06/02/2016

Mindfulness in Marketing

Over the past few years, mindfulness has been rapidly growing in popularity in today’s over-stimulated, multitasking society. An overload of information, paired with the constant race in terms of who can get the most work done in a 40-hour week, has caused an increase in stress and other health risks.

Mindfulness is defined as being aware of – and living in – your present moment. And not just being aware, but paying attention to your actions in a nonjudgmental way. This means you are not necessarily setting out to change current behaviors, but are witnessing them almost as an outsider, allowing you to become more aware of your actions and possibly even finding better ways to accomplish the same goals.

Mindfulness in Business Culture

Being in the present moment takes a lot of practice, but seems worth it, given some recent statistics. Focusing on more than one thing at a time drastically lowers one’s productivity and ability to do tasks well. Lisa Nirell, author of “The Mindful Marketer,” explains “Studies show that while multitasking, women’s IQs drop an average of 5 points, and men’s drop 15.” That’s a staggering decline in brain power just from multitasking.

Aside from increasing focus and improving attention to detail, practicing mindfulness in the workplace also allows employees to be more proactive, as opposed to reactive, when making decisions. Being able to take a step back and look at a seemingly routine situation with a different mindset can result in extremely positive changes.

This approach helps you question even the most standard procedures your company implements. When you take yourself out of the “autopilot” mode many people tend to work in, you are able to see other possible solutions to the problem at hand. Mindfulness allows people to implement new solutions to problems that may have plagued them for years. Even just one new idea or strategy can encourage a complete change in the mentality of your employees.

Being Mindful with Customers

Nirell explains that “Mindfulness teaches us how to step back and be the observer of these social patterns.” She goes on to question, “While designing your marketing approaches, do you want to bring peace of mind, simplicity and harmony to your customers? Or pour gasoline on their fires of anxiety, hurry and worry?”

While it may sound far-fetched, the fact that we are seeing thousands of marketing messages a day reiterates the need for less, more focused advertising to reach our target audiences. A great place to start is with incorporating the benefits of your products or services in a way that have a positive impact on your customer’s day-to-day. Mindfulness hinges on including positivity in one’s life; that means removing excess from your plate and keeping only that which improves your current situation.

Promoting your business as one that removes stress and other burdens will play a positive role within clients’ psyche. Approaching clients through products that promote mindfulness shows that you aren’t just pitching them – you are truly invested in their success and overall well-being.

Promoting a More Positive, Meaningful Lifestyle

Yoga and meditation are constantly being mentioned by the mindfulness community. These practices help keep the mind focused and are said to help you have more mindful experiences.

Gifting items that promote mindfulness can be a great way to help foster that mindset among employees, as well as customers. Items that encourage a mindful lifestyle, such as a yoga mat with your logo on it to help promote mindful exercise. In addition, offering a variety of yoga pants affixed with your brand can ensure you stay top of mind for a long time to come.

Coloring books have become increasingly popular over the last few years, and can be a very thoughtful, yet productive gift to give to an employee or customer. There is an abundance of research that shows coloring can reduce stress, anxiety, and help induce a meditative, yet creative state for those taking part. Coloring is said to “relax the mind and make a person more mindful. It also keeps him/her focused on the present moment.”

Similar to meditation, coloring allows us to focus on the moment, as opposed to having our brains wander between thoughts of the past or future. Nueropsychologist Dr. Stan Rodski was able to witness the calming effects coloring had on people using advanced technology. “The most amazing things occurred,” he said. “We started seeing changes in heart rate, changes in brainwaves…”

Final Thoughts

Promoting a more positive mindset at home or in the workplace can benefit your employees, customers, and overall business. Being able to come up with slightly different solutions towards getting the same result can increase real productivity, creativity, and happiness among core audiences.