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A woman jolts awake in the dead of night, awoken by a thud from downstairs. A wizard, who\u2019s been training in the magical arts since he was a boy, is about to face his first great test. Plane crash survivors on a remote island grapple with their new circumstances.<\/p>\n
Each sentence is the start of a brand-new story. And somehow, in one sentence, these stories have the power to capture our attention and spark our curiosity\u2014something content marketers aim for with every piece they create.<\/p>\n
So, what\u2019s the key to successfully capturing curiosity in commercial audiences? Creativity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n As a content marketer for a B2B tech company, I know how burnout feels and how hard it is to generate new ideas. There\u2019s round-the-clock pressure to create new content\u2014whether the goal of that content is to recruit for an event on social media or promote a new product on the blog. Sometimes, I feel more like a content machine than a content strategist.<\/p>\n If you share this sentiment, we\u2019re not the only ones. In fact, research finds that 61 percent of creators are experiencing burnout<\/a>.<\/p>\n Marketers can\u2019t produce their best work if they\u2019re burnt out. And if your content doesn\u2019t stand out from your competition, it won\u2019t turn your prospects\u2019 heads. Content quality is a major factor for potential buyers evaluating brands with similar products. Studies show that poor-quality content<\/a> decreases the probability of a sale by 40 percent.<\/p>\n Your brand\u2019s content needs<\/em> to capture attention, or your prospects will go elsewhere. How do you make that happen? With more creativity in marketing assets.<\/p>\n For now, let\u2019s forget about SEO, analytics, company goals, and deadlines. Instead, let\u2019s focus on different ways to spark creativity with content to gauge interest and engagement.<\/p>\n The ancient Greek aphorism \u201cKnow thyself\u201d suggests this is the highest form of knowledge. The same school of thought applies to your company\u2019s brand.<\/p>\n You might be thinking, \u201cObviously! I\u2019m a marketer. It\u2019s my job to live and breathe our brand.\u201d Even if you clearly understand your products, company values, and target persona(s), doing a gut check on your brand is essential. Even veteran employees and brand creators need to ask themselves, \u201cIs this representative of who we are?\u201d<\/i> at times.<\/p>\n Does everyone on your team share the same understanding? If not, it\u2019s time to ensure everyone is on the same page. You can\u2019t produce creative content without one key ingredient: Consistency.<\/p>\n Your brand needs to stand for something, and your creative content needs to make noise in your industry.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n But without a consistent brand underlying all your content, your most brilliant ideas will confuse your audience.<\/p>\n \u201cCreativity\u201d doesn\u2019t mean every blog post or whitepaper you write is drastically different from the one before it. In fact, the definition of creativity is simply \u201cthe use of imagination or original ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n Is now the time to redefine your brand or bring new ideas to the table to present a creative but unified new front? A re-vamp could help make your content feel more fresh and exciting. Or, maybe your team just needs richer documentation and brand standards, so everyone is rowing in the same direction.<\/p>\n Almost every company with a content marketing function covers a few core areas. The most common include an active blog, social media, long-form assets (like eBooks and whitepapers), email newsletters, and customer case studies.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t get us wrong: You need these types of assets. They\u2019re the bread and butter of content marketing. But creativity in marketing is about bringing novel ideas<\/a> to the table. Cutting-edge thought leadership is one way to stand out. But can you go even further?<\/p>\n In addition to thinking about the \u201cwhat,\u201d think about the \u201chow.\u201d How can you use different media to present creative content in a way that few others are leveraging? It\u2019s 2023, and there are so many ways we can relay information from one person to another. For example:<\/p>\nHow can we get creative with content marketing?<\/h2>\n
3 ways to embrace creative content marketing<\/h2>\n
1. Develop a deep understanding of your brand<\/h3>\n
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2. Experiment with different media<\/h3>\n
Multimedia content: Videos, infographics, podcast<\/h4>\n