There are a good handful of viable approaches to marketing, but to me there is nothing that beats a holistic approach. Here’s a simple definition of Holistic Marketing:

A marketing strategy that is developed by thinking about the business as a whole, within the broader economy and society, and in the lives of its customers. It attempts to develop and benefit from multiple perspectives on the company’s business activities. – BusinessDictionary.com

The important thing to note is, that just like holistic medicine, holistic marketing is concerned with the whole business, not just a single part. The four main components of Holistic Marketing are:

• Customer Relationship Management
• Integrated Marketing
• Internal Marketing
• Socially Responsible Marketing

If you approach your marketing with an eye on each of these components, then you will be able to start developing a good framework for success. I’ll explain each in a moment, but first a quick word about frameworks.

We hear the term framework a lot, and in the case of marketing (and most business subjects) a good framework acts as a guide, but that does not mean you are confined to a strict set of parameters. In fact, flexibility is crucial for just about any framework, and with the rapid evolution of technology these days, you should be wary of getting locked into anything.

A marketing plan itself is really a framework for your marketing efforts. Yes, it should be well thought out and written down, and there should be timelines, financial projections, milestones and all that good stuff. But it still should be a flexible, living document. Sometimes business owners are surprised when their marketing team or consultant hands them their first marketing plan, because it does not contain any magic bullets or mystical secrets to success. What it really should do is help you consider all possible aspects of marketing, and that should help you to, at the very least, ask the right questions. Add to that a little research, some patience and listening to the Voice of the Customer, and that should in turn lead you to the right answers.

And that is where holistic marketing comes in. It is a framework for considering all the aspects of your marketing. You run your business in a certain environment which has unique elements like geography, local economy, competitors, customers and so on. Ideally, you need to consider all of the factors. However, that does not mean you have to give equal time or resources to everything (thank goodness!) That would be overwhelming and impractical at best. The real key is in asking questions and engaging in critical thinking about each of the four components below.

• Integrated Marketing includes all the tools that make sense for your brand and your market; can include Websites, PR, Social Media, Subject Matter Expert Positioning, Traditional Advertising, Events and more.
• Customer Relationship Management is more than just a technology solution. It is a philosophy of long term customer satisfaction, engagement and brand advocacy.
• Internal Marketing aligns and motivates all team members to provide a great customer experience and helps the team form and communicate a cohesive brand narrative.
• Socially Responsible Marketing helps the company to present their brand as a part of the larger society and thus become engaged members of their community.

Once again, remember that this does not mean that all of these components have to be addressed in equal measure. But also remember that none of them should be left unconsidered. Just remember to explore the relationships and the effect that each has on the other. These elements may have varying degrees of effect on each other, but I guarantee that by looking at the whole picture and asking probing questions, you will find better answers and better results in your marketing initiatives.