Marketing as a Force for Good, Part I
Marketing is a tool - and out of sheer necessity, you want to be understood as a positive influence in your dream prospects' world.
It follows that long-term successful marketing should be the OPPOSITE of coercing/manipulating/FOMO-ing/snake-oiling your audience into buying from you.
Instead, mindful marketing, sustainable marketing, and ethical marketing have this in common:
They're about putting yourself out there, wholly and humbly, stepping in front of the people you were meant to serve, your dream audience: the ones casually browsing or actively scouting for what you have to bring to their table.
If you feel like your voice is drowned out in a sea of noise - the 1st step towards getting a word in and getting relevant eyes on your content is knowing whom you serve.
(Need a bit of help there? Sign up for me free, no-strings, 5-day Dream Client Challenge. Coffee's on you.)
Then, the free value you offer through mindful marketing is you helping your dream prospects without the price tag - proofing your worth threefold:
- You understand their (view and position in the) world.
- You've got skin in the game aka CARE about their outcome.
- You're EXACTLY who they've been looking for.
What to give away for free to not undermine yourself and your services?
My rule of thumb:
If it's outside the area where your core expertise meets business brilliance meets business bliss but inside one of the three, you can gift-wrap it into RICH content:
- Relevant
- Intentional
- Consistent
- High-Value
Say you write marketing copy for the fashion industry. Giving away a bilingual list of the hottest marketing terms 2020 would help your clients talk to their suppliers/clients in the market that’s your native tongue without taking away from your core offer.
Say you translate technical manuals for aviation: Your content could include a glossary of terms that are often misused or mistranslated - and this would work two-fold, serving your dream clients and helping out fellow translators, strengthening your industry network (= more referrals).
Say you're currently editing anything from websites to podcast transcriptions but dream of editing nonfiction books only: Diving deeper into your purpose and sharing editing tips that empower and educate authors of exactly the kind of books you want to work on will open your doors into their world.
Define your business goals, then start building reputation and rapport:
Your target market will TELL you what they NEED from you. All you have to do is tap into the flow of information that is the www, take note(s) and start CREATING VALUE.
Let’s start from the beginning:
What’s the difference between your target market, your niche, and your dream prospects?
Some people use these interchangeably when in fact, they’re describing your path from zero to living your purpose.
Read all about it in Part II of this mini-series on Mindful Marketing.