Discover how you can spark your creativity and for a few of our favorite content creation tools in this in-depth article.
If you’re in charge of your brand’s content creation strategy, it’s inevitable that at some point you will find yourself in a slump; it happens to even the most seasoned professionals. Repeatedly creating content can become a daunting task, and your creative fire is always at risk of being put out. Thankfully, there are ways you can pick yourself back up during those times when your inspiration wanes. Keep reading to discover how you can spark your creativity and for a few of our favorite content creation tools.
10 Ways To Spark Your Creativity For Content Creation
- Stop And Smell The Roses.
It’s easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day tasks and forget to observe and appreciate the unique beauty of the world around you. When you feel stuck, it is helpful to stop what you’re doing to absorb your surroundings and take in the little details of everything that you typically overlook. This switch in mindset can make all the difference. According to Designbold, if you give your brain something new to focus on and appreciate, creative ideas will come to you.
- Take A Deep Breath.
Are you feeling overwhelmed and frustrated with the thought of creating a new piece of content for your marketing efforts? Press the pause button to practice some deep breathing and meditation. Meditation is a fantastic way to clear your mind and recenter your energy so your brain can absorb new ideas and perspectives that were not obvious before.
- Think Outside The Content Creation
Repeating the same processes will give you the same results. To break through and reach new creative goals, it is helpful to take a step back to look at the endpoint and the different ways you can get there. Whether you choose alternative tools, a new format or change direction completely, taking a calculated risk by trying a new approach can spark your creativity with content marketing.
- Don’t Beat Yourself Up.
Continuously coming up with fresh, new ideas for your content creation strategy is a challenge; take it easy on yourself. The more you stress and try to force an idea to come to you, the less likely you are to have one worth pursuing. When you feel yourself getting to the boiling point it can be helpful to take a look back and acknowledge the content you have created successfully. Allowing for some grace and evaluating your previous wins will take the pressure off your shoulders and open your mind to new ideas.
- Try A Change Of Scenery.
Sometimes, a breath of fresh is all you need to get the juices flowing when trying to create content.
When was the last time you worked outdoors or somewhere other than your typical environment? If you’re in a rut creatively, sometimes a change of scenery is all it takes to get the juices flowing again. Try to take your work outside. Feeling the sunshine on your face with a cool breeze carrying the gentle scents of nature can have a profound effect on your mood and creativity. When get outside to enjoy the fresh air is not possible, consider heading to your local library, a café or even moving to a different room in your home. This change in your environment may be all you need to jumpstart your creative process again.
- Go For A Walk.
Going for a walk is proven to spark creativity. According to a Stanford study: “walking indoors or outdoors similarly boosted creative inspiration. The act of walking itself, and not the environment, was the main factor. Across the board, creativity levels were consistently and significantly higher for those walking compared to those sitting.”
- Set The Content Creation
When you know you have to focus on content creation, set the mood for the task. Elements like music and lighting will help you get into a creative space, and surrounding yourself with items you find inspirational will stimulate your creativity further. One idea is to put together a playlist full of music that charges your creativity and have it readily available for your content creation sessions.
- The More The Merrier.
Sometimes the best thing to jumpstart your creativity is getting others on your team involved in the process. Hold a brainstorming session with others to get outside views and ideas from those who are not close to the situation. When using this method, it’s important you accept all ideas provided and wait until the session is over to analyze the best potential solutions. MindTools states that brainstorming:
“Encourages people to come up with thoughts and ideas that can, at first, seem a bit crazy. Some of these ideas can be crafted into original, creative solutions to a problem, while others can spark even more ideas. This helps to get people unstuck by ‘jolting’ them out of their normal ways of thinking.
Therefore, during brainstorming sessions, people should avoid criticizing or rewording ideas. You’re trying to open up possibilities and break down incorrect assumptions about the problem’s limits. Judgment and analysis at this stage stunts idea generation and limits creativity.”
- Put Yourself In Your Audience’s Shoes.
A content creation brainstorming session is a great way to get others with an outside view involved and can help jumpstart your creativity.
When was the last time you actively evaluated your content marketing efforts from the view of your audience? Put yourself in the shoes of someone who is discovering your brand for the first time. Are you explaining your product or service well enough? Is there a question you find yourself asking about your brand? This change of perspective can help you see areas where you can improve your content’s clarity, answer unasked questions and highlight areas of your brand which you may be unintentionally neglecting.
If you have a hard time viewing your content from your audience’s perspective, go straight to the source and ask them directly! Hearing what they want to see more of, what they have questions about and what’s unclear to them can give you a great starting point for what areas of content creation you need to focus on.
