Tribe Over Influencers

When starting out building any platform or any type of business it’s easy to get caught up in the celebrity game of your niche. Networking and promoting those at the top to gain a little bit of their influence. We all do it to some extent. And while there is nothing wrong with networking you have to always keep in mind that without providing value no one is going to give you the time of day. Resorting to begging and trying harder and harder will just turn people off. Remember at the end of the day this is all about giving value and helping others. Nothing more and nothing less.

With that being said many make the mistake of focusing on influencers to the detriment of focusing on their tribe. Your tribe are those who buy your products and read your work. They are those who follow you and who it is paramount to build a relationship with. They are way more important than any influencer in your niche regardless of what that niche might be. At best an influencer can get you attention but what is attention compared to the relationships that your business is based on? There are people with e-mails lists of thousands of people who sell more books then others who appear on national TV. They do so because they have an actual relationship with their readers.

Help The Tribe

First and foremost your focus should be on helping your tribe. Helping them to better themselves and get what they want out of life. Your entire focus should be answering the question “What does the tribe want and need?” then giving it too them. Not gaining attention, not getting in certain circles, not having a certain person like, follow, or whatever you. But strengthening and serving the tribe first and foremost. Those who are not loyal to their tribe eventually lose their tribe and everything with it. They chase fame and celebrity in their niche and forget the fundamental part, providing value.

This is why I’m a not a big fan of things like hit pieces or getting in arguments. Sure they draw attention and something can be said for getting attention but overall what value do they provide for your tribe and readers? Not that much. Yeah you need to get attention but it should never come before giving value. In particular giving value to your tribe. When you first start out you just throw things out there and eventually they attract people to you. And when they do you find out what else those people want and then give it to them. Serving your tribe is your first and foremost priority.

Fallen Empires

Those that forget this end up going extinct. They may soar high and get all sorts of attention but then they crash. They forget why they got where they got in the first place. Because of their tribe, because of those that supported them. You are never better then your tribe as a matter of fact as leader of that tribe it’s your job to serve them and make their lives better for becoming part of your tribe. Remember this is all about giving value and helping others. That is the fundamental to any business and to any relationship.

It’s easy to get caught up in drama and political bullshit. But anything that detracts from giving value to your readers, to your tribe, and solving their problems is a problem. It’s easy to get sidetracked by attention and such but overall at the end of the day you have to remember where you came from and who is supporting you. Selling out your tribe for fame or potential fortune will get you killed and rightly so. Look at news empires that have betrayed those they pretended to lead. Nothing is too big to fail.

The Tribe

All is for the tribe. For building, strengthening, and helping the tribe. Don’t chase celebrity status build enough value and give enough value to your tribe that enough join it so you become a celebrity. Don’t be that annoying pestering fly that keeps buzzing until it gets attention. Instead be the butterfly that others come to and surround because of what it gives. Attract others to you don’t pester influencers. Don’t even focus on influencers, in the long run they don’t really mean that much. However your tribe means everything.

Whenever you find yourself doing something like scrolling social media, trying to get attention, or doing mindless stuff that doesn’t add value to your readers remind yourself about what this is all about. First and foremost focus on giving value to your readers. Sure network and obviously you need attention but never do either at the expense of betraying or even neglecting your tribe. They are what matter, helping them is what matters. It’s about going deep not wide. About helping those that you have a relationship with not chasing after celebrity status and fame.

Summary

This isn’t to say that influencers can’t be part of your tribe or that you should ignore influencers. No all this means if above all else is focus on giving value to your tribe. After all it’s by giving value that you build a tribe in the first place and that influencers take notice of your and expand your tribe. Focus on giving value and helping others then everything else in your business is going to fall into place. And make sure to always keep this as your guiding principle so you never get lost. Giving value and helping others is the North Star of business and often of life.

If you have any questions you would like to see answered in a future post send them to me at charlessledge001 (at) gmail (dot) com. If you found value in this post then I would encourage you to share this site with someone who may need it as well as check out my books here. I appreciate it.

-Charles Sledge

Charles Sledge