What Is Holistic Digital Marketing?
Holistic Digital Strategist, Eden Connelly Tallarico | Photo by Autumn Layne Photo
Ever think you “made something up” and then Google it to find out that you’re one of many who’ve had that same idea?
That’s what happened to me with the term “holistic digital marketing.”
Whatever.
Here’s my version.
Over the past 15+ years, I’ve helped small businesses, food businesses, diversity equity & inclusion organizations, artists, healers, dentists, coaches, tech companies, and plenty of holistic health businesses grow through a blend of online and offline strategies.
I’ve also studied digital marketing, content marketing, and social media marketing from the best in the business: folks like Neil Patel, Puno, Hubspot, Marie Forleo, Jeff Walker, Amy Porterfield, Digital Marketing School, General Assembly, and way too many podcasts.
I’ve always said, “if you put me in a room full of hippies, somehow I’m the most technical person in the room. But in a room full of techies, I’m definitely the biggest hippie in the room.”
So voilà! Put those two spheres of influence together and you get a holistic digital marketing strategist.
In my time walking between those worlds, I’ve seen a lot of what works––and a lot of what doesn’t.
And interestingly enough, I’ve noticed a lot of parallels between holistic health and digital health. Planetary sustainability and business sustainability. Feel me?
The truth is:
A healthy system is a healthy system. Doesn’t matter if it’s a human body or a digital marketing funnel.
You need new energy coming in
You need to transform that energy into something amazing
And, you need to constantly be processing it all (with no blockages or leaks)
Finally, you’ve got to be giving it back to the world.
And, one thing that’s kind of a non-negotiable in my business:
You need to be doing something good.
Of course, “good” is relative. But what I mean is that in 2020 and beyond, adding value to our society & our planet is a must. Offering something of regenerative value rather than degradation or destruction. (Unless, of course, it’s the degradation of the prison industrial complex or racism or plastic which is totally a great use of energy)…
But what I’m saying is this: when you’re offering something good in the world that helps people or the planet, it’s a heck of a lot easier to build a business. A lot easier, I believe, than if you’re trying to produce and sell another toxic product that hurts animals, people and the planet and you’re not that passionate about it anyway.
What I’ve found is this:
If you work in the alignment of who you are, what your gifts are, and whom you’re here to serve: you’re on the path of profitable, pleasurable sustainability.
And your business success is just a few digital marketing tweaks away from converting into a flourishing reality.
Below are a few key holistic digital marketing principles and practices I’ve gleaned in my time practicing digital marketing in healing spaces, and it is my hope that they help you feel more empowered, connected, and successful in your work.
EMBRACE Bioindividuality
Everybody’s different.
Literally: every body is different.
So in the same way that you can’t slap somebody else’s diet on and expect long-lasting results (example: a lot of experts might say something like “plant-based diets are healthiest,” but the truth is, many body types, like folks with anemia for instance, might benefit from small portions of red meat..)… So you also can’t just slap on somebody' else’s digital marketing strategy and expect it to work perfectly for your body or business. Like anything else in life––there’s nuance and individualization.
And that’s where the fun comes in!
The truth is, when you’re engaging in digital marketing, a magic formula reveals itself in the space between your strategy and your actual target demographic.
And that magic formula gets figured out by first honing in on your intuitive sense of what will work (which gets clearer the closer you know your audience and start anticipating their needs).
Too often, people get all “in their head” when it comes time to create a business or sell a product.
But the truth is, a good, successful business can be as simple as knowing somebody needs a glass of cold water when they come into your house on a hot summer day.
So by being present, and being in the moment with with your audience, you can get better at figuring out how you can best serve them. Compare that with what makes you feel alive, and you should be able to intuit the best digital marketing strategies that will actually work for you and your target demographic.
Let me give you an example.
Jeff Walker’s Launch strategy offers a set number of emails that are sent in the pre-pre launch, then pre-launch, then launch phase of a product. The launch phase of time is often condensed into a 5-7 day period of time in which people are pushed to make a decision about whether or not they want to sign up for a product and take advantage of whatever deal is being offered in that limited time.
You’ve probably seen this in your inbox before. It usually consists of a few really valuable lessons (for free), and then a slow-but-sure escalation towards, “Just 3 more days to join my course!”
