Tribal Marketing for dollarsYesterday @TerryBean asked a question via twitter that many entrepreneurs worry themselves sick over (and thereby hamstring their success), not just on Twitter, but on many Social and New Media Marketing channels.

Terry asked; “Do you worry about losing followers? If so do you think you lose them from not tweeting enough or tweeting too much?”

My multi-Tweet reply addressed a core issue WAY more important than too few or too many updates. I answered Terry:

  • Msg 1 “If your not strong enough to turn some people off, you’ll NEVER be strong enough to attract a Tribe of true Loyals (cont)”
  • Msg 2 “You need to establish your Persuasive Selling Platform – then stand boldly on it. Too many/few Tweets is least of concerns. ;-) ”

My first statement there got picked up and used by Ken Burbary in a post yesterday discussing unfollow tools and their impact: “Twitter: Unfollow me, it’s not personal.” Ken correctly touches on the fact that Twitter has a “culture.” But that point has much larger ramifications to the way you do business. In fact; emotions and interactions tangled up in “culture” is the entire basis for Tribal Marketing.

Unfollows will never hurt you, but beating yourself with sticks will break your business bones

“Twitter culture” is no different than any other human interaction, online in New Media or off-line face-to-face. People with jobs dabbling in Social and New Media to gain friends and “converse” can afford to get sucked into a never-ending downward spiral of narcissistic analysis.

But for entrepreneurs, marketers and business owners; analysis of this type without a benchmark or platform against which to judge reactions creates a self-imposed profit killing death sentence.

Contrary to what you’ve heard? Not surprising when most Social Media “experts are corporate refugees with a worker mindset, brainwashed to “get along” at all costs.

Here’s the danger in that “careful not to offend anyone” approach…

If business people begin altering their behavior, words and statements to avoid “unfollow sting”, the ramifications are no different than trying to fit into a high-school clique. Even if the group accepts you, you will always be the outsider… the poser. NOT a good position for an entrepreneur who is (or should be) looking to be seen as a knowledgeable leader.

To attract and retain a Tribe of raving fans (Loyals) means taking strong positions. The stronger your positions, the stronger the bond between you and your Tribe… and among the Tribe members themselves. It’s human nature that the mundane and the luke-warm are either ignored or spit out.

Only in politics every two years do “moderates” get any attention. And when we look at their actual numbers (average only 2% of voters via Battleground Poll for the last 10 years) — we see the fact that the vast majority of people DO have opinions. They just may not have the kahonas to state those thoughts.

The entrepreneurs and business people who take strong stands in their niche or industry, who make bold pronouncements for the benefit of their Tribe — they will get the respect, loyalty and patronage that people are waiting to shower on a true leader.

The question is not “too many or too few Tweets.” It is “do you know your Tribe?”

YOUR Tribe, YOUR Loyals — they are ALL that matter!

If you don’t know your Persuasive Selling Platform well enough to know what may have turned someone off, (and to know that, in many cases that unfollow is a good thing) — then any “tool” like Qwitter http://useqwitter.com/ that lets you know what words triggered an unfollow will only serve to further shake your confidence and throw you off track.

If you have your Loyals Profiles and Tribal Factor firmly established as two of the four foundation stones of your Persuasive Selling Platform, the ability to keep your focus allows you to be in total control of your emotions.

That control for you can mean ignoring, or even celebrating unfollows as you continue on a profitable path of New Media Marketing. But YOU are in control… not some tool or technology.

What’s your take?

  • How do unfollows on Twitter or friend drop-offs on FaceBook or MySpace impact you?
  • Do you just ignore those unfollows, or do you revel in the fact they’ve occurred?
  • How do you know when an unfollow is a good thing vs. a “learning opportunity”?

Leave your thoughts in some graffiti down in the comment area below. ;-)

John-Paul Micek is a co-founder of the entreprenuerial development company RPM Success Group® Inc. He and his partner Deborah Micek are authors of the hit book Secrets Of Online Persuasion, and creators of the BLOG i360™ New Media Marketing Hub Site Software.
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