What's your creative strategy success formula?

1 Know your purpose

Before you start brainstorming, you need to have a clear and compelling vision of what you want to accomplish and why. What is the problem you are trying to solve or the opportunity you are trying to seize? What is the value proposition of your solution or offer? How does it align with your brand identity, mission, and values? Having a well-defined purpose will help you focus your efforts, communicate your message, and measure your results.

2 Understand your audience

The next step is to research and empathize with your target audience. Who are they, what are their needs, wants, pain points, and motivations? How do they perceive your brand, product, or service? What are their expectations, preferences, and behaviors? How do they make decisions and take actions? The more you know about your audience, the better you can tailor your creative strategy to resonate with them and persuade them to take the desired action.

3 Generate and test ideas

Once you have a clear purpose and a deep understanding of your audience, you can start generating ideas that address both. There are many techniques and tools that can help you unleash your creativity, such as brainstorming, mind mapping, SCAMPER, or the Disney method. The key is to generate as many ideas as possible, without judging or filtering them at this stage. Then, you can select the most promising ones and test them with your audience, using methods such as surveys, interviews, prototypes, or experiments. Testing your ideas will help you validate your assumptions, gather feedback, and refine your solutions.

4 Craft your story

The next element of your creative strategy success formula is to craft a compelling story that connects your purpose, your audience, and your ideas. A story is a powerful way to engage your audience emotionally, intellectually, and creatively. It can also help you differentiate yourself from your competitors and build trust and loyalty. To craft a great story, you need to have a clear structure, a strong hook, a relevant message, and a memorable call to action.

5 Deliver your solution

The final step of your creative strategy is to deliver your solution in a way that maximizes its impact and effectiveness. This means choosing the right channels, formats, and media to reach your audience and communicate your story. It also means ensuring that your solution is consistent, coherent, and integrated across all touchpoints. Finally, it means monitoring and evaluating your performance, using metrics and indicators that align with your purpose and goals.

Creative strategy is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It requires flexibility, adaptability, and experimentation. However, by following these key elements of a creative strategy success formula, you can increase your chances of creating and executing a plan that delivers innovation and growth for your project, team, and audience.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?