I’ve been growing increasingly weary of traditional marketing tactics, and it’s somewhat troublesome since marketing is also my job. I’ve found that I’m often at odds with the marketing world for its reliance on urgency tactics and a scarcity mindset.
I see it firsthand quite often in many of the conversations I have with clients. They are predominantly service-based businesses, many of whom are thought leaders, experts, authors, coaches, consultants, and they come to me not knowing how to market themselves without feeling “icky” or “slimy” or “manipulative.” (Their words, not mine, and yet, I feel the same.)
It saddens me to know that this is what marketing has devolved into — that the perception is so negatively skewed that some entrepreneurs feel powerless to escape its wrath.
So I’m on a mission to reclaim marketing, to bring it back to the truth and essence of what it can be at its most healthy.
When done right, and at its most elemental, marketing is about establishing relationships and building trust. I often say that marketing is simply sharing your story. It’s a compilation of efforts that go into developing that story (getting down to the words you use), deciding where & how to share that story (channels), and committing to repeat this story (consistency).
So then, if marketing is simply sharing your story, then mindfulness is the wise discernment guiding these efforts.
When considering how to tell your story, mindfulness acts as the sacred pause and the litmus test for truth. Whether you’re writing a blog post, developing your overall messaging, or evaluating social graphics, mindfulness asks for a moment of stillness to check in. Some questions to ask in that moment:
What is my body saying? Do I have a visceral response to this?
Is any part of this stemming from an external idea of what I think I should do? If so, how can I reframe it so that what is being shared is coming directly from my soul?
There is so much information out there about what you should be doing in order to achieve the most effective marketing mix. I’m sure there is validity in many of these studies. And, I would encourage you not to follow any of them directly like a playbook because none of them are uniquely you. It’s a fine balance between gathering information and being inspired by others on one side, and on the other, taking that story as fact, as truth, and clinging so tightly to it that you begin to lose yourself and your own story along the way.
There are myriad factors that go into one person’s (or one company’s) success, and it’s a combination of controllable and uncontrollable factors. Opening yourself up to this type of mindfulness marketing requires you to embrace the unknown and develop a robust capacity for self-trust. That self-trust is nurtured and given room to grow within each those moments of pause when you allow yourself to hear the whisper of your soul.
Over time, you’ll find immense strength from allowing in those moments of pause, which allows you to tap back into your truth, which then allows you to make decisions from an honest place, which ultimately translates to a consistent presence that your clients and customers can then perceive as trust.
Mindful marketers stand strong in their convictions.
Mindful marketers, regardless of industry, always bring it back to the humans involved.
Mindful marketers observe their environment without haphazardly reacting.
Mindful marketers seek to understand.
Mindful marketers ask questions without knowing where the answers might lead.
How might you cultivate more mindfulness for yourself and your company? If your soul spoke to you while reading this, acknowledge it. What did it say? Is there any action for you to take now?
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Photo credit: Creating Light Studio