Innovation isn’t easy —
Thinking creatively and outside the box can be difficult for some, at least when it comes to business. We are creatures of habit and like to follow patterns. That means, when it comes to innovative thinking and creativity, we may have to push ourselves.
The good news is, it’s not about being a creative genius – there are patterns to creativity, and if you follow them, you will find creative, unique ways to advertise your company, products, services, and brand.
Steps to the innovation process:
Observe
This is the part where you sit back and watch. Take a look at your stats, sales, and target audience. What does it all look like? Take note of any major problems (lack of traffic, decline in leads, minimum sales, high advertising cost, etc.) and make a list.
Ideas
Then, it’s time to brainstorm. Work on your own or gather a team to help you. Then, suggest ideas. Nothing is too wild or far-fetched, just think of anything that you could possibly do to fix the issues you’ve observed or improve any particular area.
Weigh it out
Now that you know what needs to be changed or fixed, and you have a list of solutions, you need to start weighing the pros and cons. This part can be challenging to be objective in, so try and get others involved. They can help carefully weigh out the positives and negatives of your options without bias to any particular ideas.
Prototype
Once you have decided on the best route to take, draw up your plan of action. Say that you need to increase sales (the problem), you’ve decided that the way to go is more advertising (the solution), so you need to plan for a creative campaign (drawing up the prototype). This step may take a while and require some real thought and effort, but if you have the right team with you, you will land on what works best for your company and brand.
Execute
When you have your plan completed and put together, it’s time to execute it. You are now going to take all the research, planning, thinking, and the solution and apply it to your business.
Thinking in unique ways can be intimidating, since the future is uncertain and you aren’t always sure what effects your decisions will make on your business down the road. But the key to success in business is thinking innovatively. It’s taking that step that makes you a leader in your field, not a follower. Every person that has ever come up with something new (or unheard-of) has had to take the same leap. Cultivate a creative approach when it comes to your business, and you will be in good company.
GIANT will help you identify areas of potential improvement in your business and will develop a strategy to address them quickly. Contact us anytime to find out how we can help you facilitate innovation and deliver on your goals.