How To Build A Global Tribe Fast With Social Media

Tribes and pork used to be about a feast in an ancient tribal village. In 2010 it is about Facebook , technology tribal channels and software platforms that make connecting to your tribe frictionless, global and fast moving. Type in ‘Pork’ into Facebook and there is a Facebook page with  6,196 people. How To Grow A Global Tribe Using Social Media

You have passion to make something happen. Everyone wants to make a difference deep down. It might be about pork or it may be about conservation, cycling or cooking.

Leading and growing a tribe of followers centuries ago was very local. If you wanted to motivate your followers to build a new fort or or start a war, you organised a feast, cooked a pig, and arranged some entertainment.

To get the message out you walked, rode a horse or paddled a canoe. It took a lot of effort and a lot of time.

The tribe was localized and came from the town you lived in or the nearby district. They were and are the cooking  club of Denver or the knitting club of Colorado.

Tribes are moving from local to global  as is evidenced with Apple and its  fast growing global tribe with it’s fans and fanatics. Spreading the word used to involve a telephone, a conversation at the local corner store, a chat while having a barbeque with friends, or knocking on doors. Growing a tribe involves the same elements as before but growing your tribe globally is not only easy it is inexpensive as long as you have the passion and the tools.

How do you grow a Tribe? According to Seth Godin it requires 3 essential elements to grow a tribe

    Motivation
    Connecting
    Leverage

So how does social media facilitate these 3 elements

Motivation

It allows you to get the message out about the mission. You can send a tweet and get an instant response. You can post a blog and receive comments. So the feedback is instant and global. The tribe needs  to be informed of the mission and its progress whether it is to launch a product or to build a bridge. Social media spreads the story fast. It lets you share the wins and the victories and commiserate in the defeats and setbacks. It allows you to keep everyone in the game through sharing  the message of the tribe and provides a constant feedback loop.

Connecting

People connect in different ways, so connecting was analog and face to face but now it is digital with Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn providing forums and platforms for all types of tribes. Studies have shown that we have 3 foundational ways of communicating, visually, kinesthetically or aurally. Social media and the web now provide the tools for this to happen easily and efficiently so the tribe can receive and spread the message in the format and medium that they enjoy and love to use.

Leverage

The medium is one to many and one post on Facebook can be seen by millions. A YouTube video can go viral and be seen by tens of millions. You can post your online video to literally dozens of video sharing sites where the ‘Video Tribe’ gathers to feast on the latest videos. The leverage of Twitter can spread a global message within seconds and start a movment.

So if you want to start a tribe, a movement or a revolution, you now have tools and technology at your fingertips that can build a global following in ways that we have only ever imagined.

How are you using social media to grow your tribe?

Culled from http://www.jeffbullas.com