Within that launch formula, there’s a whole set of psychological triggers happening (like scarcity, deadlines, social proof, etc.) that work wonders in getting people to go from thinking about buying your product to actually hitting the “add to cart” button.
But the truth is, if you followed his strategy to a T, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to see the results you want.
Let’s say, oh, I don’t know, a pandemic hits and your product is geared towards mothers of small children.
Do you really think they need more pressure on them in this moment to make a decision?
Maybe. But maybe not.
Maybe, instead, you can create a slow-roll launch strategy that offers them peace, calm, and ease rather than scarcity and pressure. Maybe that becomes valuable enough for them to say yes to your product.
I’m not saying you don’t put any parameters on your offer. (You almost always should). But, I’m saying it’s OK to intuit a bit to figure out what feels the best and might garner the best results.
If that metaphor didn’t do it for you, here’s another one:
Smart marketing is like sex. Maybe you want to learn a few guidelines before you get in there, but ultimately, you’ve gotta feel your way around to find your own magic.
2. Quality over quantity
The internet doesn’t need any more bullshit.
There’s already so many stupid things to sort through: recipe blog posts that are tremendously long just so they can display the maximum amount of ads and command the greatest amount of revenue (get that money, but like, come on y’all)… instagram posts that literally say and mean nothing (I’m all about fashion, lifestyle, beauty, and beyond, but I can kind of tell when you’re just posting because you told yourself you would post today vs. posting something that you genuinely feel moved to share)…
Just because you can get 10 boxes of mac’n’cheese for $4.99 doesn’t mean you should.
That shit isn’t going to make you feel good.
It’s not going to leave people raving, “OMG you have to try Kraft’s boxed Macaroni and Cheese!”
It’s going to leave them with a bellyache.
You know what people do remember?
The mac’n’cheese they ate at a roadside stand in Mississippi once.
Why? Because it’s a family recipe, with a whole lot of love in it and a few unique ingredients. And they could only get it that one time.
Be that type of mac’n’cheese.
Be the memory of how you made someone feel.
And you want them to feel: transformed, uplifted, joyful, healed, relieved, whatever. Just offer them something of value. Make em feel something. Doesn’t matter if it’s a product you’re selling, or an instagram post. Just try to make it a gem. Try to make it helpful.
Be the soul food that folks are craving, and will rave about.
Pro tip: if you leave them raving, you don’t have to spend as much time, energy, or effort on marketing. Some of the most successful businesses have never had to spend a dime on marketing. (now ain’t that some shit.)
3. think holistically
If your toe hurts, you’ve got a couple of options.
You could pop an ibuprofen. You could call your doctor and ask for help. And/or, you could ponder, for a minute, about why your toe might hurt.
It it that new pair of cute sandals you bought (that fucking crush your feet) but you paid good money for them so you’re still trying to force the issue?
In Western medical culture, we tend to skip over the “why” and go straight for pain relief.
But by asking why, we can usually illuminate greater networks of connections that are currently influencing the way that we feel, as well as the counterbalances we can incorporate into our lives so we can feel better.
The truth is, a lot of dominant digital marketing theories operate from a similar perspective. Shitty email open rate? Gotta write better subject lines. People opening the email but not clicking through? Gotta have at least 3 CTA’s and the button should be bright blue. And while this very well might be true (and usually, in some ways, is), it might also be true that your email list is filled with people who honestly don’t give a shit about what you’re selling. Or, it could be filled with people who like you, but just aren’t motivated or convinced enough to buy what you’re selling.
In the same way that you could end up taking pain medication for your toe instead of ditching the uncomfortable shoes; a lot of people also get caught up in spending a lot of money on fixing email subject lines or sending the email at different times of the day or segmenting the list into 50 different sub-categories of buyers when they actually need to be doing some soul searching.
I’m not saying that those aren’t good strategies, but you need SOMEBODY on your team (and it might just be you) who can look at issues a bit deeper and see the connection points between who you are, what you’re selling, and whom your audience is.
The truth is, if you’ve got a killer product, a subject line doesn’t really even matter that much.
Like it does, but it doesn’t have to be optimized to the umpteenth degree. It just has to not suck completely or bore people to death before they open the email. (Which shouldn’t be a hard thing to accomplish).
9/10 times, people’s offerings are off. Or their messaging is off.
