Presentation from an entrepreneurship workshop discussing the importance of developing a "tribe" (via Seth Godin), and high-level steps to get started.

1. HOW-TO:
FIND & LEAD YOUR TRIBE
Smart Marketing, 21st Century-Style
+Chris Mohritz | chris@mohritz.co | #IdeaToOperations

2. BREAK IT DOWN

3. WHO IS THE "GO TO" PERSON?
The Expert

4. WHY BE THE EXPERT?
● Communities naturally form
around you
● People trust experts
● People will want to work for you
● People will want to buy from you
● Press will want to interview you
● etc.

5. HOW DO WE BECOME THE EXPERT?
Teach

6. BUT WE NEED A LITTLE MORE...
As entrepreneurs (marketers),
we need influence
"Selling to people who actually want to
hear from you is more effective than
interrupting strangers who don't"
~Seth Godin

7. HOW DO WE DEVELOP INFLUENCE?
Lead

8. HOW DO WE DEVELOP LEADERSHIP?
Build a Tribe

9. GODFATHER OF “TRIBE”?
"A tribe is a group of people connected
to one another, connected to a leader,
and connected to an idea."
~Seth Godin
youtube.com/watch?v=uQGYr9bnktw

10. A FEW DISTINCTIONS
● “Tribe” has all 3 elements (leader, idea,
connection) - clear borders
● “Community” lacks direct connections
(people meet by chance) - blurry borders
● “Crowd” lacks a leader

11. ARE YOU WILLING TO “STAND UP”?
"If not us, then who?
If not now, then when?"
~John Lewis
expertenough.com

12. WHY ITS IMPORTANT
A 10,000 Foot View

13. DON’T CREATE A MARKET, FIND ONE
"The goal is not to do business with everybody
who needs what you have. The goal is to do
business with people who believe what you
believe."
~Simon Sinek
youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4

14. ITS A NOISY, NOISY WORLD
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“Adding a zero to your paycheck” is
all about density
Connect with groups already
talking about your message
Speak to receptive ears
Assume leadership
Cut through noise (don’t add to it)

15. BRANDED COMMUNITIES WORK
All this from a soda?

16. EVEN TV SHOWS ARE DOING IT
http://ottopilotmedia.com/social-media/5-tv-shows-with-twitter-hashtag-wins

17. CREATE MEANINGFUL IMPACT
● Make the world a better place (one tribe at a time)
● Today’s consumer expects CSR from businesses:
conecomm.com/global-csr-study

18. THE MECHANICS
A 5,000 Foot View

19. HOW DO I BUILD A TRIBE?
1.
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Determine why people will participate
Determine who will join
Craft your message
Plan the roadmap
Develop the activities
Establish the communication channel
Start the conversation
Promote it
Shoot for critical mass

20. TYPES OF TRIBES
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Community of Place (geography)
Community of Practice (same activities)
Community of Interest (love of...)*
Community of Action (causing change)
Community of Circumstance (situation)
Can be more than one (better if it is)

21. EXAMPLE #1: Startup Nation
Community of Interest
Community of Practice

22. EXAMPLE #2: Red Bull
Community of Interest
Community of Practice*

23. ANOTHER DISTINCTION
● “Worldview” is the set of expectations and
biases that color the way each of us see
the world
"The goal isn't to find people who have already decided
that they urgently want to go where you are going. The
goal is to find a community of people that desire to be in
sync and who have a bias in favor of the action you want
them to take."
~Seth Godin
sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2013/09/qa-tribes-and-the-reality-of-worldview.html

24. WORLDVIEW EXAMPLE
● Planet Fitness commercials
● Targets people with a "That’s why I don’t
like gyms" worldview

25. 1. WHY PEOPLE WILL PARTICIPATE
● Find existing interest / passion (worldview)
● What will engage your audience?
● Join (knowledge) is not Participate (emotion)
Biz Connections
Learn
Bounce Ideas
Like-Minded People
Share Passion

