How to Boost Creativity as an Entrepreneur

To be successful, entrepreneurs need to be innovative, and that requires a lot of creative thinking. Unfortunately, even the most innovative thinkers run out of ideas every now and then. Next time you suffer from a creative block, use the following techniques to hack your brain into being more creative and productive.

(Curated from Tech.Co) 

For entrepreneurs, being surrounded by art is a great way to find inspiration. Unfortunately, the approach to business can be rather clinical in nature, and therefore very restricting when it comes to creativity and innovation. Adding some artwork to your workspace can give you the creative boost you need.

“There is a real tendency to opt for sanitized, lean workspaces, designed to encourage staff to just get on with their work and avoid distraction,” psychologist and researcher Dr. Craig Knight says. “If you enrich a space people feel much happier and work better; a very good way of doing this is by using art.”

Spending too much time in your office can also have a constricting effect on your creativity. Every once in a while, it’s a good idea to switch things up by rearranging the layout of your workspace or working in a different location altogether.

“A change of scenery can completely alter how you get through a day,” says Deborah Sweeney, a proponent of switching offices on a rotating basis. “Maybe you work best when working by a window, or you need to be in the back of the room where it’s less noisy and there’s less foot traffic.”

Another great way to spark creativity is to spend some time outdoors. Being surrounded by nature can make entrepreneurs more receptive to new ideas and creative thoughts. Next time you feel like you’re stuck inside your own head, go for a walk.

“Don’t assume that you have to wander through a national park to enjoy the benefits of being outdoors. Even a walk around a crowded city block can yield fantastic results. The point is that you are getting out of your bubble and stimulating your senses.”

One of the best (and often most difficult) ways to ignite innovation is to get out of your comfort zone. Deviating from your normal routine and trying new things takes a lot of work, but it can do wonders for your creativity.

“Make time for getting out of your comfort zone. Schedule weekly networking events. Meet with people who are different from you. Find something that scares you and chase it. This is how you stumble upon new opportunities.”

Creative thoughts can be hard to come by. Whether you do your best thinking after your morning cup of coffee or late at night in bed, it’s always a good idea to write your ideas down.

“One tangible tip is to always have a creativity notebook nearby. This is a physical notebook that serves no other purpose than scribbling down ideas. By training yourself to put ideas on paper as soon as they appear, you can ensure you don’t overlook anything.”

What other tips do you have for entrepreneurs to boost their creativity? Let us know!

How Social Media Can Help Your Business

Over the past few years, social media has become increasingly important. Businesses all over the world have been discovering the ways it can contribute to success and growth of their companies. And while traditional marketing can get expensive, social media marketing is pretty low-cost and gives you a direct line to current and prospective customers. Here are five ways your company can benefit from social media.

(Curated from Tech.Co)

Social media allows you to increase your brand awareness and leverage real-time engagement with prospects or potential customers.

“When
 a client has a question or issue, they can voice it on social media, and you can respond and solve it in a timely manner. As a small business marketer, identify the social networks where your customers spend time as soon as possible and actively engage with them.”

Create community value within your industry by identifying keywords, hashtags, and customer interests. Then start offering
 valuable insight to the niche communities in your targeted social platforms. Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have very active communities.

“In a short period of time, your authority in that community will increase gradually and you will be seen as an expert in your
 niche. Once you have earned trust and goodwill, you can start referencing product or services that will solve their problems. This can work
 wonders if implemented with the right planning.”

Content marketing is an important tool that can also drive results for your marketing strategy. Creating useful and relevant content and distributing it across targeted social media platforms can attract people in your industry, improving brand awareness and user engagement.

“First, understand your sales funnel (the process you want your customers to experience as they go from prospect to lead to the client to repeat customer) and then create targeted content for your audience that addresses their needs at each step of your funnel. This can be a very useful technique if you follow a well-planned content strategy.”

Using social media is a great way to build relationships with influencers in your industry, who often have a strong following. If influencers get the word out about your business, then you are likely to gain attention from their followers.

“You can build relationships with influencers on Twitter by commenting
 and re-tweeting their content, share their blog posts on social media, make useful comments on their blog, etc. You can also invite influencers to sample your products and services for free
 and request a review or quick feedback (i.e. a testimonial) and then share it in your marketing and press efforts.”

If you have a small marketing budget, then social media paid promotion is a great option. Many times, paid social media campaigns can yield better results than other types of traditional media. Almost all established social media networks offer paid promotion for businesses and brands.

“Facebook advertising offers a highly targeted paid promotion opportunity that has the potential to increase leads. You can reach people who are more likely
 to engage with you and your content.”

Do you have any other social media tips for business owners? Let us know!

How to Market Your Startup on a Budget

One of the biggest challenges that many startups face is effectively competing with the massive marketing budgets of major brands that often spend millions of dollars on advertising per week. Thanks to the internet, however, marketing has gotten much easier and cheaper. Here are three low-cost marketing techniques for your startup:

(Curated from Tech.Co)

Begin by incorporating blogging into your marketing strategy. Statistics show that businesses that blog generate 67 percent more leads than businesses that do not.

“A notable case study on the effectiveness of blogging for startups is the popular social sharing app, Buffer: with a combination of blogging and guest blogging, without advertising, Buffer gained its first 100,000 users within 9 months. Buffer has millions of users now, and it easily generates millions of dollars in annual revenue. All this is thanks to a foundation built on a smart blogging and marketing strategy.”

Involve influencers in your startup to bring in both quality traffic and conversions for your startup. Because influencers have built up their reputation and following over the years, their recommendation will generate a lot of high quality, highly engaged users.

“Having industry celebrities, thought leaders and popular blogs and publications endorse your startup can go a long way in getting the attention you deserve without spending a pretty penny.”

Startups can benefit greatly from implementing a smart email marketing strategy. Get the right leads by using funnels and segmentation to guide prospects towards the right product or service that your startup has to offer them.

“In a recent study that analyzed over 500 million shopping experiences, Monetate came to the shocking realization that email marketing beats search and social media combined when it comes to conversion. It isn’t surprising then, that most startups and publications report email as their top source of traffic and leads.”

In today's competitive business economy, marketing your startup is undoubtedly difficult, but with these three low-cost marketing techniques, you can make sure your business gets a fighting chance at success. What other low-cost marketing techniques do you have for startup companies?