Very early in my life I learned the importance of community, in today’s article I talk a little bit about that.
In my best selling book Relationship Marketing and the New Entrepreneur I talk about why I became fascinated with the concept of tribal marketing and why I believe it is such a powerful strategy to implement in your business. If you aren’t familiar with the term it’s simply a marketing strategy that attempts to create social groups or communities centered on your product or service.
To understand how tribal marketing works you need to understand why tribal behavior has a powerful affect on our everyday actions. It’s easy to understand when you take a quick peek into our evolutionary past.
Throughout history we needed to learn from each other in order to survive. We banded together to find food and then we worked in groups to prepare that food. There was safety in numbers, so we lived together in communities to protect ourselves from predators and the environment.
Now ‘fast forward’ to today where we live in a time that is rich in technology. This allows us to communicate with others around the world regardless of where we live or work. Because of our technology, we are in constant contact with our peers by emailing, texting and posting updates to our social networking sites. The bad thing is that we do it without any face-to-face contact.
Then there is the sheer depth of information that is available to us. Even the simplest of research can become overwhelming due to the volume of information available at our fingertips. The bottom line is that we are so connected electronically that we have become disconnected from one another on a very basic level, community.
Being part of a community is such a major part of who we are as individuals that we look for other ways to connect or become part of a “Tribe”. People will form tribes with or without our help. Understanding this simple truth allows us as entrepreneurs and business owners to embrace this fact and market to it. We need to recognize that today’s consumers are searching for more than just a product or service.
They are searching for others who have the same experiences, concerns, and interests and they are looking to share them in an environment where they feel safe.
When I incorporated my business I chose the name 4 Winds of Change for a few reasons.
First, Farm of Four Winds was the historic name of the property that we bought from my husband’s family. The farm was named by his great-grandparents and it has seen five generations of births, deaths, weddings and holidays. It also has been the home to dogs, cats, pigs, chickens and horses over the years.
Today my husband and I live on the same land, in a home just south of the old farmhouse with our four rescue dogs Blu, Milly, Peach and Andy.
But more importantly, we named the business 4 Winds of Change because winds are evocative of sweeping change. It’s our sweeping conviction that there is a vastly better approach to being in business. One that is guided by the belief that we are all one: one family, one community, one region and one world.
We committed to leading with our hearts so that our hearts, not our “bottom line” would drive our plans and actions. We promised each other we would focus on making a positive impact, not just in our lives but in our community and our world.
That’s why I am leading with my heart and sharing one of my passions with you.
I love to teach others what I have learned. One thing I have come to know for sure is that women in particular need a community where they can feel safe and supported. Women are capable of great things, but as the Video The One Flaw in Woman so eloquently states, we tend to under value ourselves. We all need to work on valuing ourselves more, but if you are a woman entrepreneur, it’s critical that you do so.
Another thing I have learned a lot about is building a business and marketing one. The Marketer’s Corner is where I will share tips, suggestions and strategies to help you grow your business.
It is my hope that by sharing my expertise with you that you will pay it forward and inspire others with your brilliance and the message you have to share. It only takes one person to create the first ripple of change in another person’s life. A community can effect change throughout our world.