A Soulful Practice: Moving From Results-Driven towards Authentic Marketing

Since you’re drawn to my content, I’m going to guess:

You’re in business not primarily for the money nor fame.

You’d love your business to be an expression of your calling… an opportunity to serve others’ transformation… what I call an “authentic business.”

Of course you’d love your business to pay the bills too, but even if it didn’t, you would still provide your authentic service in some other way, such as a hobby.

Yet, when we learn from marketing experts, they will use money or fame to get our attention:

“Grow your income to 7-figures!”

“Get thousands of followers!”

What’s absent from their marketing — to instill the joy of service.

It appears that Money/Fame has become the god of their business.

Within that framework, they use marketing as a way to manipulate other humans to produce money and followership.

As a result, they experience the hells of emotional extremes, depending on how their numbers are doing.

The more we’re influenced by them, the more we’re attached to numbers and results. We start to see marketing as a means to an end… a necessary evil to eventually build the spiritual business that we actually want.

Upon reflection, you’ll realize that compromising your values isn’t going to build a business that sustainably fulfills you…

Driven by results?

With a results-driven mindset, we forget that marketing that is *creative* (by definition: doing something new) cannot accurately predict the ROI (return on investment).

The illusion is that you can market something unique (like your work!) and expect specific results: that you should be able to send a cleverly-copywritten email and get X dollars in sales. You should be able to advertise for X dollars and get Y dollars in revenue.

An authentic business doesn’t work in such predictable ways — at first.

The reliable systems and predictable investments are built eventually… but even those will need continual updating to remain authentic and of real service.

This is the path — and price — of authenticity and deep fulfillment.

We first commit to the practice of authentic creativity and heartfelt service. Then we continually tweak our systems and processes to express (even more truthfully) our whole self and our love for our audience and work.

The 80/20 Rule

Some who read this might incorrectly assume that this means we never “sell” or mention our offers.

To the contrary.

Notice what I do: I frequently sell (I often post some kind of offer every Wednesday on the George Kao Community Facebook Page), because I believe in the programs that I offer, that they are of true service to the buyers.

I recommend the 80/20 rule — let 80% of our posts be content-only without selling, yet let 20% of them be gentle, transparent, confident sharing of our offer/service. Why? Because our audience frequently forgets what we sell.

Yes, even selling can be done from a posture of heartfelt service. I sell frequently, though gently.

Walk the path of joy and service…

Seeing your business as your calling, you can make marketing your soulful expression, and a ministry to your audience.

Every time you post something helpful or inspiring on social media, you have the opportunity to practice communicating what is truthful, deeply resonant, for you, and at the same time, you have the privilege of making a positive impact on even a few who might see the post.

“Do marketing so that I get clients” is a means-to-an-end, and that is the start of inauthenticity, the avoidance of your truth.

Instead, let’s transform marketing into an activity that is itself worthwhile… an act of truthful exploration, authentic creativity, and joyful service.

“When you think of what you do as a ministry or service to the Universe, there is a deeper sense of trust & peace that the Universe will always provide…” –Cynthia Killion