5 Things You Can Do to Get a Little Marketing Inspiration

Marketing isn’t easy.

Sometimes it’s the simplest concept that gets the most traction and other times, we need to have our most creative thinking hats on in order to achieve the results we’re after.

Ever notice that oftentimes your most ingenious ideas come to you when you’re NOT actively thinking about the project? Maybe it’s that all-powerful period of incubation that allows the free flow of incredible ideas. Or perhaps it’s your extrication from the very topic that you must develop an idea for. Whatever it is, we can learn a lot from this phenomenon and even use it to our advantage.

The next time you need a little marketing inspiration, try these suggestions.

1. Step AWAY from your computer.
   Instead of sitting at your desk frustratingly staring at the blank page in front of you, get up. Walk away. Take a quick stroll around the office, or if you work from home, do something else. Step outside, make yourself a little lunch, throw on some tunes or go for a midday workout.
2. Change your perspective.
   This is easier said than done but when we’re brainstorming new marketing concepts we often get “stuck” thinking about the task from just one angle. And that’s our angle. Because we’re all up in our own heads trying desperately to come up with the next best thing that hit the marketing world, we tend to miss other perspectives that may just be the key to our best idea yet! So…involve other people. Ask for opinions. Entertain a perspective other than your own.
3. Browse the web.
   The internet is an amazing thing. We live in a time where an unlimited amount of information is at our fingertips – anytime, anywhere. So take advantage! Start punching questions, phrases, ideas and keywords into your new best friend (Google, of course) and see what’s out there. Your new marketing idea likely won’t be presented to you on a silver platter but the beauty of the web is that it helps you expand your thought process and exposes you to new concepts that may just trigger the right one.
4. Watch commercials.
   The next time your TV-watching partner in crime grabs for the remote when your favourite show goes to a commercial break, request a little commercial watching instead. Yes, most commercials are a sad excuse for a marketing initiative, but you never know when one sparks a new idea, or, at the very least, shows you what you don’t want to do in your next campaign.
5. Read.
   You’re probably thinking, “how is reading going to give me my next big marketing idea?” But you might be surprised. Reading has an extraordinary power that’s able to take our minds out of reality and into another dimension. Whether you enjoy reading fiction novels or non-fiction informational books, let the content carry you someplace else. Free your mind of current pressures and let new thoughts replace the old.

What do YOU do for marketing inspiration?