Tetherball King!

This is the first entry to my blog, I welcome all who will read it - I will be trying to share my experiences and knowledge into insight in marketing B2B Software.  I welcome all your responses. 

Seth Grodin always has a way of providing specific insight where the lines begin to blur and most answers are vague.  The concept of "cutting through the clutter" is an important one, as businesses are crunching budgets, changing priorities and inundated with various messages.  How do you cut through the clutter and create actual value and a sense of urgency?  No, I'm not talking about your amazing email marketing strategy that is about fresh, straight-to-the point and soft-selling content that emphasizes how much you empathize with your target audience and their daily struggle - keep it up, but not the topic at hand. 

I am talking about creating a viral effect that creates sustainable demand and building a 'tribe' as Grodin refers to it.  We used to have a few select 'tribes' with whom we connected - family, religion and politics.  These had members, rules and common beliefs - we all played a part - where we built momentum within the tribe when we were passionate. 

I lead a tribe in sixth grade that owned the tetherball courts.  We would claim our position, defend our objectives and talk about how great we are, challenging everyone to a dual of our best versus your best - winning nearly every match.  People emulated our 5th grade recess societal postion.  Our market was owned by our tether ball dominance.  That all came crumbling down when the 'four square posse' took their position to compete for my buyer's attention.  I was now faced with a priority shift, a disruptive force in the market for peer-recognition.  I was to either join or partner with this force, or lead my own pack to compete in this new market where my main buyers had placed so much acclaim and recognition. What to do and no time to delay - my tribe was shrinking fast and they were growing faster. 

Fast forward many years from then... we've carried those same practices into adulthood...

We now have starbucks-ians that give each other the 'nod' when they brisk past each other carrying their venti, quadruple latte.  Or, when you pull up to another Jeep owner that looks over and salutes their shared four-by-anything philosophy of life. Too many other references to account for here. 

Now, We have social networking on steroids and channels where we can align our tribal interests along multiple lines of communication and method of connection.  I can belong to a tribe that dislikes Microsoft or one that preaches the business utility of Microsoft - or Both (often true).  I can subscribe to one which wants government health care reform or a tribe that is interested in our company adopting a more comprehensive health care plan.  Things have transformed from the mass communication methods of making your claim on the playground, showing an ad on national networks, or buying space in the newspaper. 

What Tribes do you need to know about to be a better B2B Marketer?  Better yet, Can you create a Tribal community impassioned by one idea that is emphasized by your solution?  How do you categorize the different issues your buyers are concerned with?  Is what you do now catering to those attitudes and priorities?  Are you forcing yourself into the conversation or stirring the pot with thoughtful discussion?  Are you really creating a community-driven, social media dialogue?  Or just forcing these channels in an effort to be hip, trendy and twitterific?

I'd assume most of us all adapt social media and fail to learn the basics of the importance of how to cultivate tribal movement?  Tribes can be public, controlled, equally scary and often you subscribe to a tribe without knowing it.  You shouldn't expect a movement to take hold in days, weeks or months even - but allow commitments to creating a tribal affect take hold by enforcing the commitment to success... Or by shouting it loudly 'Tether-ball rocks and I own this court! Who's next?'

- James