7 Core Principles of Enlightened Marketing For Therapists, Coaches & Healers: Revisited

The term ‘Enlightend Marketing’ was inspired by the Buddhist philosophy that has guided me throughout my personal and professional life for the past 27 years. At the core of Buddhist ethics is the notion that all of our actions must avoid harming ourselves and others. Buddhism holds that it is through an aware and conscious mind that we can achieve this. It is from this premise that this article is based upon.

Although I have seen a tremendous increase in the awareness of marketing amongst therapists and healers since I first wrote this article four years ago, many still remain largely uninformed about marketing and how to use it to their full advantage in building a private practice.

Furthermore, misconceptions and skepticism still abound and lead many in therapy and the healing arts to erroneously believe that they have to abandon their values, desires, authenticity and integrity in order market successfully. This “ignorance” leads to a great deal of unnecessary struggling and suffering for the practitioner.

Embracing an enlightened approach to marketing aims to help you overcome skepticism and correct misconceptions so that you can more easily build a healthy practice while also being ethical.

When you practice enlightened marketing, you will discover that marketing can be a source of inspiration and creativity, a way of expressing yourself and your passion.

Ultimately, practicing the core principles of enlightened marketing will help you move from struggling to attract clients, to attracting more clients with less effort and more joy.

1. Enlightened Marketing has Integrity

In order to attract clients successfully, enlightened marketing holds that you must market with high integrity. Clients will be much more likely to hire you if they perceive that you are sincere and can be trusted. Marketing with integrity means that you are honest and upfront in all methods of marketing that you use and that you aim to provide the highest value possible to those you market to.

2. Enlightened Marketing is Authentic

In order to market with authenticity you need to put your authentic self out there for people to see and experience. Acting authentically illuminates your uniqueness and naturally attracts the clients who feel they can benefit from your individuality and what you distinctly have to offer. They will also be the ones that you provide the best service to, and will therefore help spread the word about the benefits of your services.

3. Enlightened Marketing is Passionate

When you are passionate about marketing and the services that you offer, you will be more motivated to take the steps necessary to build your business effectively. In addition, the enthusiasm that you exude will be part of what draws clients to you and builds your reputation.

4. Enlightened Marketing Has Vision

Your marketing efforts will be more successful if you have a clear vision for your practice and know how you intend to achieve this vision. Furthermore, the more creative you are with your vision, the more profound and limitless it will be. The more you hold and implement your vision throughout all your marketing activities, the more success you will have.

5. Enlightened Marketing is Conscious

To be conscious from the perspective of enlightened marketing means that you are aware of how marketing functions as both an art and a science. You make a conscious effort to learn and experiment with marketing strategies, discovering what works and what doesn’t, and modify your plans accordingly.

6. Enlightened Marketing Shows Commitment and Dedication

In order to achieve the results you desire, you must be committed and dedicated to developing your business and making it a priority in your life. To this end, marketing must be taken just as seriously as the service you provide to your clients. Success becomes a goal and not an option.

7. Enlightened Marketing Is Unattached to Outcomes

While it is important to remain committed to your success, it’s equally important that you remain unattached to the outcome of your marketing efforts. Regardless of how much marketing knowledge you have, things do not always go as planned. Patience and persistence are essential. No matter how often you “fail,” you pick yourself up and continue to move forward with even more conviction.

Making the above 7 core principles foundational to your marketing will enable you to enjoy marketing more and help ensure that you attract the type of clients you most enjoy working with. In the end, you will be able to build a thriving and highly rewarding private practice faster and more efficiently. You will also save time and money as well as having a lot more fun in the process.

May your marketing be enlightened. 🙂