you and I can take to prevent the spread of the virus.
It’s understandable to feel a total lack of control over this situation. But every proactive and preventive action we take, can and will be our way to fight the virus back!
Share with your tribe some perspective by informing/educating them about tangible (simple) things they can all do. To slow down and eventually stop the spread of COVID-19. You can show them what you (your brand/business) are doing and the positive effect this will have.
For your business and brand, this is an opportunity to offer support, compassion, solidarity, and connection. All the intangible things that our world and every human being in it need most.
After putting into action at least 1 of the 5 ways mentioned above. Come back to the comment section below and share with me one new insight you’ve gained about your tribe!
Reading Suggestion: Tribal Marketing, Tribal Branding, by Brendan Richardson (not an affiliate link)
3 Comments