Too many believers of any religion think they are completely different from business. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in a non-profit and heard someone say, I’m so glad I don’t work in the dark secular world of business. Really? Business and faith both are selling a solution to problems.

Get over it. Realize that selling isn’t a sleezy field, instead accept that we are all in sales. Our thoughts and ideas die with us if we don’t sell them to someone else. If they find our thoughts valuable; great - that’s wonderful. If not, oh well. That could mean our ideas weren’t all that great, or they just didn’t fit for that person. It shouldn’t be that complicated.

A friend of mine commented on an article in Small Business Trendsetters entitled, Wellness Marketing Authority, Troy Pesola, Warns Businesses To Heed The 6-R’s Of Wellness Marketing.

In the article I was asked about how wellness business owners need to think about their marketing. I identified six keys to marketing a wellness business. What my friend pointed out is that Christians ought to consider the six R’s of Wellness Marketing in living out our faith.

  1. Real
  2. Reel
  3. Read
  4. Reputation
  5. Reviews
  6. Realistic

Each R is fitting for how we live out our faith, or sell the solution that Jesus provides.

Real - Why religion can turn an ordinary person into someone they are not is beyond me. Just be yourself. Be real. Let others see that not everything is perfect - life is a mixture of good and bad. Deal with it. Don’t feel like you need to hide behind some type of mask, just be real and be yourself.

Reel - what if people could watch a video of your life? Would they see your faith in action? Now not many people will want to shoot videos like we do for our businesses, hobbies, pets, or kids. But the concept still fits. Would our message be consistent if we were caught on film reel?

Read - do we write about our faith? Do we have written work that is either our own, or from others that could be shared with people to help them understand our beliefs? Will that written work stand on its own? It should.

Reputation - When we live out our faith does it match with our reputation. For followers of Christ that means being known as having the character of Jesus. How’s that feel? Can I honestly say that my reputation is one that prompts people to think of Jesus - good to know that we are all progressing and growing in faith.

Reviews - What do others say about our faith? Do they have stories to tell that are consistent with our faith message? Would they be one star or five star reviews?

Realistic - What next? Do we understand our own faith enough to give people a clear and realistic path forward if they are interested? Would we know how to coach them through exploring a relationship with Jesus?

The six R’s of wellness marketing really do have an overlap with faith. Embrace them each and every day.