Over the weekend I was invited to attend Eggotoberfest, an annual event held by The Big Green Egg Company that provides their brand enthusiasts the opportunity to come together and celebrate their love for the green ceramic charcoal grills.

The event was an incredible experience as I had an opportunity to learn creative recipes and techniques from EGGsperts™, and sample unlimited foods cooked by professional chefs and amateurs on Big Green Egg grills.

I literally ate until I was sick, trying everything from moose kabobs, fresh Alaskan salmon, bourbon soaked peach cobbler, grilled pineapple, sausages, pizzas, several versions of pulled pork, and just about any other food that can be grilled or smoked. At events end, my stomach was screaming for anything green, and although the culinary experience was one to remember, it was secondary to what else I witnessed, the power of brand tribalism.

There were men, women, and children dressed as green eggs, people in green face paint, and even a marching band consisting of Big Green Egg owners who have attended the event on annual bases. If I were to estimate, I’d guess there were over 5,000 people in attendance, that is 5,000 people singing the praises of The Big Green Egg Company. Anyone who heard I was currently not an owner of one the grills provided me with at least five reasons for why I needed to purchase one before I left.

As you can imagine, building a brand tribe is beneficial in a number of ways as it means community members are generally more passionate and loyal to your company, and often become organic ambassadors who defend, represent, and champion your brand every chance they get. However, building a tribe is not an easy task, and in part 1 of this series, we’re discussing the benefits of doing so.

To establish a foundation for the topic, let’s first define brand tribalism. A brand tribe is a formal or informal group of consumers who share the same awareness, passion, and loyalty to a particular companies product or service.

Tribes are identified as active drivers of sales for many brands throughout the world. If you’re unaware of The Big Green Egg Company, think of other well-known brands such as Apple, Jordan Brand, and Star Wars. The leaders of this entities have done a phenomenal job of creating emotional connections between their products, services, & experiences and the consumer market which has resulted in massive lines and sell-outs of anything they release.

So why does this occur? The emphatic support is a direct result of the fact that consumers do not buy brands, they join them. They have an emotional connection with the brand that provokes action, an action that is not second-guessed when presented the opportunity to support.

Here are a four (4) things that are a direct result of building a tribe:

Drives Revenue – Those who are in your tribe have a strong desire to purchase the products/services you offer.

Maintained Authenticity – Having a group of individuals connect with who and what you are at your core keeps you honest and focused on delivering and building on the things that initially built your tribe.

Decreases Marketing Spend – Those in your tribe are the absolute best marketers and salespeople you can have. Their love and enthusiasm for your brand rub off on those they’re around and is often more effective in converting sales than any marketing campaign you can launch.

Continued Innovation – Having a tribe provides the luxury of creating new offerings based on the needs and candid feedback of those who support you most.

If you’re someone who has the immense task of leading a business, intentionally focusing on authentically building a tribe of support for your brand can make all of the difference in whether you survive or fizzle out in the market.