We hear it a lot. "Follow your heart." But what does it mean to “market with heart?” To me, marketing with heart, or truth-telling, is a way to BE REAL and WHO WE TRULY ARE when sharing our offerings. It's a new way to market, and it's VERY effective. Here's why: Many marketing experts tell us to paint a façade, create an illusion, or a fantasy that grabs people’s attention, then push on their pain points in a way that manipulates their fears so they will buy your thing. To my eyes and ears, this is unethical and needs to stop. It also feels icky. Why not be who we are? I believe that who we are is ENOUGH. Actually, more than enough. Each of us carries a collection of unique and compelling life experiences and beautiful story arcs that illustrate challenges overcome, lessons learned, and medicine to share. It's all inside us! Yet so many of us wrestle with how to describe our work, how to convey the passion we feel for it, how to draw people in, and how to generate interest so we can keep building our vision so it not only supports the clients we serve, but also supports us creatively and financially. We wrestle because we want to do it right, without resorting to unethical tactics that prey on people's fears. And we certainly don't want to exploit ourselves by sharing details from our lives that shock people into action. What if, instead of preying on their fears, we inspire their hearts? To market with heart asks us to drop the façade, align with our deeper purpose, then build our marketing platform from there. GREAT NEWS! I'm leading a workshop on "Marketing With Heart" in February. Scroll down for more details. When we tap into our inner fire (note: all entrepreneurs have this, it’s what fuels us), we find words that tell the origin stories of our heart-work. And this is the stuff that resonates with people and draws them in. And far from icky, it feels solid, plugged in, passionate – and magnetic. These are the feelings we’re aiming for! Uncovering our origin stories takes courage and tenderness. Sometimes it takes awhile for the seeds of our stories to sprout and grow. Is it worth the effort? I say YES. I just heard from a client this week who worked with me on her brand story two years ago. She told me she is just now starting to feel a sense of change and expansion (in her life and business) as a result of that work. Things are clicking into place for her, and she's feeling more confident than ever. Yes, it's worth the effort. This kind of change is deep and rooted.Our truth and our stories form the foundational soil from which our important, life-changing work in the world grows. We are the change-makers the world needs now. Let’s not shy away from our stories and truth. NEW WORKSHOP: Marketing with Heart Join me in Bloomington, IN for this special workshop for independent, entrepreneurial women! Together, we'll learn how to…
|
Kim Evans,
Author and Branding Consultant I am passionate about helping mission-centered business owners share their message through compelling written and visual content. I offer personalized coaching programs designed to help my clients tap their inner wisdom, craft their message, and reach their ideal customers. SUBSCRIBEArchives
July 2019
Categories
All
|