What do you do if your remote team struggles to brainstorm and ideate for product marketing strategies?

Encourage asynchronous brainstorming to accommodate different schedules and time zones, so the team can be productive and creative at their peak hours. To make decisions more transparent, look to features like voting or commenting to facilitate collaboration and decision-making. And obviously video conferencing tools for real-time discussion and feedback during brainstorming sessions is a no-brainer.

Providing pre-meeting materials or prompts to stimulate ideas and streamline discussions will make this run smoother. Try some brainstorming techniques like mind mapping or SWOT analysis to guide exploration of ideas. To also ensure equal participation, set norms for turn-taking and active listening. Afterwards, schedule regular follow-up sessions to review progress and iterate on ideas collaboratively and asynchronously.

If you can host in-person meetings, even if it's just annually, that can serve as a forum to get aligned. Then, throughout the year, your remote check-ins can build on that foundation. It is also important to create a psychologically safe workplace where team members can share their ideas. If your team is afraid to share ideas, consider whether you need to foster a more supportive environment; demonstrate that there are no bad contributions to the discussion, even if a particular idea goes nowhere or isn't technically accurate. Even ideas that are 'wrong' can be a springboard for ideas that are 'right.'

Foster collaborative problem-solving by havign teams to work together on challenges, and cross-functionally. Goals is to get different disciplines interacting in solving the same problem from different viewpoints. Always showcase and celebrate the results of these challenges to foster a culture of creativity and recognition. It also highlights the teams efforts and builds team unity. Encourage feedback and reflection after each challenge to identify lessons learned and areas for improvement, again document these and share them with a wider team. Nothing happens in a vacuum.

Organize a virtual event where team members can share their cultural backgrounds, traditions, and unique perspectives. Platforms like Zoom or Google Meet can facilitate these gatherings. I recall organizing a cultural sharing event in my team, where each member presented a short talk or demonstration about their cultural heritage. It sparked interesting conversations and helped us understand and appreciate the diversity within our team. This exchange of perspectives led to fresh ideas and inspired a more inclusive approach to our product marketing strategies.

Consider initiating regular virtual brainstorming sessions using collaboration tools like zoom and shared digital whiteboards. I would encourage open communication and idea sharing, fostering an environment where team members feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and contributing their unique perspectives. Additionally, I would provide clear goals and objectives for each session to focus the team's efforts and ensure alignment with the overall marketing strategy. Regular feedback loops and constructive critique would also be implemented to refine and improve the brainstorming process over time. Team needs to understand that this is part of their ongoing growth and responsibilities