In this competitive market environment, idea generation is enhanced by three primary tactics. These tactics involve relaxation, interaction, and integration.

No matter what kind of business you own, marketing must be your first priority. Without it, you don’t sell and can’t stay in business.

In today’s competitive environment, it’s hard to come up with new marketing ideas. Most marketing tactics are used over and over to the point that they are stale.

It’s even more difficult for small business owners, who are busy running their businesses, to come up with innovative marketing ideas. So this article covers three ways to generate more marketing ideas.

In This Competitive Market Environment, Idea Generation Requires Relaxation

You may think it strange to lead an article on idea generation with relaxation. But small business owners are so busy that many seldom take time to relax and let their subconscious mind guide them. Yet, the subconscious is the source of creativity.

When you rid your mind of stress and worry, your subconscious is freed to tell you many creative ideas. You just have to know what relaxes you and do it.

When I’m stressed, I know that turning to nature will relax me. Feeling the sun on my skin, hearing the wind rustling across leaves, or watching an animal play, melts my anxiety and frees my subconscious to whisper a creative solution for what is stressing me.

What helps you to relax? Is it listening to music, going for a walk, meditating. Then take time to do it. By enabling your conscious mind to relax, you enable your subconscious to communicate creative ideas to your conscious self.

You can also give your subconscious mind direction by thinking, rather than worrying or stressing, about a concern just before you go to sleep. Direct you subconscious to come up with a solution.

If you’ve never attempted to channel your subconscious mind before, it may take you awhile to get the ideas you seek. But be prepared with paper and pencil to write down the idea because it will eventually come if you continue the process.

If you don’t make a note of the idea when it comes, you may not remember it to implement it. It would be a shame to loose it.

In this competitive market environment, you need every advantage you can get. Putting your subconscious to work costs you nothing, but can generate many good ideas.

In This Competitive Market Environment, Idea Generation Requires Interaction

Another way to generate more marketing ideas is by interacting with other people. In fact, most idea-generating techniques base on bringing two or more people together to focus on a creative solution to a concern.

Interaction techniques involve drawing people together to work as equals, with each contributing, usually through structured methods.

Sometimes, all it takes to use an interaction process, is to have someone listen to your concern. As you tell the other person about it, you often reveal potential solutions that were just waiting to come forth.

Other times, everyone in your business will likely have an idea that can enhance your marketing. Each employee has a different perspective of your business and can add good ideas based on that perspective.

In This Competitive Market Environment, Idea Generation Through Integration

Finally, generating good marketing ideas in this competitive market requires integration.

Small business owners frequently don’t see beyond their own businesses or industries. But frequently marketing techniques used in other industries can be adapted successfully to yours. This requires becoming aware of what other businesses are doing and how their ideas can apply to your business.

Attending meetings where different types of businesses come together provides you with ample opportunity to learn the creative marketing ideas that other business owners use. Chamber of Commerce and similar meetings are as good for learning from each other as from formal presentations.

Integration also includes swipe files. Anytime you see an advertisement, get a direct mail promotion, or pickup a publication that you find effective, save it in your swipe file. Then take out this file when you need marketing ideas.

Don’t just duplicate what’s in your swipe file, but use the items to spur your own creative marketing solutions. Your not actually stealing it unless you duplicate it.

You need all the help you can get in this competitive market environment. With more businesses marketing, it gets harder and harder to generate new marketing ideas. So you should use whatever you find that heightens your creativity.

Concluding Remarks

Relaxation, interaction and integration enhance your ability to generate creative marketing ideas. So make it a point to regularly use all three, and you’ll find that even in this competitive market environment, idea generation becomes a part of your regular routine.

Linda P. Morton, