The mocha coffee guide to marketing

Some years ago I came up with this analogy about understanding the level at which you’re marketing. It’s stood the test of time with every group or individual I’ve ever shared it with. Simple seeming, it may help inform you about your approach to marketing. At heart, it acknowledges no one size fits all. Each approach has its value.

My favourite hot drink to have when out is a mocha coffee. For me, it’s a hot steamed (oat) milk blended with coffee, dark chocolate and sugar topped with a light airy foam and chocolate powder. Check out the stunning clearly defined layers of Turin’s Bicerin, which could be the ultimate mocha coffee!

Photo by Sejual

With a good mocha, it helps to first consume the foam with a spoon to allow it to cool down. The foam traps air in to keep the rest of the drink warm. Whilst the foam is fun, I wouldn’t feel satisfied if my whole coffee was to be made up of it. The foam gives you a taste of the yumminess to come. It's inspiring, and reaches those perhaps nearer the beginning of their journey.

Large scale tele-summits and in person conferences with a few big ticket names on stage are like the foam in a mocha, in my experience. As a participant you get a sip of the modality or idea being show-cased. The content has to be generic to many rather than tailored to an individual. The consumer can start their healing journey with this information. But it may be challenging to attain a full-scale resolution without knowing how to work creatively with the information.

To be effective, operating at this ‘foam’ level requires large scale marketing to draw attention to it. The business owner will need to expend much energy and use systems that have an operational impact when scaled up. For example, you may need a social media tool/manager to help curate the timing of posts and allow for engagement. It can be huge fun bringing a large community together and being part of a movement.

Back to my analogy . . . the body of the coffee is the main part of the show. It’s a mix of coffee with notes of chocolate, dependent on how well it’s blended. This is where a person seeking EFT support will want to spend some time to get meaningful results. They may work with a practitioner for a block of sessions, or attend a themed group program to explore their own issues in a specific area. Armed with this depth of understanding they can subsequently do good amounts of self care by themselves.

The bottom layer of a mocha is filled with chocolatey goodness. It’s rich, flavourful and tasty. It leads to a deeper dive into the experience.

Most people drawn to work with me come inspired by the depth of insight I offer. They've been on their self development path for a while. They may simply consume my free content, learn from me on a training course, or hire me as their coach. That kind of depth is concentrated, rich and flavourful. A little goes a long way as it’s dynamic and very nourishing. It's like that bottom mocha layer.

My audience already comes with some prior knowledge meaning I don’t have to do a heavy load of marketing to explain the basics. I get to keep feeding them with content that is new and inspired, meaning I'm playing in a zone that's optimum for my sense of pleasure. They stay for as long as it’s helpful to their process and so are deciding to work with me from a place of clarity. That clarity is massively helpful - they're determined and committed to processing. They're not wishy washy. 

Because of how leading edge my material is - I regularly innovate content I've never heard uttered by another coach or thought leader - many choose to travel with me for a long time. (I'm tickled at the thought that AI could generate even a fraction of the new ideas that flow through me from the Universe!)

Taking this analogy, ask yourself which layer of the coffee experience speaks to you the most. This will be the level at which to market your offering and the kind of experience it will result in.