Building A Tribe
Okay, in today’s times of social media, we often see big-time influencers who have millions of follows. Then we tend to think that that could never be us poor self-publishing indie authors. Millions of followers just seem millions of miles away. It’s just too big of a leap from where we humbly stand. Well, guess what, we may never get to the promised land of millions of followers, but it doesn’t matter. Our mission can still be accomplished. To tell you the truth, we really only need about a thousand followers to build a tribe that genuinely matters.
I have a bunch of followers and will have a bunch more by the time you read this. But I am nowhere near the big boys and big girls in this industry. And you need to be nowhere near me either with the number of followers you have. You see, for most of us, when we have a bunch of followers, most of them are usually passive followers. And inactive followers may look nice when looking at stats, but they don’t really do much to help us except take up space on our rolls. Often, they even cost us extra money that we shouldn’t be spending on our email list service.
Again, if you can find a way to cultivate a thousand engaged followers of your own, you’ll have more than enough to do what you need to do. These early adopters will read everything you put out there. They will also be great ambassadors as they spread your message via word of mouth. That’s all you really need, just a thousand people to build a tribe. And anyone of us can do this. We all can get a thousand enthused followers if we put in the effort overtime to make this happen Smile, this gives us all hope. It’s not another thing to do, It’s hope for all of us.1000. That’s not too many zeroes, right?
Hey, we all want to sell more books. And the key to success in selling our books comes down to the number of people we have and the impact we make. Like the big boys, we can chase millions of people, or like our swifter indie author comrades, we can pursue impact. Obviously, to some degree, both are needed. So, I say, “Go get your 1000 raving fans.”
So, how do we find people for this one thousand person tribe of raving fans that we’re trying to build? Well, one way is to keep writing and writing a lot. This shouldn’t bother you too much because you have already proven that you don’t mind writing. You have already written a book, right? In this new vein of writing that I’m talking about, though, you’ll be producing useful content for social media. We want people to latch on to your content. You want to be seen as a person who adds value to their lives because you’re helping them with their problems for free over their social media channels. At some point, they’re going to want more and more of you, so they’ll follow you on more of their social media channels and then go out and buy your book. If your book is good, they’ll tell others about it, too.
Believe it or not, many people will see you like a little mini-celebrity because you are an author. Most people out there want to write a book. But only a few do. So the majority of people see authors in a good light on a little bit of a pedestal. Most crave to know a bit more about you because you’re an author. So go ahead and share some more of you with others. People want to know you’re human and not some far-off, distant celebrity. So share your life with them, and they will join your tribe. Hey, everyone loves being part of something. Everyone loves the security and camaraderie of being in a tribe. And if it’s a tribe led by a celebrity, even if it is a mini-celebrity, that’s even better. So, don’t be shy. Share your life with people.
Show interest in people. Try to help others. And even ask for help yourself. This is what being human is all about. When we help others by answering their question, giving advice, and reading their stuff, they will want to join our tribe. When we like people and show interest in them, they will like us back, show interest in us, and join our tribe. I believe Dale Carnegie wrote a book about showing interest in others first.
Adding value first to other people’s lives is a great way to build a relationship that could eventually lead to them being part of your tribe. Also, asking for favors, believe it or not, is another excellent way to build a bond with others. And hopefully, if that bond becomes strong enough, they too will join your tribe. Hey, this is real stuff. Even psychologists have agreed that asking others to help you with something brings them closer to you.
Hey, we’re social creatures. So be social. Communicate with people as often as you can. Respond to people’s comments on your social media posts. Answer their emails. Take their phone calls. Hold events, where you can talk to people, face to face. Meet people out for a cup of coffee. I do it all the time. We’re social creatures. We have to talk to people. Get out of your seclusive writing corner, and physically talk to as many people as you can. Many of these people will join your tribe after talking to you, meeting you, and feeling that connection with you.
Hey, we’re self-publishing indie authors. We’re authorpreneurs. This is what we do. This is what gives us the advantage over the big-boys and big girls out there in this industry. We’re smaller and quicker and tighter with our tribe. We can actually meet someone for a cup of coffee…
*Watch this FREE video lesson on this chapter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Yi1p1_vhxU&list=PL_-39bUXJitwL8cHUpiZ5mO0-JJuaPOVl&index=14
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