But a lot of those very same people get lost in the strategy when they should be spending a moment to reconnect with their why, or their audience, or remember the fact that they broke their foot in 5 places and are prone to arthritis so if they want their foot to not hurt they have to stretch it a bit each day and wear some comfortable shoes.
Choose your pathway, but try to think holistically.
It’s not hippie, it’s just smarter.
“I never made one of my discoveries through the process of rational thinking”
― Albert Einstein
4. Who Got the Juice?
This one’s fairly simple, but most digital marketers won’t tell you about it.
Ditch the idea that one digital marketing strategy is going to save you.
The problem isn’t that you’re not on Linkedin; and the answer is not solely SEO.
There’s never one problem behind a business’ success.
If you’re not selling, chances are, there’s a deeper issue happening within (that we can totally address, and adjust for!)
But the truth is, I’ve seen folks give 5% of their energy to digital marketing with huge success; while watching others do everything “right” when it came to digital marketing, but still struggle to find traction within their market.
Your digital marketing strategy should be the icing on the cake, not the cake itself.
YOU ARE THE CAKE.
If you or your offerings aren’t already magnetic, then you need to spend a little bit of time meditating on you, your gifts, whom you’re serving, and how you’re serving them.
Of course, nobody starts out perfect.
Magnetism is amplified through practice.
The more you’re out there selling and sharing and teaching and listening to your audience: the better you, and your product, are going to be at connecting with them.
If you’re a shy person, or just not really interested in being a visible part of your operation: that’s totally cool! Being the “face” or “voice” of a company isn’t for everyone. And many companies run even more successfully when they hire someone to BE that face or voice. But it’s got to be powered by somebody.
A little secret? We all got the juice.
Yes you. And you. And your cousin too.
But the world, from the time we’re little, dilutes our juice, and asks us to water it down so we’re barely distinguishable. So you taste like Red 40 or like everybody else.
But in 2020, we’ve got to give ourselves full permission to be our own flavor of Kombucha. Be unique. Be our own damn selves. And the more we can nurture and nourish our individuality and our core essence: the more magnetic we become.
5. Consistency Over Abundance
I’m all about “abundance mentality” and reality.
It’s a practice, and it will be a constant practice for most everybody.
BUT I’m not really into being treated like a Queen the first few months we’re dating if you’re going to treat me like your pal the 5th year we’re married.
What can you deliver beautifully; consistently?
See, when we’re consistent, we can build trust. We can become people (or products) that people can depend on.
In order to be worthy of investing in out of thin air (AKA the internet), it helps for folks to really feel like they can depend on you.
The bodega on the corner becomes our go-to for all things because they’re consistent: they’re open, they charge what they charge, and they have paper towels, a seltzer, and a bacon egg and cheese when you need it. Folks know what to expect.
If you’re starting an online business, you also need to carve out your own space on the internet, and the way we can do this is through consistency.
Because we don’t have a brick and mortar, with digital businesses––consistency matters even more than ever.
It’s how you allow people to have a chance to get to know you, and your product, and then become known for what you offer.
Most people need to see something 7 times before they buy it.
Google rewards consistency.
Social media rewards consistency.
Your community will be founded on your consistency.
Now, I don’t want you to go crazy for 2 months posting 10 stories every day and burn out.
And I definitely don’t want you to only try to sell your product when you’re desperate, or when you feel unseasonably confident because you’re ovulating, and then the rest of the month you’re going to hide in the shadows questioning your worth because nobody’s buying from you.
I want to see you send a monthly email for 2 years straight.
Real, sustainable growth takes time, energy, and effort.
I’m all about helping my clients build lifestyle businesses (sure, some startups too), but I don’t think the world needs more stressed-out, anxious, overworked people spending 10 hours a day in front of their computers.
I’m all about helping folks figure out how to do what they love, serve the world, and get paid for it––now, tomorrow, and for decades to come.
So, what can you do––consistently?
Is it 1 email a month?
3 social media posts per week?
The truth is, there’s no magic number to this.
It’s YOUR number.
It’s about what you can do––consistently.
So shift out of the immediate-gratification-startup-dice-roll way of thinking, and into the, “I’m creating a sustainable business” way of thinking. When you zoom out 5 years: what are your goals? What can you do today to work towards accomplishing them?
Going into overdrive for 6 months before you crash and burn ain’t it.
Taking slow but steady steps forward, making mistakes along the way, iterating, persisting, and dreaming bigger and bigger with each threshold of a reality you manifest––is.
