“You can’t do it alone.” This is one of the hardest truths you’ll ever have to accept—especially if you’re looking to build a successful business or rewarding career. Enter the value of a “tribe,” a group of like-minded people who can help spread your work around the world.
Although the concept of tribes is nothing new, now more than ever in a noisy digital world, finding and leading a tribe is a game-changing boss move. And the good news is you don’t have to build a tribe from scratch. Seth Godin, a marketing expert who coined the term, summarized the process perfectly: All you have to do is find people who are already connected and show up consistently to lead them by helping them to achieve their goals.
Here are a few actionable steps to get started.
- Search values, interest, and topics via online social networking sites such as Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Periscope and follow people of interest.
- Search BuzzSumo for Influencers. Influencers have an established voice and social media presence. By following them, you can connect with like-minded people, stay on top of trends in your area and understand your tribe’s needs and desires.
- Nurture your relationships with followers and industry influencers by reading and sharing their articles, commenting on their updates, and engaging in conversation.
- Join or start a Facebook group to connect with like-minded people, and build your credibility as a leader. Share your experiences, tools, and relevant articles, ask questions and solicit advice from other group members.
- Participate in Twitter Chats to find people with like-minded interests, learn from them and share your perspectives. Twitter chats are moderated discussions that use a relevant hashtag for a certain topic (e.g. #Twitter Chat, #BEBizChat). Twitter chats are also great ways for boosting your online visibility.
- Host your own event– Plan a small meetup, virtual summit, or conference around common challenges faced by people with similar interests.