Creative Success

By JC Anderl
Posted Tuesday, January 11, 2005

One of the clichéd mantras of the Internet marketing world is, "Content is king." Content is very important to any website, but I think that a more important focus should be on original content.

Recently I was browsing through a few marketing related sites and I noticed a trend. I noticed that many sites contain the same rehashed material. Much of this rehashed material is essential for beginning business ventures to succeed, but there also needs to be a stronger focus on creating original ideas.

Let's face it, in order to stand out, you often have to be original and creative. A great new idea is worth a hundred used up thoughts. You can't sit stagnate, especially in the fast changing world of the Internet. You have to change with the pace, or be left behind, but why should you stop there? Why not lead the next revolution. I'm making it a point to take some time each day for thinking and creating. Its not easy to do, but if you want to really stand out, then take some time to really look for a novel idea.

Here are a few tips on finding an original idea.

1. Identify a problem - If you can find a way to fix a problem you've come up with a great idea. People obviously don't like problems of any kind. Fixing a common problem will benefit many people, and therefore have a great potential to benefit you.

2. Do the twist - Finding a truly original idea is very difficult, but that isn't exactly what you need. Putting a twist on an old idea is one of the best methods of creative thinking. A great example of turning an old idea into a refreshingly new concept is top marketer, Mark Aesop's TrafficSwarm. He basically took the old pop up window and created an entire traffic generation system. Keep your eyes open.

More on Trafficswarm at: (www.redlionbooks.com/zlinks/trafficswarm.htm)

3. Write it down - If you spend a lot of time creatively thinking, it starts to become habit and pretty soon you'll be thinking about your site at the strangest times. This is great, but the problem is that you can often get distracted or just plain forget what you were thinking about. Keep an idea diary by writing down any idea that pops into your head, no matter how stupid it might seem. Later on, even if it turns out to not be such a great idea, it might spark your thoughts onto something better.

Don't become outdated and stagnant. Practice creative thinking often and record your thoughts. Those who do this will evolve and be the leaders, while the rest get swept behind the times.

Best of luck to you,

JC Anderl
(www.Redlionbooks.com), JC@Redlionbooks.com

Visit my site or email me if you have any questions about marketing or website promotion.

About the Author
JC's website, Redlionbooks.com, specializes in advice about Internet marketing and web site promotion. Free access to articles and ebooks, learn how to market your product or service online at (http://www.Redlionbooks.com)