6. Leverage Your Content across MULTIPLE platforms
This is an example of how thinking “holistically” can play out IRL in your content strategy.
All too often, people feel pressure to create social media content, blog content, and email content separately, when in reality, they can all be strengthened, and your efforts can be reduced, when you. leverage them all together.
Here’s what I mean by that.
When we reference the “quality over quantity” principle above, we know that high-quality content that answers people’s questions and/or delights/inspires/teaches/makes them feel transformed is the type of content we want to be striving for.
High quality content starts with an idea.
For some people, the best/most natural and direct way to share their idea comes from:
Recording a quick video on social media
Sitting down in front of the computer and hashing out a 1500-word blog post.
Writing an email to your subscribers
Recording a podcast episode
Whatever form the content idea arises out of you is perfect. There’s no “one best platform.” (Sure, video is really popular because humans are simple creatures who are hypnotized by bright lights and movement, but if YOU aren’t really that comfortable on camera, and it pains you to record a video––it’s probably not your best look, sis. And that’s TOTALLY okay! It ain’t mine either).
So start by channeling that original energy, or idea, into a medium that comes most naturally to you.
Then, after you’ve optimized the content for that channel (for instance, if you’re posting a video to social, you might want to chop up the editing a bit for short attention spans, and add captions considering most folks are scrolling on mobile phones with the sound off)…
After you’ve optimized and posted the content on your preferred platform, then keep in mind your work doesn’t stop there.
You can leverage the same amazing content across multiple platforms.
And I don’t mean just pressing the “share” button within Instagram so it also publishes to Facebook.
I mean taking a moment to translate the original idea, or content piece, natively for each platform.
For instance, if you created an instagram post on a 5 minute yoga practice, you can also cue this content up for an email to your subscribers.
Of course, you don’t just send the video. You set the video up with some words about how you thought about recording this video, and what the main point is you wanted to communicate, and then send them to the video.
For really great content, and especially content that is “cornerstone” to your mission/purpose, you might also want to convert that video into a blog post that is optimized for SEO.
This is called 360 digital marketing: one original, high-quality piece of content being parsed out across platforms so you can reach the maximum number of people on each respective platform.
Plus, someone might be scrolling through their social media feed and come across your video and not have time to watch it, but then when they receive your email later they might be more inclined to watch it on a larger screen.
Repetition, and consistency (again) are important when it comes to digital marketing.
People need to see the same thing many times, in a few different ways, for their mind to begin remembering that this is you, and this is what you offer, and you can then become “top of mind” when someone inquires about something related to your offer.
PLUS, leveraging your content this way saves you a shitton of time, energy and effort.
While strengthening your brand.
One more analogy:
you start with high-quality, biodynamic grains. The grains are processed into a nutritious, delicious flour. You knead the dough into bread, muffins, and use the leftovers for the crust of a quiche. SOme folks want to buy the whole loaf of bread (your longer video on youtube or blog post), others just want a bite of a muffin (a social post). Either way, they’re all reflective of the original, high-quality, inspiring energy and attention you started with.
Eden in the woods with Autumn behind the camera.
At the end of the day, digital marketing success is always a blend of a multitude of factors.
And that’s why I call it “holistic digital marketing.”
Ba-dum-tshish.
A few of the most important factors include:
Who you are
How you tell the story of who you are
Who you help
How you help them
Your ability to communicate all of these things in a smart, cohesive way across the internet
And the truth is, there’s not one digital marketing toolkit, PDF, or in-depth course that is going to be able to teach you who you are, whom your customers are, or how to listen for the thread between what you love to do and what they want to pay you for.
Like many things, this is where nuance, receptivity, and intuition come into play.
Yes, some basic digital marketing know-how will take you a long way in growing your business, but the truth is, a lot of folks get lost in that sauce and spend tons of money in the process without ever seeing their return on investment.
So I like to encourage my clients to stay rooted in that basic sense of knowing 3 important things:
Who you are
What makes you feel alive
Whom you are here to serve
When you constantly tune into those 3 things and remain open to learning new things, get constantly honest about your blockages: what’s working and what’s not, employing support where you need it, and finally, being willing to KEEP putting yourself out there and committing to the entrepreneurial journey––you’re walking the path of profitable, pleasurable, sustainability. And I promise this path is just as solid as the traditional career path you were on before.
