spicy marketing

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.

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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!

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Ronn Torossian is the CEO of 5W Public Relations

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Ronn Torossian is the Founder & Chairman of 5W Public Relations, one of the largest independently owned PR firms in the United States. Since founding 5WPR in 2003, he has led the company's growth and vision, with the agency earning accolades including being named a Top 50 Global PR Agency by PRovoke Media, a top three NYC PR agency by O'Dwyers, one of Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces and being awarded multiple American Business Awards, including a Stevie Award for PR Agency of the Year. With over 25 years of experience crafting and executing powerful narratives, Torossian is one of America's most prolific and well-respected public relations executives. Throughout his career he has advised leading and high-growth businesses, organizations, leaders and boards across corporate, technology and consumer industries. Torossian is known as one of the country's foremost experts on crisis communications. He has lectured on crisis PR at Harvard Business School, appears regularly in the media and has authored two editions of his book, "For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results With Game-Changing Public Relations," which is an industry best-seller. Torossian's strategic, resourceful approach has been recognized with numerous awards including being named the Stevie American Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year, the American Business Awards PR Executive of the Year, twice over, an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year semi-finalist, a Top Crisis Communications Professional by Business Insider, Metropolitan Magazine's Most Influential New Yorker, and a recipient of Crain's New York Most Notable in Marketing & PR. Outside of 5W, Torossian serves as a business advisor to and investor in multiple early stage businesses across the media, B2B and B2C landscape. Torossian is the proud father of two daughters. He is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and a board member of multiple not for profit organizations.