The Edge Marketing

Are you wondering what LOHAS stands for? Don't feel bad if you aren't familiar with it yet. If you're living in the SF Bay Area, you understand it more than you may know. LOHAS is a convenient marketing buzzword that stands for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability. Simply put, it refers to the $227 billion dollar consumer market of people who want more consciousness in their day-to-day lives and are spending their money accordingly. This large subculture is detailed in the book, The Cultural Creatives by Paul Ray and Sherry Ruth Anderson. If you're actively building a business in the alternative health, spa, or personal development fields, you're probably in this demographic yourself, but either way, chances are good that a hefty percentage of your income comes from LOHAS consumers. This is not just a trend, but a massive change in the way that we all do business.

The LOHAS Journal first coined the phrase, and attributes 5 key values to this group of people:

• Sustainable Economy
• Healthy Living
• Alternative Healthcare
• Personal Development
• Ecological Lifestyles

In my opinion, the most important aspect of conducting business in this new marketplace is authenticity. People are so burnt out on hype and manipulation. The old-style marketing machine is still grinding away, but LOHAS consumers are demanding change. When more conscious consumers become conscious business owners, capitalism as we know it will change.

If you're already a business owner that has an inspired vision and wants to make a difference, this is your time! The new economy is much more about quality instead of "empty quantity". By bringing more of your authentic values and passion into your work, you will not only feel more fulfilled, but you will be on the leading edge of this new age of conscious commerce.

Whether you've been in business for awhile or are just starting out, it's a good idea to reevaluate your practices to see if they fit with your values, especially as your business grows and changes:

• Are you performing services the way you want to serve, or simply like you were trained?
• Does your work environment inspire you to be creative?
• Are you still procrastinating on making time for eating right and working out, even though you're in a health business yourself?
• Would it really be that inconvenient to start recycling your office paper?

10 Ways to Turn Off the LOHAS "Conscious Consumer"

• Using synthetic perfumes & detergents in your products or services
• Wasting paper by sending multi-page offers by mail
• Double-bagging or using too much packing materials
• Playing music with harsh language or aggressive beats
• Getting annoyed when they ask about ingredients
• Tell them what to do, instead of asking them what they want
• Rushing them to a close or not being willing to discuss their needs
• Not being willing to send them elsewhere, if they ask for a referral
• Outsourcing employment to socially irresponsible or unjust countries
• Marketing your products/services as "natural," when they aren't.

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