Why Mindfulness Matters in Marketing, Public Relations & More

I just read an excellent article this morning by the very talented writer Anne LaMotte about finding time to be creative and it so fits with my philosophy not only for today, but this month in general.

Today is my Zen baby day, the day of the week I watch my baby nephew Simon for a few hours. I call it my "Zen" baby day because it's four plus hours of being in the moment. We take walks, we hang out and smile at each other, the larger of us tries to feed the smaller one of us with the minimum fuss (because the smaller of us wants to now hold the bottle himself, but can't quite manage it).

It is precious slow time carved out of what is a life that can feel very fast forward as I attend TEDx Long Beach meetings, work on a large proposal that I hope will seduce and dazzle, and oh yes, put together my social media and PR class for next week.

But I've also declared June as my transformation month, a time when I want to look at old challenges with new eyes and see if I can't shake things up a bit, clean things out, create space. To do so I've been spending time slowing down, refocusing on mindfulness, and allowing creativity to flow.

The photo above is an idea I had this weekend for my brother's first Father's Day. Obviously it's a work in progress. I have absolutely no idea where it came from, but I do know I created the space for it to happen by slowing down and being in the moment, being mindful of being here now. One moment I was enjoying a lazy sunny afternoon at the Anti-Mall in the OC, and in another, on the ride home, there was the idea.

That's what mindfulness is in a nutshell, being here now, noticing the gift of the present, whether we're washing the dishes, or talking to a friend.

When we slow ourselves down to be in the present we notice that we live most of our lives reliving the past or projecting into the future (planning planning planning, or worrying worrying worrying). My favorite? Creating imaginary conversations that frankly never happen.

Why does mindfulness matter so much for marketing and public relations? Because one of the first keys to creating a great marketing and public relations campaign for yourself or your company is really being in tune with who you are and what you have to offer right now. Can you guess what the second one is? Understanding why/how these skills and talents of yours are so timely right now.

Let me give you an example. On Twitter I follow @copyblogger, one of the top blogs to give tips and tricks to write catchy, sticky blogs that rank high in the search engines (hey, can 52,000+ followers be wrong?). The copyblogger team understands that SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is still a challenge for most of us to grasp so they boiled their expertise and knowledge down into a handy inexpensive tool called "Scribe."

Scribe allows individuals and small businesses the template and tools to improve their copywriting for their blogs, keyword usage, search engine rankings and more with four low cost monthly payment levels. I don't want to pay hundreds of dollars right now to help mine and my client's blogs, but $27 a month? Yes, I can do that!

To date SEO optimization has been an expensive endeavor for the small business person. Scribe has changed all that by understanding who they are, what they do really well, and then offering it to their readers/clients at a previously unheard of rate. Obviously they have been in the moment, listening, aware of who they are and what they can offer their clients that would help most.

How about you?

What might happen if you slowed down to really listen to your business? If for example, you know you need to update your marketing and public relations outreach try taking a step back and letting go of the problem for awhile and instead focusing on the present moment. Give yourself some space. Take a walk. Notice the beauty of the spring and summer flowers. Do an art or craft project. Go to a museum and look at something beautiful. Notice other businesses that handle their marketing and PR really well (not competitors, look at everything), and for PR read read read. Read fashion magazines, newspapers and notice the trends that have to do with your industry. Get out of your own headspace and see what others are focusing on.

Come back to your marketing and PR needs with fresh eyes. See what giving yourself some time and space and creativity can do. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.