A recent Kaiser Family Foundation study found that nearly 40 percent of Americans believe the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected their mental health. While recognizing the need to encourage good mental health in the workplace is not new, it has become more complex. With more individuals working remotely, businesses need to find new ways to support and interact with their employees as well as their prospects, customers and other stakeholders. One way to do this is through the practice of mindfulness.

Mindfulness Defined

According to Mindful.org, mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. Regularly practicing mindfulness helps to reduce stress, enhance performance, gain insight and awareness through observing our own mind and increase our attention to others’ well-being. Studies outside the workplace have shown that mindfulness is linked to and has the capacity to improve skills such as regulating attention and behavior. This can be helpful from a productivity standpoint, but it also boosts our ability to communicate meaningfully. Mindfulness of ourselves and our surroundings allows us to act with empathy toward the people around us. At the individual level, mindfulness can make a big difference in the quality of our interactions. At the corporate level, the impact is even greater.

Tips for Engaging in Mindful Marketing

1. Be aware of your presence. Mindfulness is largely about taking stock of the moment and your position within it. This kind of awareness helps you understand where you are, how you got there and where you’re headed. In marketing, maintaining an ongoing focus on your company’s vision and mission aligns with those goals. Is your brand making the impact you want? Are you present in the spaces that are most vital? A marketing plan that keeps a close eye on what you’re already doing in addition to your goals can help you maintain mindfulness and alignment. Laura Patterson of VisionEdge Marketing says, “Properly created, the marketing plan is a living road map that is anchored to the overall business outcomes and focuses on customer value, growth, and profitability. It brings your strategy to life.” That means marketing with mindfulness and intent.

2. Be objective. Mindfulness helps us understand the points of view of others and prevent us from being overly opinionated. Objectivity helps us make unbiased decisions that are based on facts rather than emotion. Data-driven decision-making through metrics and market research aids marketers in keeping an objective perspective that prioritizes company success. For marketers, objectivity allows us to create messaging and initiatives that resonate with target audiences.

3. Be intentional, not habitual. A goal of mindfulness is to understand our habits and the ways that they might help or harm us. Using the same messages and mediums again and again leaves you stuck on a hamster wheel. Develop conscious awareness and slow down to be intentional about your next move. Review your strategy and measure tactics on a regular basis to understand the ROI of your efforts. If something isn’t working, consider how to change it.

4. Communicate with customers and prospects using empathy. Every individual you connect with has their own set of concerns, goals and stresses. By prioritizing empathy in your marketing, your messages will resonate with your target audiences. Drew McLellan of Agency Management Institute discusses the lessons learned from 2020: “It seems as though the sensitivity meter is set on high for just about every person on the planet. You need to understand the issues and sensitivities of your audience and double-check your creative, messaging and delivery to make sure that you’re in alignment with the current sentiments.”

5. Don’t ignore your competitors. Mindfulness promotes awareness of the self, but also awareness of our surroundings. It’s important to keep your competition on your radar by conducting a competitive analysis. A competitive analysis as defined by Christine White, marketing expert at Hubspot, is “a strategy where you identify major competitors and research their products, sales, and marketing strategies.” This helps you understand what the competitors are doing, how they are connecting with certain target markets and what marketplace trends exist that might affect or be incorporated into your own strategy.

6. Practice mindfulness internally. Mindfulness is most effective when practiced regularly and incorporated in the corporate culture. Companies like Google, Target and General Mills invest in opportunities for their employees to practice mindfulness through retreats, comfortable work environments and mental-health services. Additional activities include engaging in meditation or yoga regularly, inserting short breaks into daily routines and practicing gratitude.

Benefits of Mindfulness

Mindfulness allows us to better understand ourselves and our environment, maintain focus, reduce stress and prioritize understanding and empathy. Far more than a self-help trend, mindfulness helps us develop a new level of clarity that will drive informed decision-making. Using the practice of mindfulness, businesses that take consistent stock of themselves, their culture, their brand and their corporate footprint, are more likely to create marketing programs that earn the trust and respect of those they serve.