As a marketer, you know the value of targeting the right segments and subtypes of your existing customer base and potential consumers — but did you know there's a highly effective way to take that strategy a step further? It's all about targeting marketing tribes.
So, what's a tribe? It's a specific portion of your demographic who share the same specific mindset, regardless of age or geography. A marketing tribe can be made up of consumers who share an occupation (like military members or educators), a specific hobby or interest, or a philosophy, such as concern about the environment.
Marketing tribe members often know each other, both in real life or digitally, which can be highly beneficial to your brand’s visibility. The bottom line: marketing to the right tribes for your brand, products and services can be one of the most significant untapped goldmines you'll ever take advantage of.
What key points do you need to keep in mind when it comes to effectively gaining the interest and trust of your targeted tribes? Pay attention to these important areas:
Respect your tribe members' privacy at all times.
Marketing tribe members, as a rule, do not want their data shared. Any perception on their part that you may link their info up with third parties or use it for any purposes they don't know of or would not approve of is the death knell for your relationship with a tribe.
Keep in mind that a 2019 study from IBM's Institute For Business Value found that 81% of consumers care more about what brands do with their data. Shore up your privacy mechanisms, and let your targeted tribes know about it.
Showing simpatico support.
A late 2018 study from Accenture found that consumers want to buy from brands who care about the same key issues they do. The issues you need to focus on: producing goods that are of the highest quality, work as they are supposed to, make your customers' lives easier and better, and provide excellent value for what you're charging. Be transparent and above board on each of these points so your reputation speaks for itself.
Proving you're authentic.
The Accenture study also found that 62% of consumers want the brands they support to show how they feel about important political, social, environmental and cultural issues in today's world. Many brands traditionally hesitate when it comes to sticking their necks out on controversial issues that could cause displeasure among certain segments of their consumer base.
Sure, you can't please everyone all of the time — but you still need to be bold and true to your organizational principles. It's always the right thing to do. Don't be afraid to reveal your stance on important world issues to your target tribes — they most likely agree with your position, and your open philosophy will win you their respect and business.
Use an identifying marketing program.
Doing so can take the guesswork out of searching for the right tribes to market to and will easily allow for accurate copy prep and the sharpest, most resonant content creation. That doesn't mean you shouldn't supplement using a program with learning who your appropriate tribe members might be, however.
Quality social listening, reading customer reviews, doing Google Analytics research, conducting brand surveys, and researching social media communities on every platform can also yield great ID data.
Take the tribe's temperature.
Once you've won over a marketing tribe, it's crucial to keep monitoring what they think of your brand and making tweaks or overhauls as necessary. What else do your tribe members want or need from you? Ask them directly what you're doing right — and wrong.
Then respect and implement their advice and let them know you're doing so. If you always keep your tribes’ needs in mind, you'll keep earn their loyalty — and keep their business.
