Digital Tribes are becoming a huge thing and this has been particularly evident in the past year! Business’ are now connecting with their customers in different ways thanks to technology. They are developing customer relationships via online. As we are living in a digital age it is important to remain up to date with this online trend in order to survive. The creation of online interest groups and social communities is key. Digital tribes are vital for businesses in order to keeps customers engaged. Businesses and fans set up digital tribes in order to develop long lasting relationships.

Digital Tribes Defined

Digital Tribes are online groups of people that discuss differences of opinions. The business itself is often the creators of these groups. The article  The Emergence of Digital Tribes. offers more information on what exactly digital tribes are. Digital tribe members have common interests, the members are defined by who they hang out with whilst online. They discuss businesses online, Digital Tribes are an environment where people can converse about different brands. Consumers can join and leave groups as they please. Digital tribes often attract attention and a lot of people are part of more than one community of digital tribes. Marketers are challenged by this as they compete to gain the engagement of people.

Characteristics of Digital Tribes

1. Tribal loyalty: Loyalty among members and the area of which they are interested in within a digital tribe is very important. Sports teams such as Manchester United are known for their ever lasting team loyalty. In contrast to this Tribes such as restaurant guides are not that loyal. More loyal tribes tend have a longer life span for the business.

2. Tribal competitive landscape: This refers to similar tribe groups which may have a significant number of the same members. The quality of services offered with a competitive agenda are considered . The greater the propensity towards a free/advertising revenue model, as a unique value proposition will prove difficult to be provided.

3. Tribal wealth: Wealthier tribes have a greater ability to support a pay revenue model. With wealth, opportunities such as attracting new members and expansion of the digital tribe are available.

4. Tribal size: Larger digital tribes are more likely to be targeted to sponsor products and receive free items. Small tribes have to pay in order to target certain markets. The overall size of the tribe is important  in terms of evaluating revenue opportunities.

5. Sharing of functional knowledge: This is a main purpose of a tribe. Whilst Helping each other the tribe becomes stronger and gains more knowledge. For example, on Beauty Users, users can be seen asking questions with others offering advice and opinions.

6. Place of social bonding: Members with similar interests interact with each other and create bonds. A sense of belonging is created among the users. This in turn differentiates them from others outside of the tribe.

7. Creation of collective rules: A set of collective rules are created by the tribe. This enables tribe users to distinguish themselves from non-tribe members.

Examples of Digital Tribes

Beauty Boxx

Beauty Boxx is a digital tribe where members ask questions regarding beauty and fashion. They look for advice and recommendations. They have over 106,000 members at the moment