It happens to even the best. Try as you might, it just seems that the creative ideas are no longer flowing as freely as they usually do.
This can spell trouble for a business reliant on creative marketing to produce results and new audience members. What happens when marketing goes stale? Here are some easy steps to try to get things back to the creative mode.
Think Outside the Box for Inspiration
Not every brilliant idea simply appeared in someone’s head one day, out of nowhere. Sometimes it’s necessary to seek inspiration from other sources.
Consider adding some podcasts to the rotation of media you consume each week. Listen to a few business podcasts or take a gander through the catalog to find something that may spark some interest.
And pay attention to the surroundings. Inspiration can strike at any moment — even a stranger walking down the street may be the unwitting muse for a creative in need of a stroke of inspiration.
Keep Learning
Just as a salesperson should always be selling, it’s important for a marketing professional to always be learning. The learning process in an industry constantly churning through technological advancements and consumer behavior trends is vital.
There may be a new technique, a new trend in consumer behavior, and a new platform to take a stab at. Sometimes simply changing up technique is enough to spark a flow of creativity.
Keep Up with Current Events
Often, brands will capitalize on current events — sporting events, for example — to create a campaign around. Sometimes, a peak current event is all that’s needed to start conceptualizing a campaign.
Not only are current events relevant, but they can also be impactful. Aligning a brand strategically with the right event can often do wonders for a brand’s public perception. For example, a brand could get involved with the Olympic games, sponsoring signage at the Games or an ad on television.
Because much of the world is paying attention during the Games, championing a message of unity can serve the dual purpose of bringing attention to the brand and also sending a positive message to viewers, striking a true chord.
Creativity in marketing isn’t only about one bright idea. Often, inspiration comes in waves, and piece by piece a concept is built from the ground up. By diversifying the sources of inspiration, a marketing professional may be able to piece together a new idea that draws from multiple places.
And this often serves another purpose: by drawing inspiration from different areas, the possibility of reaching even more diverse groups of target audience members increases. By doing this, a brand has a good chance of reaching consumers it may not otherwise find and creating loyal customers out of these new eyes.
It’s ok to feel a bit stale and out of touch from time to time. It’s more about how the professional tackles this very normal obstacle rather than the fact that they stumbled into it in the first place. In fact, many will actually say that their brightest idea came after a down period. Don’t give up, think outside the box, and understand that inspiration can come from anywhere. Now, get to creating!
