Building a Conscious & Commercial Brand (Part 1)

In my ‘Building a Conscious and Commercial Brand’ webinar (which you can get a recording of using the form on the right), I talk about the book ‘Making Friends with Anxiety’. I absolutely love this book title because it hits that perfect spot of being conscious and commercial, that is sharing a ‘conscious’ (or some might say ‘alternative’) message in a way that is commercially viable. Behind it is also a lovely story of the author, Sarah Rayner, who self-published her book on a small budget and it became such a hit, that she has since made a series that includes Making Friends with Depression and Making Friends with the Menopause – and has created a Facebook group with over 8,000 members.

So what, as conscious business owners, writers, speakers, can we learn from this book title?

1. Being commercial

From a commercial perspective, this book does two things – it addresses the needs of a specific group of people, (by naming an emotion, anxiety, that most people who have it would actively like to get rid of) and induces curiosity by offering a twist on the usual messages we have about anxiety. It is both FAMILIAR (we all know what anxiety is and it’s a familiar topic on self-help bookshelves) – and DIFFERENT (it’s usually something to be battled not befriended).

The familiarity helps because it means it’s less likely to be perceived as weird/ confusing/ irrelevant etc. We also know there is an established market for it (which is not essential, but it’s proof that it’s something that people want). The difference helps because it stands out from everything else on the subject.

It appeals to a range of people including those who have been ‘battling’ anxiety for a while, with no luck, and are prepared to try something new. Perhaps they have been down the traditional therapy route. Or perhaps they resonate with a gentle approach to something that feels very hostile inside. Anxious people are scared of lots of things. A warm, welcoming, unthreatening title should therefore be very appealing.

2. Being conscious

And how is this message conscious? Well there are many routes you could take with this inviting, yet broad title. As someone who works with many ‘3 Principles’ practitioners and coaches*, I can see it has a lot of potential because it hits the very root of the 3P understanding. Just like the title encourages us to consider anxiety in a completely opposite way, so does the ‘3 Principles understanding’ invite us to switch how we look at life, from ‘outside-in’ to ‘inside-out’.

The title reminds me of one of 3 Principles pioneer Sydney Banks’ most famous quotes –

‘If the only thing people learned was not to be afraid of their own experience, that alone would change the world’.

It is easy to forget that these kind of messages are different, often opposite, to the mainstream opinion. And yet it is possible to frame your book/ blog/ business in a way that celebrates that difference, advertises that difference, and still has widespread appeal.

I would go further and say it’s not only possible but essential to ensure how you’re promoting your work is in sync with what it’s all about.

In a coaching call I had recently with one of my clients, we discussed the book title ‘Making Friends with Anxiety’. During that conversation we hit a ‘sweet spot’ with a similar concept that really resonated with him and what he wanted to share, and was also incredibly relevant and inviting for his audience. More of that in Part 2…

*Please note ‘Making Friends with Anxiety’ by Sarah Rayner is not a ‘3 Principles’ based book. To find out more about Sarah, visit – http://www.sarah-rayner.com/