There is a creative bone in everyone’s body. Some are just better than others at cultivating it. Creativity can be nurtured. Best of all, the right marketing creativity creates the right results. As Albert Einstein said, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.”
Here are some simple ways you can put your creative mind to work for your business’s marketing efforts.
Your Marketing Creativity Crash Course
Allow creativity to happen when it happens. This means be prepared for a dynamite idea to pop in your head at any moment. Don’t think you’ll remember it later. Write it down now and let the juices flow. Use the notes section in your phone to categorize and record your ingenious thoughts. If they don’t have an immediate application today, they may tomorrow.
Make sure your idea resonates within the appropriate audience. When bouncing your creative ideas off of others, remember whether they like your creative efforts or not doesn’t matter. What does matter is what your intended target market thinks. So ask them. If your creativity moves them, then move on to deployment. Churn up ideas by reviewing your buyer personas to get you in the mood.
Take one aspect at a time. Don’t get caught up in all the details all at once. For example, when looking at graphics start with them in black and white. People have difficulty getting past color. Distraction of this level will keep you from understanding other important aspects of design such as eye flow, positioning, impact, et cetera.
Don’t just make marketing pretty. Creativity without purpose is pointless. True marketing is an ingenious fusion of creativity and strategy melted together through a singular objective. At the end of the day, the action you want the audience to make should be at the center of your creative thoughts. Marketing creativity is about marketing your product or services not just entertaining.
Use your muses. Whatever makes your brain go to that creative place is the way to go. Music, your favorite park bench, an early morning run, or Instagram may be your gateway to great ideas. These may help open your mind to possibilities. Stay away from creativity crushers.
Think of creativity like science. Scientists continuously test and retest new ideas. Failures get them that much closer to finding the next big breakthrough. Failures literally pave the way to success. You must have the same mindset in marketing. You can not be afraid to fail for the sake of the larger opportunity.
There are no stupid ideas. An idea is a stepping stone to the next epic idea. Creativity gets stymied when there is fear of sharing thoughts. Build off of every idea with a better one. Negativity stops the creative process in its tracks. The only left will be a large pile of useless frustration.
Never say die. Don’t give up. Creativity doesn’t happen at a snap of a finger. So don’t be so hard on yourself. Take a deep breath, and give yourself a break. Both types.
Sure these creativity chargers are not rocket science, but they do help. Either way give them a try, because they definitely won’t hurt. Only not trying will when it comes to cultivating your creative bug.