What is Holistic Marketing?
When you think about the word “holistic,” health is often what comes to mind. Taking a holistic approach to our health means we are nurturing all aspects of our physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental wellbeing.
So it surprises me when people look at me sideways and tune out when I mention the importance of taking a holistic approach to business and, more specifically, in marketing.
The traditional business model focuses on physical input and output to drive results with little consideration for the other key aspects such as the wellbeing of employees and anyone who comes into contact with the business, such as customers, investors, vendors, etc., also known as stakeholders. The sole focus on the physical input and output worked great for the industrial revolution and still works if you are managing a workforce of robots. This is not the case for 99.9% of companies that employ a human workforce driving progress.
To take a holistic approach to business means the big picture for the future of the company encapsulates all components, departments, and individuals that are interconnected, working together, and not separated by divisions or sections that never touch or integrate with the big picture. It is similar to a conscious capitalism perspective in that a business is intentionally making decisions and taking actions to benefit all stakeholders.
To drill down further into what I do when consulting for companies to implement a holistic marketing strategy means to take into account how the marketing activities interconnect with all other departments from PR, finance, sales, revenue, etc. Within the marketing team itself, taking a holistic approach means getting crystal clear on the financial budget, time budget, and employee bandwidth and know-how, in order to focus efforts on a core set of activities with measurable results instead of casting a wide net and hoping if you do everything, something will work. If you’ve ever met a burnt-out social media manager, for example, not only is their creativity stifled, but their mental health is also depleting given the time they spend on platforms and consuming trends, and monitoring influencers.
Taking a holistic business and marketing approach means taking into account the overall health of an organization and all stakeholders. It is a concept that weaves together not only marketing activities, but also a business's purpose. It is taking into account the ecosystem that surrounds the company as much as the desired results from the next Facebook ad, for example.
Hustle culture and rapid hockey stick business growth for startups has become a celebrated narrative that many business owners find themselves reiterating, often at their own expense.
The corporate world has been doing this for decades, and with the rise of VC-backed companies, the same pressure to grow as fast as possible is also put upon the shoulders of solopreneurs and small businesses as a model for doing business the “right way.” But what if the “right way” to do business is actually taking care of all stakeholders while also earning higher profits? Studies show that a company that leads with its heart and mind enhances its bottom line over the traditional model. According to a Kin+Carta analysis, “ethical businesses have significantly outpaced the market across a number of key consumer product segments,” and this is only expected to continue to grow.
While the concept of building a holistic business may look good on paper, how do we actually implement this?
I believe it starts with the DNA of the company and must be deeply integrated by doing the following:
Simplify the Mission: Everyone in the company, no matter their role, should understand and be able to articulate where the company is going and the significance of their role holds in helping the ship reach its destination. This also helps to simplify processes and procedures.
Nurture Innovation and Creativity: Drop the drama and allow an open-door strategic approach. This is not a top-down approach, rather a way to nurture individuals. A top-down approach drives a company forward through a servitude obligation vs. an empowered commitment developed from innovative and creative ideas. Nurture the latter.
Develop Empathy: Create conditions where everyone can thrive and hold space for understanding another's perspective and where they are coming from. The simple asking of the question “why?” or “tell me more about that…” can open up vaults of trust and deeper understanding.
Lead with Honesty: A rock doesn’t become a diamond without a little friction. However, friction currently is weaponized in toxic work environments. Friction doesn't have to be a bad thing when an environment of giving and receiving feedback are valued skills that each individual is encouraged to develop. It is one of the hardest things to do as humans, and no one seems to talk about this in the context of work. This is me being honest ;) Let’s change that!
Have Full Transparency: If you are constantly moving towards goals in a fog, it’s guaranteed you’ll get off course. Have clear and consistent communication about the destination or goals with clear milestone markers for getting there. Just like planning a vacation, you don’t just get on a plane hoping to reach Hawaii. Instead, you are proactive in booking a ticket on a specific date and time, knowing that key milestones such as packing your bags, arriving at the airport two hours before takeoff, following TSA rules, knowing where you are staying when you get there, are all vital parts for a successful trip. Have a transparent itinerary for all team members.
If implementing this change feels overwhelming, that’s understandable. Change is hard, but to lead great companies, we have to get uncomfortable. As with working to accomplish any goal, start by breaking it down into smaller steps and staying close to why you are creating a better business. This process is more about the journey than the outcome, which goes against our current capitalistic-physical-output-focused mentality. This is the right thing to do when it comes to the future of everyone’s mental health and success. And, since this approach also helps the bottom line increase, that’s a win-win scenario all around. The world needs more of this, so who's with me?
