Ways to Take a Humane Approach to Marketing

Jennie Biltek: 00:17

Hey, it's your host Jennie with an I E. And you are listening to this is Jennie Alexis, a podcast about getting curious and doing things differently. Every episode I share personal musings conversations and stories that I hope will invite you to explore ways to live outside the systems were taught, and often believe we need to fit into. For more information about today's episode, including show notes, be sure to visit this is Jennie alexis.com/podcast. I am so glad you're here. Now on to today's show. Hi, and welcome. Welcome back to some of you too. This is Jennie Alexis, this is I am Jennie Alexis. And I just want to thank you for being here today for tuning in. And being curious about the conversations that we're having here. And I really do want these to be conversations, I love hearing back from you about what some of these topics are bringing up for you how they are perhaps inviting you to consider things in a different way. And I really also love to hear whether you disagree whether some of the things that I'm sharing perhaps don't actually resonate for you. And that perhaps there are other approaches and ways of thinking that I might want to consider. So wherever you're arriving, welcome. Today, I want to talk about marketing. It's what I do in my business, I've been a part of marketing for many, many years, too many years to really think about, like certainly over 20. What I want to talk to you about today is ethical marketing, and humane marketing. Now, if you are a small business owner, you may have heard of ethical marketing. Now, if you haven't heard of ethical marketing, I want to start us off with sort of a shared understanding or definition of this approach to talking about our businesses selling our products and services. So the way that I think about and define for myself, ethical marketing is pretty common. So I think about sort of four to five pillars when it comes to this particular approach. So the first one is empathy. And empathy is really do we understand really understand the needs of our customers and clients? And there's lots of ways to do that, of course. The second one is, are we being honest? And that's not a case of don't lie or just tell the truth? It's about removing and avoiding any types of manipulation? And are we exaggerating about our products and services? are the ways that we are promoting and speaking about our businesses? True? Is our knowledge and experience and training true? Are we being honest about that? The third one is transparency. And that's really about being open with folks, and transparent with potential clients and customers about the way that we use marketing. So for instance, if you say to someone, hey, I have this free widget that you can download, but I want your email address, the only way to get it is through an email address. So that's not really a free resource, right? Because we are asking for some sort of form of exchange. So I like to call those almost free resources. So that's sort of that's sort of an example of where we're being transparent. Like, I'm building my newsletter, my newsletter list and I have this thing that I want to give to you. And in exchange for that I'm asking for your email. So being transparent about the way that we're going to use this information, and that also includes how we are collecting information, etc. Mike gets a little bit more complex, depending on the size of our business. The fourth one that I think about the fourth pillar is around some kind of social responsibility. So is our business contributing to harm? So is our business creating harm in the environment? Is it creating harm within the collective? Are we perpetuating ideas and concepts that create harm for communities for individuals. And that's a really big one. And I think one that takes a little bit of extra consideration, depending on the product and services that we are selling. And then the fifth one, which I think really ties into honesty and transparency, is whether we're actually giving our customers and clients the things that we said we would, and that's, are we keeping our promise. So we see this a lot in small businesses, where people say they're going to do something, and then they frankly, don't really come through on that. So empathy, honesty, transparency, keeping promises, and a commitment to social responsibility. So I want to take a look now at humane marketing. And humane marketing is something I'm not hearing about as much. The first time I really heard somebody speak to this concept about having a humane business, was Mara glatzel. Mara is a really incredible coach. I've taken a couple of her programs, and I'll link her information up in the show notes. But she really is somebody I think, who is modeling for small business owners and entrepreneurs, a way of running a business that is humane. So let's talk about for a minute now what I mean by humane marketing, at the center, at the very core of this concept is that first word humane. So humane marketing takes into consideration that we are human beings, the first and foremost, that is what we are. So what does that mean to be human? Right? Well, humans experience a vast array of emotions, from joy, to sadness, from anger, to fear, and everything in between. We are ultimately beings that live in some kind of