Perhaps you feel renewed and refreshed as we begin a new year. Maybe you’re full of new ideas and inspiration to make this a great year. Maybe you’re feeling a bit tired from all the holiday festivities, deadlines at the end of the year and cold winter days. Your creativity may feel a little tired and “blah”. January and Februar can be challenging months to come up with amazing ideas.
Sometimes it is difficult to find your muse. This can be especially true when we are constantly being bombarded and surrounded with new technology, better ideas and bigger and better ways to do everything. Are you sure it’s all been done before. What can you do, and what are your employees, to make it more memorable for your customers?
Get your creative juices flowing. It’s time to start the new year off with inspiration. It’s time sparking bright ideas in your team and engaging them in some new ways to get things moving. How can YOU get some inspiration for a brainstorming session in your forecast?
1. READ these newsletters
There’s a good chance that you subscribe to many emails and newsletters that flood your inbox each morning. Instead of deleting them immediately, take the time and read them. Many of these newsletters may contain inspiration or content that might be helpful to you.
Your vendors, partners, peers and affinity groups can provide great tips and marketing ideas at this time. Everyone is looking to make the most of the year by strengthening their networks and providing interesting, robust content to their followers. You can take advantage of this by reading more than a glance at your favorite blogs and newsletters.
Is your current subscription not enough? There are many newsletters on the web that provide creative inspiration and rich content. See what your friends are reading on Facebook.
2. Get connected with your customers
Customers can be an inspiration and a source for innovation. Who are we trying, anyway? Talk to your top customers and your target market. This will help you build rapport with them. Find out what they are looking for and what you love about them.
Use Your CRM to guide yourself – are there certain segments in your customers you want to get to know more? Who are your most loyal customers? Your longest-term supporters? Referred by someone else
If your CRM is being used creatively to segment and identify customers, there’s a good chance you will be able to discover new commonalities or ties that can boost your marketing and improve your game. A thorough analysis of your customer base, and a conversation with them about their needs, can make a big difference to your marketing strategy.
3. Don’t get caught up in the details
There is nothing that can dull your creativity and make you feel discouraged like sorting through endless quantities of data. Some people find this interesting, while others find it …*gasp* amusing. But it is an easy way to lose your creativity and to get to sleep.
Take care of the repetitive stuff with your tools. It is really useful to have all the programs that you use in one location. A CRM that integrates across platforms and devices allows you to avoid searching your phone for information when you should instead be using your computer. It saves your time and energy. Time you can use in order to make, do. think. innovate. and create.
Make sure to set up reminders for your calendar. You can also use “helping instruments” to organize your thoughts and get your mind off of the minutia. Make sure to take a moment to complete each project or activity. Log the data and add the information to your CRM. Recording a few key points of information is less stressful than recording hours worth of data.
4. Get Creative Team Inspiration Online
There are many excellent websites and resources available online for creativity. Literally there are literally hundreds of websites that will give you inspiration, color schemes as well as fonts, colors, and art.
Awwwards offers a platform that rewards design, innovation, and creativity online. Sites like Dribble Behance Designspiration are all great places to find inspiration in art and design.
Slack. Tumblr. Instagram. Social media can help your company grow if your employees are able to get inspiration.
5. Listen & Learn
Many people assume that we can add learning to our to-do lists once we have obtained that diploma. This is not the case, creative thinkers know better. You must always be learning and trying out new things. After graduation, the world becomes our classroom.
You will find inspiration through TED talks podcasts, YouTube, and other sources that allow you to listen to inspirational speakers. There are so many resources online to help build your business, boost your creativity and learn from frustration that you can’t waste time.
You can even pick up a classic book from time to time, which will help inspire and increase your creativity. Ideas can come to you from the most unexpected places. Don’t be afraid to look around and listen to whatever you like.
If you want to be creative, this is the year for you. Explore your creative potential and find inspiration wherever you are. Be inspired, communicate with customers and share your experiences with your team!
