
The New Age of Marketing – 5 Ways to be more effective
Posted by Stacey Pilcher
I just completed my 200 hour yoga teacher training – RYT 200. Every month, for the last 10 months, I headed up to Sedona, AZ (rough duty, I know) for three days of training. I did the program to deepen my yoga practice. I really didn’t think it would help me in marketing and business, but that’s the funny thing about learning anything new (or old in this case) it almost always has other applications.
I found 5 takeaways that are particularly relevant to the business of marketing.
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Collaboration.
In becoming a new teacher one of the first things you learn is the student teacher chant. In its essence, it is really about the beauty of collaboration. Learning together, sharing with others and growing without conflict – all to strengthen the team and get each person closer to their objectives and the objectives of the group. Success demands collaboration.
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Truth.
Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, newspapers, television, radio, email, podcasts, YouTube, people – with so much information coming at us from all directions, it is sometimes hard to discern the truth. And as humans we tend to stick to our knitting – consuming information only from like-minded sources. In yoga, we are taught to look at all the information, because the truth lies somewhere between the extremes. In marketing we have a responsibility to tell stories based in fact.
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Consistency
Creating consistency of habit and developing patterns fosters growth. Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do.” Darrell Hardy, publisher of Success Magazine relates a story of a CEO, in his book “The Compound Effect,” who decided that each day for a year, he would walk the halls and meet one new employee. Over that year he effectively changed the culture of his company for the better. For me, after a year of a consistent yoga practice, a head stand is easy. What if you made it a habit to spend 15 minutes a day reviewing new marketing technology developments? How much knowledge will you gain in a year?
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Learning.
The history of yoga can be traced back 5,000 years. It is still relevant today, even if applied in a different way to a multitude of audiences. In marketing we always strive to find the one thing that sets a company apart, that little difference that makes all the difference. What we find in today’s world is a multitude of ways to communicate that difference. Understanding how to use marketing tools and determining which ones are appropriate is one of the challenges of today’s environment. New approaches in social media have greatly impacted how we consume information. Embrace new methodologies and then, push the envelope, try new ideas, and utilize old ideas in new ways.
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Inner Calm.
One of the great yoga masters, Sri Swami Satchidananda, observed that we cannot always avoid situations of stress or conflict, but we can help heal them by contributing our own calmness, serenity and compassion to the situation. Where do we find our inner calm? For me, it is taking myself away from the everyday, every day, for just a little while in yoga or a walk or a hike outside. It clears the mind and opens it up to creativity.
If you haven’t had a chance, take a moment to listen to the Ted Talk by Pico Iyer – The Art of Stillness. He closes with this thought.
“In an age of speed, I began to think, nothing could be more invigorating than going slow. In an age of distraction, nothing can feel more luxurious than paying attention. And in an age of constant movement, nothing is more urgent than sitting still.”
As songwriter and noble laureate, Bob Dylan said in 1974, “For the times they are a-changin.” That is certainly true today. These times are ushering in a new age of marketing. One that is both complex and exciting, and one which demands a high level of responsibility from professionals. Embrace the changes and utilize these guidelines to help you connect to your success.
To learn more, follow me on twitter @pilcheretal, connect on LinkedIn or sign up for email updates.
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