Hey, whad’ya think of this blog title? Pretty slammin, huh? I hope it captured your attention!
What do you think of these little guys?
“7 Steps to Grow Your Business” Yawn…
“7 Easy Steps to Increase Your Revenue” Better…
“7 Sexy Secrets to Create an Irresistible Brand to Explode Your Profits” Cha-Ching!
The last thing you want to do is bore your audience. There is already enough boredom in the world. Taxes and treadmills pop to mind. How long do you think your audience will stick around if you come across as an entrepreneurial Eor? You have to spice things up to keep the love alive. And not just in your sales titles, but in everything from how to package your services to how to write your newsletter.
You may think being creative is nice, but not really necessary to your success. You work hard, you’re smart, so what if you’re not the next Picasso or Steve Jobs? Wait a minute, that Steve Jobs guy did pretty well.
Being creative in your business gives you superior products and can enhance your productivity. It certainly makes things more fun and interesting for you. And most importantly it allows you to stand out in a crowded marketplace. When you are creative, you bring new ideas and greater value to your audience which sets your apart from the competition. Who needs creativity now? Starting to look more important, isn’t it?
You may already buy into the importance of being creative in your business, but sometimes for all of us the well runneth dry. It seems the harder we try to come up with new and better ideas, the further genius feels. There’s a reason for that:
A creative mind lives in the realm of play(TWEET THIS)
When you are in the trenches of running a business, having fun feels like a luxury. But the truth is, if you want a more luxurious life and wildly profitable business, you are going to have to make friends with your inner puppy.
Want to know how to pump up the volume on creativity? Here are a few tips:
1. Try, try and try again. Your first version of whatever you are working on will probably not be the most creative. Most masterpieces do not come out fully baked, not unless you are Mozart. And if you are Mozart, then please call me. Usually, you need to edit, tweak, ponder, rewrite and do it all again until you come up with a refined, more provocative version.
2. “Let it go. Let it go…”(Play music in head hear.) As the Oscar-winning song from the movie “Frozen” commands, let it go, don’t hold it back any more. Sometimes our creativity is not the problem. We have the idea, but we are all jammed-up with fear about what other people will think. So we censor ourselves which is a BIG MISTAKE. Your first impulse is usually where all the magic lives, even if it’s raw. As I said in step one, you can refine it later.
3. Play in someone else’s sandbox. Try a different medium. If your standard method of expressing yourself is writing, try video or even drawing. If you work in a creative industry, interview someone from accounting. If you spend most of your time working from home, write your next blog from Starbucks. Just shake it up.
4. Read a novel. Ha, I bet you thought I was going to say read a publication from another industry. That’s not a bad idea either, but I’m taking it a step further. I want this to be a purely pleasurable book. Hey, let’s get crazy. Let’s make it a sultry romance novel. Something you can really get lost in. When was the last time you were stressed reading a romance novel?
Stress and creativity don’t mix.
5. Sing opera. Ok, it doesn’t have to be opera. It can be country, jazz or whatever rocks your socks just something you like singing. Or if you’re not a singer, you can dance. But you shouldn’t just listen. It’s better to be physically involved. Heck, you could even run with your jams blaring just as long as your body is moving. Not only do you get the benefit of being transported by the music, you also get the extra boost of oxygen to your brain from the exercise. (And yes, singing can be exercise if you’re doing it right!)
Now that you have some tips to get your crazy, colorful creativity flowing, try applying it to different areas of your business. How can you creatify your taglines? (Creatify is not a typo, work with me people.) How can you grind a mean sales page? Can you take your sweet and steady standard package and tousle it into something dangerously delicious?
If you allow yourself the time, space and permission to be uniquely expressive and open in your business, you will create a dynamic and client-attractive brand. Of course, no one is twisting your arm to do so. Just trying to twist your brain!
Your feedback is music to my ears!
What do you do to get your creative juices flowing?
Post your answers below in the comments or find me on Facebook.
If you would like to use this article on your website or ezine, feel free! Just be sure to include the following:
Heather Poduska is a brand strategist, business coach and opera singer who helps entrepreneurs and small business owners create client attractive brands, polished brand images and brand communication strategies to increase their visibility and impact in the marketplace and grow their businesses.
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