Seth Godin once again demonstrates the power of the personal brand. I subscribe to his blog, which is usually pretty interesting, and he’s just invited his readers to join a new “tribe.” At first glance it seems relatively standard issue — a new online community for marketers with blogs, forums, photos, etc. (yawn). But, as usual, he adds a few interesting twists.
For one thing, it’s invitation only, at least until October, for readers of his blog. Now I know Godin’s blog is one of the most popular around, so this is not exactly a highly exclusive invitation, but, as he notes in the invite, “powerful tribes aren’t open to everyone. The exclusivity makes it work.”
For another, accepting the invitation is based on pre-ordering his next book, which is all about (drum roll please), tribes. It’s not about selling more books (hmm), according to Godin, but rather “it about creating a small hurdle to get the right people in the door.” The book won’t come out until October 21, and a visit to Amazon provides only the title and a short paragraph about the power of tribes.
Well, he got me. I dutifully bought the book for $14, forwarded him my receipt before 11 am this morning to make sure I beat the deadline, and will now wait and see what happens with the new community. And I know I’m in good company. As I write this, the book is 7th on the Amazon best seller list (at least for this hour) and 1st in several business sub-categories. Not bad for a book we won’t even see for three months.
Will the book be worth it? Probably yes; most of his books contain at least a few good nuggets. Will the “tribe” be worth joining. Who knows, but it’s worth the price of admission just to see how Godin will try to carve out a unique position in a crowded field.
And it’s another great lesson in creative marketing and the power of a great reputation.
