The SEO landscape has changed so much in the last few years in the wake of the Penguin and Panda apocalypse that the discipline is now considered in the broader terms of online marketing or digital marketing. The one element that is common is the requirement for new skills such as PR, classic marketing and most importantly: creativity. Agencies and freelance individuals who can't adapt, evolve and embrace the new mode of thinking/operating are vulnerable with nowhere to hide behind mediocre work and outdated tactics.
Be more creative, is a phrase often used within business and marketing with little consideration given to its meaning. But, what does it mean to be creative?
There is much confusion about what creativity is and a general misconception of mistaking style for creativity. Most designers are stylists: they make things look good. Creativity is about concepts, ideas and innovation. In art school, I was always taught that being able to justify the concept was the most important element of creativity. You had to argue your reason for why the design piece was a solution to the problem. I can still recall how nervous I used to get before a group critique session (the phrase blood bath comes to mind) even though it was over 20 years ago. It's not about how good it looks - it's how well it answers the questions.
Creativity is a skill we can all access. Everyone has the capacity to generate ideas. Admittedly, some people are more inclined towards creative thinking, just as some are able to figure large maths calculations in their head or swim like Michael Phelps. But anyone can increase his or her level of creativity by learning the skills of thinking and exercising their idea muscle.
I recently published a free ebook called 'What is Creativity?' and the following are six ideas extracted and expanded from the book to increase your creative thinking and improve your online campaigns:
http://moz.com/blog/how-to-be-more-creative-in-your-online-campaigns
Be more creative, is a phrase often used within business and marketing with little consideration given to its meaning. But, what does it mean to be creative?
There is much confusion about what creativity is and a general misconception of mistaking style for creativity. Most designers are stylists: they make things look good. Creativity is about concepts, ideas and innovation. In art school, I was always taught that being able to justify the concept was the most important element of creativity. You had to argue your reason for why the design piece was a solution to the problem. I can still recall how nervous I used to get before a group critique session (the phrase blood bath comes to mind) even though it was over 20 years ago. It's not about how good it looks - it's how well it answers the questions.
Creativity is a skill we can all access. Everyone has the capacity to generate ideas. Admittedly, some people are more inclined towards creative thinking, just as some are able to figure large maths calculations in their head or swim like Michael Phelps. But anyone can increase his or her level of creativity by learning the skills of thinking and exercising their idea muscle.
I recently published a free ebook called 'What is Creativity?' and the following are six ideas extracted and expanded from the book to increase your creative thinking and improve your online campaigns:
http://moz.com/blog/how-to-be-more-creative-in-your-online-campaigns
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.