The concept of ikigai gives people a clear vision of their purpose. Ikigai can be loosely translated as your reason for being - ‘iki’ means ‘life’ and ‘gai’ is your value or worth. Although the origins of ikigai mainly focus on leading a peaceful and happy life, it can also be applied to business.
Ikigai is the intersection of four elements:
- What you love,
- What you’re good
- What you can be paid for and,
- What the world needs.
If you’d like a more detailed explanation, watch this video of a talk I did recently on how to find your purpose with Ikigai.
So how do you apply Ikigai to digital marketing?
Focus on what you love. Find your passion and incorporate it into your brand. When you’re passionate about something, it’s reflected in your work and helps drive your brand forward. It could be a particular product or service, a project, a cause you care about, an approach you use in your work. Passion is infectious and when your audience sees that you genuinely love what you do, they’re more likely to buy into your brand.
Understand your strengths and leverage your skills. Think about your businesses unique skills and talents and bring this out in your marketing. This will help you stand out and build customer trust.
Think about what the world and society need. Identify what your wider community needs right now. Are there any specific challenges or problems that need to be addressed? Customers trust brands that are doing good and doing it well.
Consider what you can be paid for. Develop a business model that’s sustainable and generates revenue is important. It’s about creating a balance between generating revenue and creating a purpose-driven brand.
By combining the core elements of ikigai - finding what you’re good at, what the world needs, what you love, and what you can earn money for - digital marketers can create campaigns that are authentic, effective, and make a positive impact to society.
Want to read more about ikigai? Read Ikigai: The Japanese secret to a long and happy life.
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