cycle. So whether that cycle is the birth of a child, then concluding with our death, and the many cycles that come in between. So human beings are also relational, right? We need some kind of form of interaction and connection with other human beings. So even if we're individuals who prefer to be on our own and have a lot of solo time, even when we're born, how we are in relationship with that first human being, who cares for us, whether it's the person who gave birth to us or our primary caregiver, but as a baby, that eye contact, the touch the sounds that we make back and forth with an adult and a baby. That's relational, we need that in order to have a fully developed brain, to have emotional capacity and to experience some form of secure attachment. Human beings, we also have the ability to think beyond the present moment, so we can think into the future. We can plan and dream and vision. And of course, it's possible that there are other animals and mammals who can do that. But to our knowledge, that's really something that human beings are pretty good at doing. We also have the ability of language and multiple languages. So we use all sorts of different sounds right to create language. There's also sign language and other forms of communication. And then abstract reasoning. Right. So abstract reasoning, at a very basic level is the ability to solve a problem troubleshoot a problem, even though we may not have the skills or previous knowledge, we have a way to sort of muddle things together. So that's the first and core piece of humane marketing is We are humans, and recognizing and acknowledging that we are human beings. The second piece is I've shared a little bit about is that we are relational. in some form. As humans, we do want to be seen, we want to be witnessed. And we also want to be treated equally. Now, there are an unending number of examples in which those things do not occur in our society and in many cultures. And that's not because we are human beings, that's because of the systems that are in place. racism, white supremacy, patriarchy, capitalism, those systems have told us that we are not relation know that we don't actually need each other, which is a lie. So that's the second one is that we need each other we are relational beings. The third tenant of humane marketing, is that it acknowledges our cycles. So whether those cycles, as I've mentioned a bit before, are the cycles of welcoming new life. So a baby in some way sort of comes out of nothing right? Comes out of cells forming. And then when we die, ourselves sort of ceased to exist, at some point, they go back into something else, the cycles of rest that we require. So it's not possible for human beings to be awake all the time, at some point, we do need some form of rest, the cycles within our natural bodies, so for people who menstruate who have a moon cycle. And then there are also cycles within those individuals who do not bleed, our bodies essentially do have all of these minut complex cycles that occur. The fourth piece of humane marketing is around accessibility. Is our marketing accessible. So when I talk about this, what I'm really looking at is that is my marketing, acknowledging and considering the many ways that humans receive and consume information. So right now, we see a lot of marketing out there, that assumes that everyone has a brain that works in a typical way. And that's just not the case. It's not the case at all. It also assumes that everyone's ability to read the way that our eyes work, is all the same. And again, that's just not true. So if you're an individual who lives with visual impairment, the way that you consume text is going to be different from somebody who does not have visual impairment. Certain fonts are very difficult to read. For those folks who have changing eyesight. And folks who are not neurotypical who have neuro divergence, some forms of video and lighting can be very dysregulated. So these are things to really consider if we want to take a humane approach to marketing. And really, again, just to reiterate, this at the core of that is that are we considering the basic simple, beautiful fact that we are humans, that we cannot produce, all the time, that we are fallible? We cannot be perfect, it's not a possible thing that we really do need each other in some way. And so much of this marketing that I sometimes refer to is like, white dude living in a condo in Vancouver marketing, sort of selling this lifestyle that for many folks is completely inaccessible is it's a form of marketing that relies it relies on shame. It relies on lies. It relies on selling some kind of way of being in the world that is only available to a very small group of people. It assumes that everyone wants to make vast amounts of money. It doesn't always take into consideration social justice, the environment, community building are oppressive systems, it doesn't take those things into account. A lot of that marketing tells us that we have to go it alone. And that if you do not want to make a million dollars, there's something wrong with you. If you are not willing to get up at 5am, and grind it out, there is something wrong with you. If you are not willing to give up the things, there's something wrong with you. And it's just not true. That's not to say that marketing is easy. Marketing is not easy. Having your own