To
market your product or service successfully, you’ve got to have a unique
positioning concept. A “big idea” that sets you apart in a world drowning
in me, too.
There
are world-class examples of successful concepts, like FedEx’s iconic slogan,
“When your package absolutely, positively has to get there overnight.”
Or
Nyquil’s long-standing tagline, “The nighttime, coughing, achy, sniffling,
stuffy head, fever, so-you-can-rest medicine.”
When
you come up with the perfect concept for your product — the best angle from
which to sell it — everything else falls into place.
Your
headlines, subheads, and even your attention-getting opening sentence all
become easier to write.
Combine
a great concept with the
right offer and a decent call to action, and you’re starting to get somewhere.
The importance of insight
But
how do you get that brilliant flash of insight that allows you to discover the
best angle from which to sell your product? Most of the time when we sit down
to figure out new marketing ideas, it’s anything but a magical experience.
It
feels more like we’re pack mules, carrying heavy loads on our backs, plodding
up a very steep mountain trail.
But
every now and then — if we’re really, really lucky — we experience a day when
we feel like we’re reaching up to the sky and placing our hand in a rushing
current of creativity that’s always flowing in the clouds.
We
feel like we can just plug in and let the ideas flow from our hands to the
page. Those are the really spectacular days.
And
to do successful copywriting — to figure out a perfect concept for every blog
post you write and every product you sell — you need more of those spectacular
days.
So,
when you’re trying to figure out the best positioning for your new product, how
do you get that all-important flash of insight?
The creative process for finding big ideas
Your
first step in figuring out the best angle for selling your product is to always
thoughtfully and exhaustively study your topic. Take your research seriously,
and learn everything you can about your subject.
Legendary
“mad man” David Ogilvy began every one of his campaigns with intensive research
into exactly who he was trying to reach. He then took that insight and came up
with the BIG IDEA that fueled many a homerun advertisement, such as The
Man in the Hathaway Shirt.
(You
might be more familiar with the modern knock off, The Most Interesting Man in
the World for Dos Equis).
When
you feel like you’re finished with your research, write down some possible big
ideas. If you’re feeling ambitious, write out a basic outline, perhaps in the
form of a manifesto of how you’re going to shake up the status quo.
If
the inspiration isn’t quite there yet, jot down a couple of general ideas — or
some thoughts on your target market — and how they could benefit from the
product.
Next,
give yourself room to have a flash of insight that leads to the big idea. Here
are six suggestions on how to invite more breakthroughs …
1. Allow yourself an incubation period
Set
aside your notes and go do something fun. Walk your dog, watch a movie, have
coffee with a friend, or go dancing. And don’t think about your copywriting
project.
Our
brains are still working on our copy, even when we’re taking a break and doing
something completely unrelated. An incubation period gives you distance from
your work, and allows you to make connections that would have been impossible
if you were just staring at your notes and chewing on the end of your pen.
When
you’re stuck for a brilliant concept for your product, take a break and then
come back to it. A flash of insight will likely come in the middle of your
break.
2. Collaborate with a diverse team
Some
of the world’s best creative work is coming from companies that consciously
cross-pollinate their teams.
3M,
the Scotch Tape and Post-It wizards, periodically rotate all their engineers to
different teams, so they regularly get new (and fresh) eyes looking at a
project.
The
3M management team noticed that this practice regularly increases invention and
innovation. The technique is called “conceptual blending,” and it’s been shown
to work in a variety of situations.
Conceptual
blending is so important to the movie-making geniuses at Pixar that they built
it right into the layout plan for their main office in Emeryville, California.
The
only restrooms in the massive Pixar building are in the very center of the
building — and since everyone has to visit the bathroom, different people from
Pixar’s various teams run into each other all the time.
Why
does conceptual blending work? It works because “outsiders” typically have a
higher willingness to mull over information and ideas that don’t initially seem
worthy of consideration. Project newcomers will look at distantly related
analogies and anecdotes, and make unusual connections that people immersed in
the problem typically cannot.
So
hang out in groups of people who are different from you, and discuss your
questions with them. Ask them how you might market your product or service, and
what unusual and remarkable angle you might use.
3. Move your body
Swimming,
running, yoga, weight lifting, or any practice that regularly challenges you
physically will also help you gain insight and make new connections.
Cynthia
Morris of Original Impulse,
creativity coach and facilitator, says, “The break from work gives valuable
mental space,” and encourages her clients to add exercise as an important
component of their creative process.
4. Don’t rush it
Give
yourself some time to think about your product, your audience, and your ideas.
If you only give yourself a day to come up with your Big Idea, you will likely
fail. Give yourself the space to play around, to incubate, to percolate, and to
round up your team to discuss things.
5. On the flip side — apply a little pressure
Creativity
does work better under a little pressure. Don’t give yourself months (or years)
to come up with a concept — long lead times will tempt you into
procrastination.
6. Travel
If you
can travel — get out of your house, your city, or even your country — your
creativity will soar. Cynthia Morris says this about the link between travel
and insight:
My
favorite style of exploring is to wander with little or no plan … I almost
always encounter something remarkable that sparks a new idea for my work.
Random or unplanned occurrences are gold for the creative process.
So
push back that chair and take a little trip — by foot, car, train, ship or
plane. You’ll be amazed at what bubbles up to the surface.
Letting Inspiration In
Your
big idea — the
unique story of your product or service — is one of the most important
things to create when you’re starting a new online marketing campaign or general
content marketing
approach.
It’s
so important that it is worth putting regular, conscious effort into inviting
your muse to visit you on a regular basis. If you consistently create a welcoming
environment for insight and innovation, your big ideas will get better and your
business will soar.
So
roll out the red carpet for those BIG ideas. They’re out there, just waiting
for the right moment to knock on your door.
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