In the midst of recent challenges, like you, our brand marketing agency has stayed connected using technology. The whole world has watched industries transformed in value as a result of this switch in communication. The entire airline industry went from being worth 872 billion to 419 billion dollars and Zoom is now worth 60 billion (as of June 2020).
It is still possible to feel a little isolated, what with working from home and social distancing becoming more of a way of life. So, if you want to reach out a bit more, here are some tribe building tips to help you thrive.
Start a WhatsApp:
Set up a group of key people and share information with each other, like opportunities or insights. A themed group creates a team looking for the same things as you are. Whether it’s funding, unfolding legislation or support with entrepreneurship or sales, you can exchange information and even get a ping to notify you.
The great thing with WhatsApp is that it is encrypted, safe and secure and now includes video calls to the group. From footballers to athletes, politicians to protesters, all have adopted this as the ‘go-to’ group communication because it’s closed to hackers and people selling information. If you want to reach people, quickly and efficiently WhatsApp is a great platform to mobilise your message.
Another great way of using WhatsApp is to let people know you are posting an article and get others to interact with it. Our good friend from Introbiz, Mike Armstrong, highlighted the fact that more interactions within the first hour of a post give you significantly greater reach and inspire you to write and interact with your friends on the platform.
Join Facebook Groups:
The original tribe model has taken a turn for the better by introducing challenges to connect you with people all over the world while learning something new and interesting.
The challenge model is not something many people have heard of and it was well over a year before the big guns adopted this model for teaching ‘one to many’. If you have a year’s worth of content then this model has the potential to launch the online education arm of your business.
We recommend you join one. Why not take part in our 5-day challenge around Mission, Vision and Values? Or why not discover a whole new world in property with the 5-day property jumpstart challenge with our friends from Tidy Ventures? Once you’ve done one, you’ll see its amazing potential. If you are thinking of running one yourself we can help with that! We are adapting our office to run challenges LIVE from our HQ in Bristol and share our message about purpose-driven business by creating (a unique purpose-driven URL)
Zoom Networking:
One of our partners and clients pivoted to Zoom, almost instantly, on lockdown. I think that they would say it was one of the best decisions the business made. Paul and Tracey Smolinski took a successful, existing network global overnight! Almost instantly, the commute to networking meet-ups disappeared and fuelling up with petrol was replaced by fuelling up on tea on the way to the computer.
Things literally leapt forward for Introbiz with connections across the globe. They hosted business legends from Brian Tracey to Les Brown. With the impending IntroBiz Global Summit coming in November joining Introbiz is a simple step to take your business global.
Another group I have been part of is the Natwest Next Level programme (for entrepreneurs), which went up a level as it adapted to changes. Led by Olly Reid, we started meeting weekly and then switched to bi-weekly, with faces from Birmingham, Cardiff and Bristol. Now a fresh intake is adopting the new normal and I would definitely recommend applying – you can do so here…
LinkedIn / Messenger
One of my key sales tools of recent times has been LinkedIn… not Sales Navigator though! The curse of the LinkedIn sales pitch is something I actively resist nowadays – it just highlights a lack of understanding of how sales work today.
I use LinkedIn to communicate with my business associates and check in with them. I have made some great connections and been helped to link with others. This approach is about leading through relationship not – roll up… roll up, we have another offer to hit you with today.
LinkedIn has helped me to connect with long lost contacts as well, you just don’t know where things will lead in the long term. In fact, my record pitch to business was 7 years! Sometimes, no doesn’t mean never!
Social Distanced Meetings:
This is as close to normal as we might get but I really recommend some face to face interaction. It allows us to communicate on a deeper level… we are not meant to be socially distanced. Start with a one to one (yes, it’s legal). Why not eat out to help out with a business associate? I met one of our clients for breakfast just this week and it inspired both of us. We felt as if life is slowly getting back to normal. (If you’ve never been before, make sure you try out The Lockside in Bristol for breakfast, a treat and some amazing staff who deserve to succeed).
Communication has changed, and I’d say for the better.
COVID 19, a nasty disruption, has brought about reinvention. We have had to ask some hard questions about which form of communication is going to work the best to get the job done.
Do you really have to drive 45 minutes or can you schedule a Zoom for that meeting? How much of your time was actually wasted travelling? Personally, I made calls on the hands-free – and did some of my best brainstorming and deals using this method.
Using technology you now have the opportunity to take your business global, beyond e-commence.
If you had told me at the start of this whole mess, that in just 6 months I would have discovered new strategies, onboarded more clients than before and ended up in a Zoom room with Richard Branson, I would not have believed you. Well, that’s the truth of it and we are only just getting started.
The secret to survive and thrive involves creating a tribe.