business, being an entrepreneur is not easy. It's also not always easy to be a human being. So the sooner we acknowledge that we are indeed human, and begin to apply a humane approach, specifically to our marketing in this case, I actually think that we're better off, we need approaches in our business, that slowly begin to turn the dial. The truth is, I don't actually know that and actually don't believe that the huge changes in the systems that we live with are possible in my lifetime. And I firmly believe that I have a responsibility to make some changes, to approach things in a different way. Because it models for the next generation of entrepreneur, no matter how old they are, or what decade they were born in, but it models for them that there actually is a different way to do it. Maybe it is possible to be a small business owner, and get the rest that I need. Maybe it is possible to be a small business owner and be present for my family. Maybe it is possible to be a small business owner and participate in social justice, work and decolonization and contribute to our communities. I know that it is. So how do we do that? We acknowledge that we are human, we acknowledge the vast array of motions that we experience, our cycles, that we are relational, that we have many different forms of communication and language. So what are some ways? What does humane marketing look like? And one of the things I talk to you about clients is when we first begin working together, is looking at all of the different platforms and approaches to their marketing. So how many social media accounts do you have? Are you on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Tik Tok? Where else? Do you have a website? Do you have a newsletter? Do you have a storefront? So what are all of the the different ways that you are marketing your business, and then really beginning to consider of those, which ones feels really fun that you love doing? Which ones don't feel fun? Which ones feel like you're pushing, you're striving, like it's work, that it's not fun? That requires you to strive in a way that doesn't feel good. And then we look at things like metrics. So okay, which ones of those are actually working? Which ones are creating sales. We also look at how much time you're spending on each of those platforms. So if we're spending hours and hours on Instagram, but it's not really resulting in any sales, and the creation of all that content feels exhausting, then maybe it's time to take a breath, and consider whether that's a platform to continue. And that goes for anything Facebook, LinkedIn. So that's one of the first things I do with clients is like, let's really consider what is working and not just working for your business but working for you. Because the whole point of having our own business is so that we can share what we're really good at with others and do it in a way that's ours. That allows us to have a life that we really want instead of investing time and energy into other people's dreams and goals. Those are my reasons Anyway, maybe yours are different. One of the other ways to consider humane marketing is to begin to take note of your own energetic cycles. So if Mondays are a day in which you have a ton of energy, well, maybe that's a great day, to put some time into your marketing. But scheduling your marketing on a day, when you always know you're going to feel drained, isn't going to work. So really acknowledging like, what days are my best days? What days do I need a little bit more time and space. And then you can apply that as well to your business, right? So Mondays, for me, those are not a great day, for me to be doing marketing work, they're a pretty good day for me to have catch up meetings with clients to do some easy and simple admin work. But they're not a great day for marketing for creative work. The third thing that we can do in humane marketing, is to take a really close look at our products and services, I get super clear on whether those are actually a value and of service to our clients. Are they meeting the needs that our clients and customers have? Do we actually know what those needs are? I think sometimes we go forward, and we create things that we really want to create. And I've done this many, many times before where I have this idea for a program. And I think it's going to be amazing, and I create the program. But it's not really what my clients want. It's not really addressing the things that they're struggling with. And while I'm a huge believer in making something for the sake of making it, and I have done that with programs in the past where I've made them and felt really excited about them, and then maybe I've led them once or twice, and then that's it, it is important to get really clear on whether the work we're putting out there is supporting the community that we are a part of. So the next piece around humane marketing, you know, it really captures and is connected with the pillars that we talked about in ethical marketing. And that's around transparency and honesty. So are we being really clear about what our products and services are? Are we being open and honest about the investment? For those products and services? Are we being really clear about what the client receives? And then are we delivering that? Is that what the client is receiving? So I want to bring it back for a minute