What is Integral Marketing?

I see many entrepreneurs who get lost because they don’t have a complete map to guide them to freedom and fulfillment. They have perhaps a quarter of the map, which they fervently cling to, thinking that it is the entire map that will lead them to the lost treasure. If you’re building your market strategy on a partial and fractured map, you’re doomed to struggle. There is a better way… use a map called Integral Marketing.

In recent decades there has been, for the first time in history, a concentrated effort to take all of human knowledge, all of the known maps of human potential, and combine them into a more complete and accurate map of reality. The American philosopher, Ken Wilber, was the first to unlock the code around 1997 and created a “Big Map of Everything”, also called the Integral Map.

The Integral Map is now being used to radically improve results in medicine, politics, art, psychology, economics, spirituality, business… you name it… and in our case – Integral Marketing.

~~ It’s all about perspectives ~~

I want you to play a game here with me so I can show you something very cool…

Take a second and look up. Observe the objects you see around you.

Good. Now imagine standing ten feet away from where you are and look around you. It’s a different perspective, right? You would still see the same objects in the room…just from a different angle…so you can easily relate and communicate about these objects because you have seen them from different perspectives.

Stay with me here because I will take you on a strange journey of perspective…

Imagine that someone you know and like comes to the place where you are reading this right now. You know this person, so you say “Hello.” They say, “Hello” back.

Now imagine taking the perspective of that friend of yours. Imagine seeing the world through HIS eyes. What do you see? Yes, they see the same objects that you see… but from a different perspective. They may see the same objects as you, but for them it triggers different emotions, perhaps a different memory. You know your friend well, so what do you think they would FEEL about the objects around you?

And as you look through his eyes, you also see yourself sitting there reading this right now. (Now things are getting interesting!)

…What do they think and feel about YOU?

(Sounds like fun, I know… but stick with me here because I’ll show you how it affects your bank account in a minute.)

You have just experienced what it is like to see things from different perspectives, even from different interpretations. This is the golden key to unlock great marketing from within you.

Let’s say you have a great idea. From YOUR perspective you think it’s amazing. It will *make-you-rich* – you’re sure. But here’s the thing… how does your idea look from the perspective of your target market? Before jumping in to say, “They’ll LOVE IT!” I want you to really take the point of view of the other (ie, get out of your emotional attachment to your idea). Is your idea what THEY really WANT or is it what YOU think they NEED…

…Because there’s usually a big difference between what you think people need and what they’ll actually get out of their wallet.

Integral Marketing allows you to take different perspectives into consideration to ensure your success so you don’t have to waste time on bad money-sucking ideas.

~~ The Integral Marketing Framework ~~

There are four main perspectives to take in holistic marketing that will give you freedom and fulfillment in your business.

To create this basic “map,” imagine (or draw) a line going vertically down the center of a blank page and a line going horizontally down the middle. (Should look like the classic “x” and “y” graph from math class.)

The left half represents the Interior (what you think and feel inside). The right half represents the External (the objects you see outside of yourself). The top half represents the Individual (things that are singular like a single chair or a single thought. ) The bottom half represents the Collective (things that are more than one, like a collection of chairs or a thought in which a group of people do you agree).

You now have four quadrants for your comprehensive marketing map… each quadrant is a place to stand and look at your business.

Let’s go through these four quadrants with a business idea you have. Think of a product or service idea you have right now (pick anything—remember, this is a game we’re playing here). Or choose a product or service that you are actually offering to the public right now.

Step 1: Upper Left Quadrant of the Comprehensive Marketing Map

From this perspective (inner and individual) you can see your individual thoughts and feelings. How do you feel about your product or service? Does it align with who you are and what is important to you?

If you’re doing something just for the money and have no passion for the subject… you’re going to suffer. It will feel like it’s misaligned, like random notes hitting a piano. There will be a feeling of disharmony within you if you choose to do something that is dead to you. Call on your courage from within and make the change to follow your bliss.

Step 2: Lower Left Quadrant of the Comprehensive Marketing Map

From this perspective (internal and collective) you can read what your target market really wants. What is your worldview? What do you think is true? Don’t bother wasting time trying to change people’s world views: it’s not your battle to fight.

So while I said “Follow your happiness”, from this perspective, please think about that advice carefully. It’s all too easy to get carried away with a product or service that you want to push on people because you think they need it. Whose. This perspective teaches us that we have to listen to what our target market is asking for.

Step 3: Bottom right quadrant of the Comprehensive Marketing Map

From this perspective (external and collective) you can see if your product is suitable for where the economy and technology are. What is the economic situation of your target market? Will they pay more than you think for your product or service? Are you harnessing the full power of technology in your business or are you still doing things the old industrial way? (ie trying to do everything yourself).

You can build a team around yourself consisting of virtual assistants from all over the world. Let them do the technical stuff like websites so you can free up your time to create more products and services.

Step 4: Upper right quadrant of the Comprehensive Marketing Map

From this perspective (external and individual) you can understand which marketing tools to use and when. Ezines, Google AdWords, direct mail, information products, articles, etc. they are excellent money-making tools… when used in context with the rest of the quadrants…

This is one of the big traps I see entrepreneurs fall headlong into. They think that these marketing tools by themselves will be the magic bullet that will make them rich. “All I need is a blog… THEN the money will come.” Sorry no. If you have a rotten offering that has no clear benefit to your target market, you can spend thousands of dollars on your brand…but still get little to no return on your investment.

~~ Your Comprehensive Marketing Plan ~~

Your bank account is directly affected by how well you can take these four perspectives. If you limit your business decisions to just one quadrant, you’re only going to suffer…unfortunately, that’s how most people operate.

With every business decision and new idea you have, I encourage you to consider these four perspectives. This will save you from making unnecessary mistakes and missed opportunities.

It’s the difference between seeing the world through monochrome glasses or glasses that see the full color spectrum.