Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce | May 18, 2020
#ACCGEM
The Week Ahead: Weekly News & Updates
Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce Monthly Board Meeting
LOCATION
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87072077074?pwd=aVQvekZiN3pUcmZuMEFYK3VvaDZjZz09

DATE AND TIME
05/20/20 3:00pm - 05/20/20 5:00pm

Meeting ID: 870 7207 7074
Password: 810669
I'll be there!
Maybe
I can't make it
Meet our New & Returning Board of Directors!
Peter Seaman
Newly Elected

Vice President of Finance at Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center
Rodney Eaton
Re-Elected

President at Zuni Electric in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
Amy Tillotson
Re-Elected

Owner and Agent at State Farm Insurance in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
Trisha Roberts
Newly Elected

Owner and Agent at Farmers Insurance in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
Edward McDonald
Newly Elected

Retired with 30 years of experience from a Defense and Government Manufacturing Company.
Kylon Atteberry
Newly Elected

Store Director at Albertsons Market 681 also President of the Board of Directors for United We Care in Lubbock Texas.

Find more videos like this on our Youtube channel!
How to Build a Tribe for Your Business


Have you ever noticed that there are influencers on social media who mention an item and no sooner than they do it sells out? The cynical side of me believes there are certain people out there who could talk about how chic dust bunnies are and suddenly there'd be a host of people growing their own dust bunnies like they were chia pets. 

But it takes a special personality, doesn't it?

Maybe when all business dealings were in-person. But now that a lot of them are online, it doesn't take an over-the-top personality to cultivate a tribe. In fact, you cannot only do it easily for yourself and your business, but the pandemic is the perfect time to start building your tribe if you don't already have one.

What Is a Tribe? Why Do You Need One?
If you have a lot of time on your hands--and you don't even need that much, it's a quick read--you need to look into  the book on the topic by Seth Godin . But assuming you want the abbreviated version…

A tribe is your group of people that you have influence with. 

A tribe is  not  a specific number of followers. A tribe is measured by level of activity. For instance, if you know a preteen on Instagram they may shout excitedly every time someone follows them or likes their picture. In fact, you may be surprised at the amount of emotional energy they can spend caring about an emoji. For most preteens, this is proof that someone likes them and they get validation from that. As a business owner, you should be past that type of ego enforcement. Instead, you want sales. 

After all, likes aren't going to pay your rent.

So for you, a tribe is an active group of people who are interested in what you're posting and will act on suggestions you make. Tribes are the basis for influencer marketing. If you want more sales, you need to develop a tribe. When you do, they will help you with word of mouth marketing. 

Ways to Build Your Tribe 
COVID has prevented us from doing a lot of things recently. But hopefully what it has done has helped you become more engaged with your audience on social media. Ideally, you've used this time to start connecting with customers and potential customers. If not, here are a couple of ideas you could be doing to build your tribe:

·        Go where your audience is . Figure out where they are on social media. If you don't have accounts on those platforms, create them. If you have accounts that are no longer working for you and helping you connect, spend your conversation time elsewhere. 

·        Start following and commenting . You can post really incredible stuff on social media but you're assuming that the platform is showing your content to the people you most want to see it. Unless you're paying for the views, that's not always happening. However, if you comment on posts, you're guaranteed the owner of the account will see it. Just make sure that when you do you are adding to the conversation and not simply trying to sell.

·        Be transparent . Don't lie about who you are. Be open and honest.

·        Be friendly and encouraging . People are drawn to a positive attitude and will avoid those who constantly complain. Be a bright light in the darkness. However,…

·        Be real.  While being positive is a good thing, you don't want to appear fake. Share your struggles. But also share your plan for overcoming them. Show people that you're human and ask them if they've ever had the same struggles. You might be surprised by the kind of way people open up.

·        Listen and interact . When people do open up, do a little more than just liking their comment. Look to continue the conversation by asking them a question or reflect on their feelings and show them the empathy they are likely hoping for.

·        Be you for the business . People find it easier to interact and connect with other people. Whenever you're interacting on social media or posting blog posts, do so as an individual, not as a logo. If you want to use your business logo and name that's fine. But make sure when you're doing so that you give them your name too.

If this type of advice sounds familiar it's probably because building a tribe for your business is similar to being a good friend. You want to be yourself and share the challenges and joys you have in life. Share your stories. Ask to hear theirs. These types of actions can have a very solidifying effect on your budding relationship. And a strong relationship will mean more revenue through word of mouth marketing in the future.



Written by: Christina R. Metcalf
New Resources
Rocking With the Census in Alamogordo, New Mexico

On Saturday, May 16th some of our community leaders and trusted partners in Alamogordo came together to talk about the importance of being counted in the 2020 Census. In addition, They shared their personal stories about the Census, and how the funding generated from the Census has helped us all.
BOOZ ALLEN FOUNDATION INNOVATION GRANTS 

Do you want to solve the urgent social challenges created by COVID-19? Apply for a Booz Allen Foundation Innovation Grant and make change that counts!

The Booz Allen Foundation has established a $1 million Innovation Fund to provide grants of up to $100,000 to nonprofits and microgrants of up to $10,000 to entrepreneurs, thought leaders, startups, small businesses, and others. We want to surface the best solutions for the social issues and community resilience challenges created by COVID-19 and empower the people and organizations behind those solutions to drive their development and implementation. 

A separate legal entity from Booz Allen Hamilton, the Booz Allen Foundation convenes diverse stakeholders from the private, public, academic, and social sectors to solve challenging social problems through innovation and technology and build community resilience from the ground up. Grants will be administered at the discretion of the Foundation. 

If you have an idea for a solution or are involved with a project that’s already making a difference, apply for a Booz Allen Foundation Innovation Grant today! 

Deadline: June 5, 2020