The concept of “Mindfulness” is everywhere, even Steve Wright (on BBC Radio 2) was interviewing someone on this topic, this week and Goldie Hawn was speaking about her new book about mindfulness with Jonathan Ross a few weeks back. So what is this concept? Well, quite simply I believe it is the idea of being focused on one thing at a time and not easily being distracted. It is spoken about a lot when you refer to someone’s work/ life balance but, I also believe it is very relevant in the work place. To focus and concentrate on one thing at a time has the potential to be one of the biggest challenges ours and younger generations face as the digital world and marketing gains greater momentum and integration within our lives.
As I am sitting here and writing my blog I am also thinking about: what else is on my to do list, what marketing project briefs I need to write, what Facebook posts I need to schedule or email copy I need to draft; oh then an email pops up to tell me I have a new follower on Twitter and I receive a text from a friend. Unsurprisingly I am distracted.
Marketing has changed a log over the last few years and there seems to be two key areas within marketing this are being hugely effected by this concept – CONTENT and MEDIA CHOICE. When considering CONTENT marketing, is no longer about talking at our audiences and shouting the latest special offer or discount on a bill board or in a newspaper article. Marketing with the introduction of social media and Google’s sophisticated algorithms is now all about engagement, demonstrating experience, knowledge and providing interesting content that your audience want to read about. This engaging and relevant content is then peppered with offers or relevant discounts. The good news is that this in some ways is easier for a small business to do well vs some of the larger corporations. I did see a great example on this recently with three.co.uk and their blog, they launched the “Game of phones” campaign in response to the new “Game of thrones” series. A very clever play on words and one that got them a lot of coverage.
One of the bigger challenges faced by any business and in particular a smaller business is how to effectively achieve cut through in our MEDIA space. To choose the right social media network, or any media type and engage properly and effectively takes time, experience and a good strategy. As individuals we are bombarded with brands trying to promote themselves across all key media. So how do you achieve cut through on a small budget? The answer to this is a complex one but simply good relevant content in the right media will encourage your audience to engage with you. As part of our marketing strategy building we speak a lot about our target audience (more on that next month), once we know who they are we can talk to them in the right tone, and in the right media space.
I wish you a “Mindful” start to the Summer, practice just focusing on one thing at a time – with that in mind I am going to just focus on making a cup of tea and taking a break before tackling the next thing on my to do list!
And of course if I can help you to take a more “Mindful” approach to your marketing please do get in touch.