26. EMOTION DRIVES PARTICIPATION
● redbull.com
● Ratatouille

27. TYPES OF COMMON INTERESTS
Spend a lot of our money on
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Cars
Financial investments
Homes
Vacations
Fashion / clothing
Provokes a strong emotional reaction
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Causes
Politicians
Relationships
Pets
Sports teams
Spend a lot of our time on
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Books / TV shows
Video games
Sports
Shopping
Gardening
Represents a group / status / our identity
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Apple products
Entrepreneurship
“Green” products
Jobs / career-related
Location (geography)

28. TRIBE MEMBERS BENEFIT BY...
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Learning a new skill
Gaining new knowledge
Increasing their personal status (exclusivity)
Boosting their income
Developing new relationships (biz / dating)
Participating in competition (gaming)
Try to include as many of these as possible
into your tribe’s membership lifecycle

29. 2. WHO WILL JOIN
● Be very clear
● Who will join during each phase?
● Find existing discussions (hashtags, etc.)
around the common interest
● Internet makes it much easier to find them
● Where do they hang out?
Entrepreneurs
Business Owners
Sports Fans

30. FIND EXISTING CONVERSATIONS

31. 3. YOUR MESSAGE
● Craft message around common interest
● What is the common aspiration?
● How can you help them achieve it?
You can do it
Adrenaline

32. 4. THE ROADMAP
● Plan a path that leads to their goal
● What hurdles block the path?
● Result breakdown process (next section)
Startup process
Frequent exposure
Diverse sports

33. 5. THE ACTIVITIES
● Develop activities that move them forward
● Activities Calendar (next section)
● The key to building a tribe is regular
activities, not just content
Blog Posts
Radio Show
Blog Posts
Sports Events
Online Events

34. COMMUNITY VS. BLOG
● Blog = content focus (1-way-ish)
● Community = activities focus (2-way-ish)
Activity is…
● A discussion,
● An event, or
● A piece of content
Community can be built around a highly-commented blog
eg. HuffingtonPost.com

35. 6. WAYS TO COMMUNICATE
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Mail/newsgroups
Chat rooms
Forums & Blogs
Facebook Groups
LinkedIn Groups
StartupNation.com
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G+ Communities
Pinterest Boards
Hashtags
Ning.com
Custom
RedBull.com
Fanzones
#GivesYouWings

36. 7. START THE CONVERSATION
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Initial invites (5/10 per day)
Convert newcomers into regulars
Develop interactions/relationships
Start small, grow small
Forum
Advertising

37. 8. PROMOTE IT
● Slowly accelerate invitations
● Create events that attract press
● Invite VIPs after critical mass
Radio Show
Word of Mouth
Commercials
Sponsorships
Celebrities

38. SHOOTING FOR CRITICAL MASS
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What is critical mass?
Recruiting volunteers
Self-regulation / moderation
Sit back and enjoy the ride
100 active users?
Ongoing?

39. GROWTH
● Can bring in similar worldviews

40. A METHODOLOGY
Boots on the Ground

41. CREATE AN ACTIVITIES CALENDAR

42. TARGET THE DESTINATION
● Where is your tribe’s aspiration?

43. PERCEPTION IS REALITY
● Are they overwhelmed by the road ahead?

44. CHUNK IT
● Break up trip into easy-to-achieve chunks

45. HELP THEM THROUGH EACH CHUNK
● Share your plan
Create a podcast / video / blog post
series discussing each milestone

46. TRIBE KILLERS
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Not delegating
Making all decisions
Censoring
Allowing unnecessary drama

47. TO SUM IT UP...
● Find an existing common interest
● Connect people with that common
interest (with each other & with you)
● Figure out where they want to go
● Help them get there
● Tribes are focused communities
Community building is a science, but not rocket science
Follow a proven path and it will come together

48. Feedback?
Questions?
chris@mohritz.co