to you as the entrepreneur, when it comes to your marketing. So if you're here, and you're still listening, and maybe if you've listened to a few episodes before, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that there are probably a lot of aspects to ethical and humane marketing that you are already taking into consideration that you are already practicing. The area that I see most frequently, clients struggle with is around their own humanity. Their own cycles, their own energetic capacity, their own creative, spiritual and mental well being, and how infrequently that is not being tended to in the creation, the planning and the implementation of their marketing. So my invitation to you is this as you begin to consider and look at the ways that you're marketing your business, be really honest with yourself, about how often are you considering your own humanity in the creation of your marketing? How frequently are you expecting yourself to produce huge amounts of content? When you don't have the time? Perhaps you don't have the emotional capacity. Perhaps you don't have the mental real estate to do that. Because here's the thing that I don't really hear a lot of people say And that's that marketing is not easy. It is not easy for the majority of us to allow ourselves to really be seen to be visible. That's hard. Because it means that in some way, we have to see ourselves, right. That's why I think marketing is difficult. The systems that we live in, tell us repeatedly that what we have to say, what we believe our unique perspective on the world is an important and isn't valued. And so it takes a lot of deprogramming to really trust that, yeah, actually, what I have to say has value. So if you're somebody that finds marketing hard, I find it difficult, and it's what I do day in and day out with clients. I just want to remind you that a big part of that has nothing to do with you. And we have a responsibility, particularly those of us who hold more privilege. I think we have a responsibility to do things differently, to look at the old ways, and they really are old ways of marketing, the shaming, the blaming the bait and switch approaches, and saying, No, I'm not going to do that. Thank you very much, I'm going to take a different approach. Because if each of us approaches our marketing in an ethical and humane way, we then become models and leaders have a different way to do it. And that ripples out. And the more of us, I think that are doing that, the more of us sort of begin to see the really gross and horrific marketing that is taking place. And we get to say, No, I'm not okay with that. I'm going to invest in businesses and people who are considering the fact that we are human beings that are not contributing through their businesses, to the systems that are keeping us away from freedom, that are harming so many people in our communities. And so while again, so much of it is not our fault, I think we do have a responsibility to the collective to future generations, and to ourselves and our businesses, to take an ethical and humane approach to marketing. So if you need a tool to kind of help you get going with this, I'll link up in the show notes, a personal rhythms and Marketing Guide and template that I created. And it's essentially an invitation for you to begin to think about planning your marketing in a way that honors humanity first, before anything else. So there's room in that template for things like birthdays and anniversaries, grief, anniversaries, so important to acknowledge those and give ourselves space. To be with that grief. It also has room for things like pulling an Oracle Card or a tarot card, as well as astrology, and any other magical and mythical considerations that are a part of your life. So when we include those things, it can support us in creating a rhythm to our marketing, that's going to feel a bit more honoring. And yeah, sometimes we can't always plan around these things that are happening. But giving ourselves the opportunity to bear witness to those things. That's how we contribute to our humanity. That's how we acknowledge that core fact that we are relational. That we are cyclical that we are emotional beings. So I would love to hear what you thought about this episode, you can leave a comment on my website, you can send me an email, send me a note on Instagram, all of that will be linked in the shownotes ethical and humane marketing or something I'm really passionate about. There are topics that I continue to explore in my own work and the work of my clients. And so my ideas and thoughts around these things will inevitably change and evolve over time. And that that's part of it, too. Thanks for listening to this is Jennie Alexis, I hope you enjoyed what you heard on today's show. As always, it means the world to me when you share this content. So if there was something that got you thinking or made you curious, I'd love to know. Send me a note as this is Jenniealexis.com or over on Instagram at this is Jennie Alexis. If you enjoy today's episode, another way you can show your appreciation is by leaving a review on iTunes. And if there's a person in your life who could benefit from this conversation, please share this episode with them. Thank you so much for being here. I can't wait to do it all again soon.

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