Incense permeated the air and I inhaled deeply.  At first the aroma was enticing, then it became a bit thicker. I focused on my breathing and took another deep breath.

Ommmm…….cough..wait a sec.  Was I having trouble breathing?  cough..sputter..wheeze..crackle..clear throat…choke.

OK, so much for creating a monastic visual of calm devotion and clarity of thought.

It’s not like I’m Thầy or that web monk guy. (Actually, both of these guys are tops in my book! Check ‘em out after you’re done reading.)

Though I’ve always been drawn to the ascetic (and am absolutely convinced if the world’s inhabitants learned to meditate daily, we’d end all war), this post isn’t about my spiritual path.

It’s not even about religion

OK, it is…sort of. It’s about how I started my own religion. And it’s about why you need to start one.

Let me explain.

[important]A truly successful business has all the hallmarks of popular religion.[/important]

Consider how  Apple, Inc. is like a religion… 

• There’s a charismatic figure guiding the direction and philosophy of the organization. (Steve Jobs)
• There are followers – those who choose to follow the Guru or Leader of the group. (Mac, iPod, iPhone users)
• There are guiding principles that govern how followers should interact with the world.  (Simple lines, elegant design)
• There are varying degrees of membership. (Mac users, Mac evangelists)
• There are meeting places and a pilgrimage where followers receive training and then go out into the world to convert others. (MacWorld Conference & Expo)
• There might even be a holy book of sorts that ties everything together. (MacWorld Magazine)

OK, before this starts to sound high-churchy, let me talk about Star Wars. (Gotta luv the segue)

The Tao, The Force, & The Formless

Tao is ancient Chinese philosophy. I’m no authority on Taoism, but what I do know is that the Tao is kind of like The Force in the Star Wars films. (Gimme some license here.)

It’s the unseen energy that holds the universe together. Some religions and philosophies call this God, Supreme Consciousness, Brahman, Shirley (kidding), and a whole host of other names.

Wallace Wattles, writing in The Science of Getting Rich back in 1910, called it the Formless and Thinking Substance. Sufism refers to the One, the Most Tenderly Compassionate, Allah.

Call it what you will, but there is an entity that is bigger than you and me and it governs how we live, breathe, and stay planted on the earth.

It also serves as a great model for your business. Why?

[important]Because there needs to be a glue that holds your business together; a formless substance that attracts others.[/important]

The Barry Krishnas

Heidi Tran is a past client.  She’s a freelance copywriter and marketing consultant and we’ve worked together on a couple of occasions. Here’s a little comment she made about our relationship in a forum;

“I’m using what I learned about writing that letter to create a new campaign for a business expo I’m attending. Although writing a good letter involves some work, I’m enjoying it so much more now that I actually know what I’m doing. It’s also making what I write for others so much easier.

I may start a new religion… The Sect of the Enlightened Copywriters? The Morrisites? …The Barry Krishnas?”

The Barry Krishnas…that cracks me up! OK, while I’m NOT going to market myself as Barry Krishna, I am going to say that religion is a great metaphor for business.

Why religion is a great working model for your blog

When you start your own ‘religion’ around your blog you instantly become a brand.  Evidence for this is everywhere: Microsoft, Starbucks, Apple, Inc. – they all have charismatic leaders, principles to which their followers adhere, and each turns out passionately vocal evangelists.

You’d like your own evangelist, right? Someone who can’t stop saying enough good things about you?  Maybe a couple hundred of ‘em?

Hey, what business wouldn’t want their own zealots roaming the streets and shouting out the gospel according to [insert your name here]?

Is it really possible to create a following of devotees who preach your version of the Good News?

It’s possible if you begin doing these three things.

Keys to creating a religion around your blog or business

1. Care for your readers and clients

That’s right, you really need to care for your clients. When you care about someone, you hold their interest at heart. You don’t try to sell them just anything. You find out how they feel and what’s bothering them and then find ways to help.

Caring for readers’ should to be at the core of your blog religion.  When they feel cared for, they stay.  When they feel ignored, they find other…churches…where they feel cared for.

Fail to care enough and you’ll learn the same lesson that many members of the clergy have learned: people vote with their feet as well as their wallets.

While caring is absolutely vital to creating fervent following, guiding them is essential.

2. Guide your readers

As the leader of your blog religion, it’s your duty to guide your readers toward a better life. That means reminding them often of how you can help them move forward. (Hmm, sounds a lot like like marketing, eh?)

You spend time developing workshops or products that meet their needs and don’t just fleece their Paypal accounts. To only offer advice without providing a safe environment within which to develop the skills would be similar to a engaging in a one sided relationship where no one gets their needs met.

True guidance is about caring for those who look to you for advice and guidance. If you don’t do it, someone else will. They’re your flock: Guide them to greener pastures.

So, first you care, then you guide, and finally, you protect.

3. Protect your readers

Like any parent, I’d lay down my life in a heartbeat to protect one of my children from harm.  It’s built in to a loving parent’s genome.

In business, it is our duty to protect our clients as well. In caring for and guiding them, we also need to protect them from poor decisions, careless marketing, and at times, maybe our competition.

But there’s also an element of risk in protection because it assumes that you know what’s best.  And that’s how it should be.  You either become the expert in solving the problems your reades face or you don’t engage them as a reader or client.

Final Thoughts

When you commit to caring for, guiding, and protecting your clients, you’ll begin to attract followers.  The followers will become your devotees and given subsequent care, guidance, and protection, they’ll willingly shout your good news from their rooftops.

Your army of evangelists will go forth and spread the word about how you…yes, YOU, are….the chosen one…in your field. When you do it right, they’ll follow you into the promised land.