Spark into Marketing

Small business marketing ideas come at you at all times of the day and night.  While many small business owners may not have hearts that beat faster at the thought of a marketing plan, a marketing idea can be like the spark of a firework and energise you.

Marketing ideas can be big or small, short term or long term.  They may lead to a marketing plan or to the trial of an idea but either way they take you forward.  Going forward is essential to business life.   To mis-quote Bob Dylan if your business is not getting ideas and busy being born it is busy dying..

But creative ideas tend not to come to us in an orderly way.  It is important to be constantly alert for them, and write them down.  As entrepreneurs we tend to have more ideas per moment than most, and one way of combating any sense of overwhelm or frustration is to record all ideas without judgement, and then process them afterwards.  The ideas will be a treasure trove for ways to improve customer service, (or your life), develop new products and ranges, as well as find  new clients.

The spark and the energy of the new idea is  nurtured.  New ideas often meet resistance – whether from your work or home team – so give them some breathing space before they get out into the world.

What is the point of marketing ideas?

Marketing ideas help your small business to communicate what is special your offer (and you) so that the right people buy more easily more often.  The right marketing ideas help the buying decision to happen more effortlessly.  You have more fun being you, and you make more money so you can make more difference.  Pretty good, huh?

When do you find marketing ideas?

When you are more relaxed.  The shower or the bath is one of the best places – think of Archimedes shouting Eureka ( I have found it) when he was in the bath, or Newton – not slaving away but sitting under an apple tree – when the idea of gravity occurred to him.  It is important to have periods of relaxation during the day.  They give your subconscious a chance to get to work, and you stop getting in your own way.

How do you find marketing ideas?

Go out and about and keep your eyes open.  Watch how people behave when they are buying stuff even if it has nothing to do with your business.  Ideas from other markets can easily work in your own.  Note down anything that seems interesting.  then give yourself a period of time to reflect. Sit in a cafe on your own, read the paper, listen and watch.

If you have a marketing problem get clear first on the problem.  Maybe you want more customers, perhaps you sense that you are not presenting your business as a benefit to your customer, perhaps you need some new product ideas.  The worst way to solve it is by getting desperate – ideas and solutions seem to disappear.

Write out the situation as clearly as you can.   There may be some emotion behind what you are saying to yourself, and it is good to get clear on that, too.   Sometimes we can be simply unaware of what voices are talking in our heads!    Write down the exact words you are saying to yourself and notice the tone of voice you are using.  Simply looking at those words and getting a sense of the emotion will help.  It could be anger, frustration, or sadness, fear or excitement…your emotion will affect the response.

Then write the problem out again as briefly and unemotionally as possible.  Reduce it almost to a formula.  See if you agree with it when it is written out, and if not, do it again to reduce it to its simplest form.  Then shut your notebook and go out and lhave a great day.

Ideas will start to come to you.  By recording them (no matter how crazy) you tell your subconscious to carry on working for you, and you will soon be an organic ideas farm and more and more ideas will flow and later you can choose from the best ones.

When do the marketing ideas come to you?

When you least expect it!  Your subconscious (and the reticular activation part of your brain) can do far more work for you when not constantly interrupted by your conscious mind interfering.  So, as we have said, a relaxed state of mind is the best.  You could be driving back from seeing a client, feeling relaxed when suddently you get a brilliant idea about how to structure the website better.  It may surprise you that is is so simple, and you could wonder why you have not thought of it before.  Be grateful you have had the idea, and write it down.When I have reached my destination I often have a quick refresh of my mind to see what I have been thinking about, and discover all kinds of good marketing ideas. .. and yes, note them down on paper, otherwise I will forget them.  Drawings and doodles are good, too, as they come from the more imaginative side of the brain.

The simple act of clearing ideas out of your mind helps enormously to remind you that you have good ideas, and helps you to act on them, too.

You could be cooking a meal and not thinking about anything when suddenly the question you really need to ask your clients jumps fully formed into your mind.  Or you could be on the point of waking up and you realise that the words for your strap line have arrived!  Walking and other forms of physical exercise are good especially if there is an element of rhythm as it seems to soothe the brain and get you into that relaxed state.

Marketing ideas achieved through this process usually have more vitality and are more sustainable than ideas generated simply through will-power.