Ethical Marketing

[EmptinessDncing]

I was a corporate sales rep for years, quit (because it was unethical), found my LP and am now looking at building my business back up again from an ethical perspective.  Marketing is awkward.  It feels like people want you to bullshit them in order to buy.  I don't want to do this, yet honesty doesn't pay. 

Take the example of spiritual teachers. People are so convinced that enlightenment is X that if you tell them, no, it's actually Y, they think you are a fraud. So do you pretend to be X just to gain trust, until they develop enough for you to explain it more honestly? People are so used to being fed bullshit, that they see it as professional. I am a spiritual teacher with a focus on emotional mastery and meditation. 

I'm happy to pay good money to someone that can help me market my business.  Teach me social media marketing etc.  Just half the shit out there makes me want to vomit.  Any ideas people? 

 

[Aquarius]

Here are some ideas I found on ethical marketing:

 

All marketing communications share the common standard of truth.

Marketing professionals abide by the highest standard of personal ethics.

Advertising is clearly distinguished from news and entertainment content.

Marketers should be transparent about who they pay to endorse their products.

Consumers should be treated fairly based on the nature of the product and the nature of the consumer (e.g. marketing to children).

The privacy of the consumer should never be compromised.

Marketers must comply with regulations and standards established by governmental and professional organizations.

Ethics should be discussed openly and honestly during all marketing decisions.

[Andreas]

Market without lying, but still show them why they should buy your product and how it would benefit them. The key here is honesty. And also, for ethics, don’t sell stupid stuff like fast food or videogames to people. But healthy foods and social guides. 

Try to market to yourself before publishing. Pretend you are the customer and try to see what your future would look like after buying the product. Maybe 1, 3 and 10 years in the future or something. 

[universe]

If I was you I wouldnt care about ethical marketing. Your product itself is as "high consciousness" as its gets. Do whatever brings the $ you need. Just make sure the product is actually good and works for people.

You are selling an info product or consulting hours. So the product is all about you right? Make sure you are seen as an authority in your field. Use every opportunity to share your knowledge, do interviews, give talks in local meetups or on your youtube channel. Everywhere, where potential customers can see it. Google "how to become an authoritiy in your field".

[aurum]

@EmptinessDncing

Marketing isn't awkward, your definition of marketing is just limited.

Marketing doesn't have to be you being this sleezy salesman. Leo's free videos are marketing. This forum is marketing. I'm marketing right now.

In a sense, everything you do is marketing. The only question is whether your marketing is effective and adds value to everyone in the process.

21 hours ago, EmptinessDncing said:

People are so convinced that enlightenment is X that if you tell them, no, it's actually Y, they think you are a fraud. So do you pretend to be X just to gain trust, until they develop enough for you to explain it more honestly?

It's not about pretending, it's about understanding who you are talking to.

If you have a five year old kid, are you going to teach them the same way you'd talk to a grown man? No, because they have different perspectives and different levels of understanding.

People get so tripped on this because they think it's "fake". It's not fake, it's caring and being empathetic enough to relate to your audience.

Of course you always want to speak your truth. And some people will just never resonate with it no matter what you do. But the point is you can explain that truth in many different equally valid forms.

To be something like a spiritual teacher, it's not about you and expressing your opinions and having to be right. That's selfish. It's all about what does this person need to hear to get to the next level? Everything else is more or less irrelevant.

[Emerald]

On 10/31/2018 at 4:57 PM, EmptinessDncing said:

I was a corporate sales rep for years, quit (because it was unethical), found my LP and am now looking at building my business back up again from an ethical perspective.  Marketing is awkward.  It feels like people want you to bullshit them in order to buy.  I don't want to do this, yet honesty doesn't pay. 

Take the example of spiritual teachers. People are so convinced that enlightenment is X that if you tell them, no, it's actually Y, they think you are a fraud. So do you pretend to be X just to gain trust, until they develop enough for you to explain it more honestly? People are so used to being fed bullshit, that they see it as professional. I am a spiritual teacher with a focus on emotional mastery and meditation. 

I'm happy to pay good money to someone that can help me market my business.  Teach me social media marketing etc.  Just half the shit out there makes me want to vomit.  Any ideas people? 

 

You don't have to be dishonest to market yourself... especially if you're a spiritual teacher. Just understand that, at this point in human history, your business may not catch as many people as someone who's willing to be ruthless and manipulative and talk about attractive nonsense. But you'll attract a better quality audience, that values your honesty. And if you market yourself the right way, you'll attract those who are looking for a person like you. 

I have a YouTube channel and I'm very big on being transparent and honest. So, I always share my perspective, observations, insights, and interpretations... and I always make it clear which of these I'm talking about. And I do my best to be thorough and avoid falsehood. I really do my best. And this is a lot of the reason why my audience resonates with my work. People can often tell when a person strives for honesty, and a lot of people are looking for that... especially in a teacher. 

So, I may never be as successful as those who sensationalize to get attention or use dishonesty to manipulate... but I am already modestly successful and my YouTube channel will hit 1 million views by the end of 2018, most likely. 

So, what kind of success would you be looking for? Do you want a wider audience for the sake of sharing your insights with a wider audience? Do you want to be able to make a living from being a spiritual teacher? Something else? I can maybe give some pointers once I know.

[kieranperez]

On 11/1/2018 at 11:49 AM, aurum said:

@EmptinessDncing

Marketing isn't awkward, your definition of marketing is just limited.

Marketing doesn't have to be you being this sleezy salesman. Leo's free videos are marketing. This forum is marketing. I'm marketing right now.

In a sense, everything you do is marketing. The only question is whether your marketing is effective and adds value to everyone in the process.

It's not about pretending, it's about understanding who you are talking to.

If you have a five year old kid, are you going to teach them the same way you'd talk to a grown man? No, because they have different perspectives and different levels of understanding.

People get so tripped on this because they think it's "fake". It's not fake, it's caring and being empathetic enough to relate to your audience.

Of course you always want to speak your truth. And some people will just never resonate with it no matter what you do. But the point is you can explain that truth in many different equally valid forms.

To be something like a spiritual teacher, it's not about you and expressing your opinions and having to be right. That's selfish. It's all about what does this person need to hear to get to the next level? Everything else is more or less irrelevant.

THIS

[exhale]

I understand the essence of what you are asking, but could you provide some more context.  Could you give examples of the two different paths you could pursue: one ethical and one unethical?

[ZenBlue]

Yes marketing involves a lot of bullshitting, but guess what? All of life is filled with bullshit. It doesn't matter which industry you are in, you can't avoid the bullshit. Don't judge it as morally wrong, just accept it for what it is.

That being said, ethics are subjective. What is ethical to one person, may seem unethical to another. At the end of the day, do you feel like you are doing the right thing? That's what really matters. It's how you personally feel about the work you are doing.

Focus more on marketing consciously. You have to balance a little bullshit to attract the people, while maintaining some level of transparency on the product you are selling.

Think of it like this, you need a product that you absolutely believe in. Do you believe that what you are selling helps people and provides value? Then it is your duty to get people to buy it because you know it will help them.

I believe it becomes unethical when you know that what you are marketing provides no value and is just designed to trick people out of their money. 

I have been studying and implementing marketing strategies for the past 8 years, mostly on my own personal projects. If you want any help or have any questions, feel free to message me anytime.