Our top 5 ways to stay inspired
At Pomegranite, finding ways to stay inspired does not mean goofing off for an afternoon, a token yoga session or casual Fridays. It’s an integral part of the way we work. Here is our strategy to work with inspiration:
1. Educate yo’ self
The tools in our industry are evolving so quickly that one new free app, one breakthrough in technology or one fresh approach can throw your strategy leaps forward in its effectiveness. We translate a brand in the real world into a presence online; a significant part of that translation is the technology available to provide the platform for that presence. Use new tools to stay inspired.
Who knows when you might need to know about the social media equivalent of bicycle legs?
2. Drool over international trendsetters and then strip them
You may not have Coca Cola’s budget or marketing team, but you do have the internet and a brain. Check out the biggest and the best, slobber at the indulgence, then figure out what they do well and how they do it. Learn what you can from their strategy and put it in your pocket for an appropriate campaign.
In the same way that fashion magazines help you get celebrity looks at retail shops, it’s about understanding how the elements work together.
3. Let the client be the challenge
Every job is as different as the client. We like to treat every client as a fresh challenge to translate the offline to the online more accurately. This requires some discipline; let go of all your assumptions and listen generously to what they need. Let the client and their unique needs be the source for inspiration and then draw from your knowledge base in order to understand how best to help them.
Ninja-like discipline
4. Be a human being
This is an age of social business. Anything digital is only as powerful as the response it generates from the user – the user who is (most often) a human being. This is a great advantage as you are a human being and you have the ability to conduct research on other human beings around you. Content is now driven by the user: it’s no longer about what the CEO wants to post, it’s about what the customer wants to engage with. Listen carefully and they will inspire you.
Here’s some Clipart to give you the willies.
5. Drop drive and adopt unbridled creativity
Innovation is a tired concept. It’s been thrown around so much it’s practically threadbare. Let’s go back to a definition to remember its former glory:
in·no·vate [in-uh-veyt] verb, in·no·vat·ed, in·no·vat·ing.
To truly innovate demands an intimate knowledge of your tools and the creativity to use them in new ways, undaunted by established practices and the status quo. This approach doesn’t come naturally when you’re working to deadlines and focused on client feedback. You need to make a conscious choice to dedicate some time to allow creativity to flourish at the expense of results. Google gives their employees 20% of their week to work on their own projects – and this “time to explore” has delivered 50% of their new products. Read more about that here and we’ll give you a blog soon about how to give yourself this time in a small business.