- Repurpose, Recycle, Reuse Your Content.
You don’t always have to reinvent the wheel to get the results you want; don’t be afraid to repurpose and reuse your content in new, exciting ways. The pressure of needing to create new content can be the cause of your creative block; removing that obstacle can be all you need to take down that wall. Recycling and refreshing older pieces can be the pause you need to step off the hamster wheel of content creation and regain your footing to move forward in a more purposeful manner.
While it’s not an exhaustive list of ways to break down your creative roadblocks, it is a great start to get you back on the road to creating meaningful content for your audience. The next step is putting your creativity to use! Let’s take a look at a few of our top, affordable content creation tools below.
5 Affordable Content Creation Tools
Once you open the creative floodgates, it’s time to put pen to paper and watch your ideas come to life. Whether you’re feeling the need to create graphics or are in the mood to share your thoughts, there’s a wealth of tools available for businesses without needing to spend a lot of money or have a lot of specialty experience. Here are five of our favorite tools for content creation.
- Canva For Graphic Design
Canva and Boosted by Lightricks are two of our favorite graphic design tools for content creation.
Canva is one of my favorite tools, which I use almost daily, for creating custom images! Once upon a time, you had to be a professional graphic designer if you wanted to include one-of-a-kind pieces in your content marketing strategy, but that’s not the case anymore. Anyone can design beautiful images with Canva’s intuitive and user-friendly interface. Start by picking out one of their design templates or images and customize it to fit your business’s branding. You can also upload your company’s images and logos to add to the design.
One of the things I appreciate the most about Canva is that its free version is full of images, templates and elements to use – perfect for the occasional graphic design project. If you’re doing heavy design work on a regular basis, the paid subscription expands their offerings and includes the ability to upload and save your brand’s colors and fonts.
- Boosted by Lightricks For Video Creation
Creating short videos for your brand is quick and easy with Boosted by Lightricks. Start by choosing from a vast array of their stock images and videos, or upload your own, as the base for your video. From there, add transitions, music and text and you’re ready to share it with your audience. Go from a blank canvas to an eye-catching video in minutes!
- Adobe Spark For Storytelling
This convenient content creation tool allows you to easily create videos or web stories. You can use the free version as long as you don’t mind Adobe Spark adding their branding at the end of your video, or you can upgrade to remove it and unlock a few more customization options.
Adobe Spark has a wide range of templates you can use as a starting point to develop visuals that will complement your content marketing efforts. Whether you plan to use your creations on your business’s social media channels, include them in a blog post or add them to your website, this program is a great solution for telling your brand’s story.
- Grammarly For Writing Well
From blog posts and newsletters to images and videos, a major aspect of content creation is writing. It’s important that whatever you decide to share with your audience is grammatically free of errors. While no application or word processor can replace a set of eyes editing your content, Grammarly is a great program to utilize for an initial review. Not only does it give you grammar and spelling suggestions, but it also analyzes the tone of the piece, so you know if you’re coming across to your readers how you intend. For a cost, you can upgrade your account to include more complex grammar suggestions and their explanations.
Once installed, Grammarly scans for errors while you’re on the internet, and you can copy and paste Word documents for review onto your account homepage. You can even get it for your mobile device – which is handy for those on-the-go emails and important, last-minute social media updates.
- Keyword Stream For Getting Your Messages Noticed
Keywords are a vital part of your content creation and should be included in every piece you create. Not only are they important for your website’s ranking, which helps build its credibility (also known as its domain authority), but they also help your audience find useful pieces of information they are looking for. Keyword Stream is a great tool for researching and choosing specific keywords that are relevant and will also help get your brand noticed. Filling out the form results in words and phrases related to what you input, along with their search volume and competition level, letting you find the perfect balance of visibility and relevancy.
With your inspiration flowing, these five content creation tools are the channels that will transform your ideas into works of art, making them ready for your audience to discover!
As you can see, when you find yourself facing a creative block, hope is not lost; there are a variety of methods readily available to help you find your muse again. Do you have any other tricks that spark creativity when experiencing a slump? Let us know in the comment section below!
If you’re still having trouble with content creation for your brand, we’re here to help! Contact us today to schedule a complimentary consultation to learn how our team of Marketing & PR Specialists can help your business thrive with personalized content created just for you!
Special Offer:
Sign up for a complimentary consultation during December and receive an Annual Marketing Planning Guide valued at $475! We offer a 30-minute phone consultation with our CEO, and can answer your questions and discuss your specific marketing needs - no strings attached. Call 408-218-2391 or contact us today to arrange your consultation!