The TRIBAL Community Strategy Guide, Part 2: The TRIBAL Journey

This is your definitive “how-to” resource to guide you through defining, creating, launching and supporting your own thriving tribe.  This guide is divided into 4 parts, with links below to help you navigate between them. First, we answered some of your frequently asked questions, here. Next, we will walk you through the Journey to Success.

 

 

The TRIBAL Journey

You are ready to embark on your own TRIBAL Journey.  We will help you get started, and support you every step of the way with tools and resources to build your own, unique, and powerful tribe. Just follow these five steps to build your Tribe, and continue to support it as it grows.

Step 1: Define Your Tribe

A Tribe is YOUR community. You share a common affiliation that binds you, but with TRIBAL’s influence, your community is about to connect with one another in more meaningful and genuinely inspiring ways!  A Tribe’s success begins with defining the reasons you are creating your Tribe, understanding your audience or team, and establishing your goals for impact.

What defines Your Tribe? Think through some of these questions as you begin to develop your Tribe’s unique framework:

• What name will you give your Tribe?
• What is your goal for the Tribe, and your motivation for creating it?
• Who are the members of your Tribe?
• What do you already know about the members, their interests, passions?
• What rules will you have for your Tribe that will create a safe environment for sharing and connecting?

Link to: The “Define Your Tribe” Worksheet>>

 

Step 2: Create Your Tribe

Now that you have defined your Tribe, it is time to think about the heart of TRIBAL, the stories.  You will actively encourage members to share their own stories, but it always helps to have a model as a starting point.  

The TRIBAL platform utilizes strategic storytelling to inspire meaning and create connections.  What exactly is strategic storytelling? We know humans connect through stories.  A good story can increase cortisol levels, strengthening our ability to concentrate, and oxytocin, making us feel we can trust and bond with the storyteller.   All stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Good stories involve something to engage the reader in the moment, usually incorporating emotion over information.  Strategic storytelling involves a bigger, deeper element, the “why,” the major strategic narratives of our lives. People remember stories; they foster engagement that lasts, and make us want to continue our involvement with the storyteller.  In short, they connect us to each other in powerful, lasting ways.

To craft your strategic story, start with something that motivates you and about which you care deeply.  Think about how your story connects to others’ needs, hopes, fears. This will help you tell your story in a way that captures and keeps your readers’ attention, making them want to connect and engage with you, and learn more about you. 

Link to the Strategic Storytelling worksheet and prompts for more insights >>

• As a Tribe leader, it’s important to go first – start by telling the stories that are meaningful to you so your Tribe gets to know you and your purpose. TRIBAL is leader-led, so model the type of storytelling you want to see others share in their stories.
• As you write your launch stories, ask ambassadors to write their stories too.
• Onboard admins and develop select Tribe ambassadors to support the launch and ongoing participation, build your Tribe with people who care.
• Develop promotional communications for launch that have that “WOW, I have to share this” vibe. 

Discussions and Announcements

Discussions are an engaging way to encourage conversations that get your Tribe involved. The most effective way to spark a discussion is to start with a question. Your question should be authentic and interesting enough to engage your members. As a question you are genuinely interested in, and your members will be interested in answering. Announcements may be more formal, such as company news or upcoming events. They can also be opportunities to recognize Tribe member accomplishments. 

1. Planning my first 3-5 discussions (What would you like to learn about your Tribe first? Think if questions you genuinely find interesting.)
2. My first 3-5 Announcements (What would you like your Tribe to know first?)

 

Step 3: Launch to Your Tribe

Congratulations!  It’s time to launch your Tribe.  Communication is key and you are prepared.  Hit the highlights at your launch event and then let your Tribe members explore on their own.

Plan Your Launch

How are you planning to introduce your Tribe to your community?  Here are some best practices to help you prepare for your launch:

• Identify a small group of early champions.  This is a group of 3 – 5 people who are willing to go first, set up profiles, and serve as ambassadors for their Tribe.
• Refer back to your earlier ideas about how you define your Tribe, common motivations, and what goals you have.  Work with your ambassadors to come up with 3 – 5 “wow” bullets you can use to generate enthusiasm for the tribe.
• Encourage your ambassadors to create a story to share in the Tribe.  Share the Strategic Storytelling Template as a guide.
• Share your story in your Tribe.  Members will be able to see it as soon as they log in, and it will serve as a wonderful model and hopefully encourage them to share too.
• Plan a launch event. This can be a lunch, a company virtual meeting, or some other event that is a detour from daily routine.  

Communicate Your Mission, Lead Your Community in Purpose

• Key messaging should include brief answers to the “what,” “why,” and “how” of your TRIBAL Tribe.  Include your goals for your Tribe and how you plan to support progress towards achieving them
• Members should log in and create their individual, personalized profiles right away.
• Articulate your expectations for participation
• Encourage members to read the announcements, messages, and especially stories you have posted
• Ensure members understand they can post their stories as well, and encourage them to do so.  Provide an overview of your expected standards of communication

Encourage Immediate Engagement

Now that Tribe members know the “what,” and the “why,” encourage them to dive into the app and get comfortable with the “how” of their Tribe.  Encourage them to:

• Set up and personalize their profiles
• Seek out and connect with other Tribe members
• Post a comment on an existing story
• Draft a story of their own, even if they aren’t quite ready to share

Immediate interaction with the app (and with each other) will help them overcome any concerns they have, to include technical discomfort, before they become roadblocks. Make sure they understand that we at TRIBAL are always looking for ways to improve and would love their feedback.  Show them how to easily connect with us by giving their phones a quick shake.

Step 4: Inspire Your Tribe

Now is the time for you and your small team of ambassadors to shine.  You have launched your Tribe and have generated excitement and enthusiasm among Tribe members.  How can you keep the inspiration fresh?  Here are some best practices:

• Set up a schedule for posting new stories and stick to it.  You can always draft stories ahead of time and store them in your app.  Your Tribe members will become accustomed to seeing your regularly published stories and will be looking for them
• Encourage comments and feedback from Tribe members
• Make sure your announcements highlight triumphs and other good news.  Every now and then throw in something just for fun
• Encourage others by responding to their posts and stories
• Share resources you know will be of interest to your Tribe.  Encourage your ambassadors to share as well.  When other Tribe members share resources, make sure you respond

 

Step 5: Measure Your Tribe

You have put a lot of thought into your reasons for starting your Tribe.  You know what your goals are, and what success will look like for your Tribe. Here are some things to consider:

• Change can be unnerving for many people.  Your Tribe members will likely need multiple communication touchpoints to reassure them that this is a closed community, a safe space, and that the Tribe belongs to all.
• Progress happens over time so be patient and continue to support members as they start to interact with their Tribe.
• Movement towards goals will happen but again, it takes time for behaviors to change, and for the Tribe to develop and grow as a community.
• Revisit your expectations to make sure they are still reasonable:
  • What are your hopes for the Tribe?
  • How many people do you expect will join?
  • How often will members interact with the Tribe?
  • Are your success metrics valid or do they need to be refined?
• Finally, TRIBAL Tribes are only successful if Tribe members participate.  
  • Make sure you have firmly established and communicated your participation goals for ALL Tribe members, and stick to them.  
  • You and your ambassadors should lead the way.

 

Next – we’ll share some best-practices to keep the momentum and success of your Tribe going strong…