Here’s one creativity exercise (I’ll share another tomorrow).
If you think you’ve tried every idea related to your field or focus, then you need to think like a computer.
What do I mean by this? Computers “think” in binary. Their data are simply combinations of the numbers 0 and 1. It’s like a series of on and off switches. This seems pretty minor, but by using two digits instead of one computers can create an infinite number of combinations.
How can you use this to be more creative? Think in combinations.
For example, if you’re a baker wanting to promote your business, consider how you can combine it with something unrelated… like sports.
- Sponsor a basketball tournament and provide cake pops to attendees
- Use sports themes in your bakery items
- Offer discounts to customers who wear local team apparel to your store
- Create a March Madness bracket and let customers vote for different bakery items to see which moves on and eventually wins
- Let customers play a game each time they spend a certain dollar amount, with a chance to win a prize
- Have employees dress in jerseys or referee outfits and give your business a theme
- Consider the way sports events cater to fans and see how you can apply that to your customers
Simply by applying one outside industry to your own, you can create an infinite number of ideas. The effect is compounded by looking at additional industries for insights.