What is holistic marketing?
Holistic marketing is a term that describes an approach to marketing and marketing strategies in which all of a company's marketing activities, branches and customers are viewed as a whole rather than as separate parts.
The meaning of a holistic approach
The concept of "holistic" and having a "holistic approach" means that something (e.g. an approach) is characterised by and built on holism.
Holism is a Greek term and a philosophical way of thinking that describes the act of viewing phenomena as wholes rather than as composite individual parts. The philosophy holds, among other things, that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Synonyms and words closely related to holistic/holism include, for example, whole-oriented and atomistic.
Why should you take a holistic approach to marketing?
Holistic marketing has become something of a "buzzword" in digital marketing, but for good reason.
The importance of viewing your company, your customers and your marketing activities holistically — as a whole rather than as standalone parts — is essential in this decade.
You can no longer look at each individual channel and branch of the company as separate parts. It is the interplay between the individual departments — e.g. sales, marketing and customer service — and the individual channels — social media, search engines, traditional, etc. — that creates the synergy and the value.
Your customers move across platforms, devices and over several days, interacting with different people and departments in your company and on different platforms. It is therefore essential that you are present on the channels where your customers are, with the right messages, at the right time, and delivered in the right way.
How do you work with your marketing holistically?
The holism that underpins holistic marketing is a mindset you must first adopt yourself.
Start thinking in terms of the whole and from a bird's-eye view, rather than seeing departments of your company, the channels you are present on, etc. as individual parts.
The next step is to define and work with your customers' customer journey. How they go from being a stranger to becoming a loyal customer — because it is the sum of these experiences that shapes their impression of your company and your brand.
Get started with your work on the customer journey here.
Furthermore, you should incorporate data into your marketing that is modelled so that all digital channels and touchpoints are assigned value — not just the last channel that "causes" the purchase. You can do this using the attribution models available in the various tools.
And of course, you need to connect the individual departments and create flow across the organisation — so that, for example, marketing and sales are not two separate organisms, but one organism working together.
Below are a few concrete ideas for how to work holistically with your marketing:
- Base your approach on the customer journey (in terms of choosing tactics, channels, messages, CTAs, etc.)
- Use attribution models that assign value across channels
- Use a shared CRM (and possibly also a marketing platform) across the organisation
- Work with lead scoring, customer life cycle, etc. in your marketing automation software
- Work with KPIs that connect the departments
How we work holistically with digital marketing at Searchmind
At Searchmind, we view digital marketing holistically, where the synergy between the individual channels and departments within the company is what drives growth.
We therefore work on the basis of your customers' customer journey and digital touchpoints, and on the basis of in-depth analyses and data, so that we move the needle in the business areas that deliver results and a better bottom line for your business.
Would you like advice and guidance on how to work holistically with your marketing?
Or are you looking for a dedicated partner who views your business and marketing as a whole, so you get the maximum out of it?
Let's have a conversation. Call us on 30 12 42 72.
