As a business or a brand, if you are bound by the current rules and policies then expect to have your fair share of hurt during the coming year. If however you can change the rules somehow then expect to go against economic trends, attract more customers and sell more.
Creativity can help you do that.
Creativity can improve your product, get it noticed, make it different from the rest, give your team inspiration and create new markets. It's the way to break the mould and bust away from the current paradigms.
Creativity isn't just about the ads – it's about everything in your business. Here's a few examples of how to change your game:
- Hire crazies – employ someone who thinks a little differently from the people you normally hire. You'll get fresh ideas and a new perspective on business.
Use a metaphor to get the ideas flowing. You might ask how is selling more of my product or service like driving a race car or going on a date.
- Brainstorm – get the team together, ask a question like "How to improve sales in the company?" And get someone to record the ideas on a flipchart. Simple.
- Ask your peers – call a supplier or a client or two. Meet with them and compare strategies. Cross pollinate their creative approaches to your business.
- The Virgin Test – pretend you are Richard Branson, Steve Jobs or Sam Morgan. What would you do to revitalise your business or industry. What completely new direction would you take it in?
- Run a brandmap workshop – OK, well I had to drop this in. A Wasabi Brandmap goes way beyond a brainstorm and a its great way for to rethink your business or brand from the ground up.
The real issue with applying creativity is not to wait for the 'creatives' to tell you what to do. We all have the ideas in us. But we need to start using them, today.
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