by We grew up with technology. Our kids are growing up with technology. The digital era is inevitably part of our lives. So how can you make your business or brand stand out from the crowd and all the noise? Mindful marketing is the way and here’s why.
Did you know that every day we are exposed to around 4k to 10k ads? Well, imagine how overwhelming it is to just think of how you can stand out and be that one trigger that actually convinces users to click on an ad and buy.
There is so much competition nowadays. There are billions of pieces of content uploaded through all the social media platforms daily. Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook, etc.
Why choose mindful marketing?
Okay, so I don’t want to scare you, there’s a silver lining to this. You just need to incorporate mindful marketing to stand out and here’s why.
Reason 1: Consumers are tired of the noise
Hence the daily ads we’re exposed to. For every 3 Instagram posts or stories you see an ad, you’ve felt it and so have consumers.
We’re tired of the noise. Tired of being exposed to triggers in our daily lives. Tired of feeling like we need to be part of that coaching program, course, buy those shoes, you get the idea.
Oh, but if you purchase in the next 24 hours you get a 30% discount so ‘buy now’. It’s annoying, and frankly, it’s outdated.
I’m a marketing specialist and it’s funny how much I even ‘hate’ marketing tactics because I firmly believe that marketing needs to change.
And as business owners, it’s our responsibility to craft that balance between inciting people to buy but promoting our products or services with a mindful marketing approach.
Reason 2: Conscious consumerism is growing rapidly
If you don’t know what a conscious consumer is, I’ll give you my definition: Conscious consumerism is the act of buying with purpose from a group of people. And this ‘group’ of people has actually been growing so much in recent years.
The Good Trade, for example, is an online magazine that features ethical and sustainable brands because conscious consumers have been asking for this. This niche has been rapidly growing within the last couple of years because people are becoming more mindful of what they buy.
They are educating themselves in sites like this one to learn how to choose quality over quantity, avoid plastic consumption, repurpose, upcycle, etc.
Reason 3: Old school marketing is dying
Mass consumption marketing tactics are slowly dying. Even with the new normal and now that people have access to things like Netflix and HBO, outdated TV ads are just not so relevant anymore.
Of course, they will give you a wide reach if you have the money to invest in this tactic, but conscious consumers choose what to see, where they see it and how they see it.
They will not spend 3 hours per day chained to the local channel and see what infomercial is on. And while this is obvious, as a business owner you have to embrace that what worked before and how our world functions nowadays are not exactly the secret formula for success in the future.
Reason 4: Mindful marketing will empower your audience and help you build a community
We need messaging that empowers us. Messaging that can make us feel part of a community. A brand story and if you achieve this with your brand, you will be selling more than just the product.
People need the human factor to religiously follow a brand and promote it as their own. And this all comes down to choosing your brand values and making sure they are threaded in your storytelling all the time.
Reason 5: Circular marketing is more powerful than capitalism
Circular or sustainable marketing will have a powerful effect on your brand message because it will teach the world that you’re not afraid to do things differently. You’ll show that you took a few extra steps to make sure your business aligns with your ethics and sustainability.
Promoting conscious consumerism is hard when we live in a capitalist society. But it will definitely help you stand out from the crowd because you will be marketing yourself as someone who sticks to their values as a business owner.
This screams integrity, and not everyone has the courage to do this, trust me.
So how can you start using mindful marketing?
Glad you asked, I’ll walk you through step by step how to plan a mindful marketing strategy. Threading that balance between promoting a lifestyle of conscious consumerism to your audience.
1. Define your purpose and brand values
Go bold. Think about what you want your brand to be remembered for. I like to think of a brand purpose in a phrase that contains a verb in action. Such as: Helping people or the planet. Because it never starts or ends, it’s your mission.
Choose the cause you want to support behind everything you do. And it doesn’t matter if you are a personal brand selling digital products or services, or a brand that sells physical products. For example, as a service provider, I plant a tree for every 1:1 project. If you’re a nutritionist you can support organizations about eating disorders and education.
The important part of this step is to put a name to what you already believe in. You already have solid values inside. You just need to materialize them and pick the ones you feel most passionate about.
2. Define your content pillars and messaging
Now it’s time to delve into each of your chosen values as the foundations for marketing your business. Brainstorm what 4-6 content pillars make sense for your brand and use these as the building blocks of your marketing strategy.
Your content pillars will become your most powerful assets because they will allow you to share contrasting and disruptive ideas on how you are doing things differently. They will become your signature stamp and show that you’re not afraid to talk about certain things.
Great transparent content will build trust with your audience. You’ll start to see the magic when people engage with how passionate you are about the values surrounding your brand.
3. Focus on intentional promotion
Mindful marketing is all about quality over quantity, even in promotion. You don’t need to be on all the social media platforms out there. You don’t need to post reels or TikTok daily, (even Gina can tell you herself why she stopped being on Instagram).
Do research on which platforms your ideal client is most active on.
Don’t try to do them all at once. I always recommend starting with at least 2 that work for you.
And from there, I also recommend looking at your marketing strategy as a business plan. You can’t focus all your efforts just on social media. See social media platforms are just one of the many channels where you can market your brand.
For years, I was spending all my efforts on Instagram until I learnt that relationship building and looking for like-minded communities and people can bring a whole new realm of possibilities into your business.
Does it happen overnight? Of course not, but you could be one pitch away from a podcast interview, a live or a free feature.
Focus your efforts on creating an integrated marketing promotion on social media. Outreaching to press, building organic traffic with your blog and SEO, maybe doing ads if your budget allows. I know you can’t do it all at once, but look at the big picture, then prioritize.
4. Focus on people over profit
This is where all the steps come together. Regardless of whatever values you have chosen, I strongly believe that conscious consumers everywhere are screaming for more business owners to put people over profit all the time.
This means, paying fair wages, and paying attention to your clients. Finding a way to elevate your storytelling so that perhaps your product or service doesn’t get the “it’s too expensive feeling” but it implies “yeah, I want to support this because I believe in the impact”.
Mindful marketing will help you build an engaged audience that aligns with your purpose. And when you have motivated cheerleaders for your brand, you’ll start to see the magic coming in.
Most business owners want fast results, they want to launch a website, open an Instagram account and then immediately start getting sales. But the most common mistake I see is that they forget to start from the beginning: defining your purpose.
It’s so simple and so many people rush through it. Don’t be afraid to stand out, take things step by step, building a business is a journey and you should enjoy every step of the way.
I hope that you build a brand that you feel proud of and incorporate a powerful message that adds value to the world.
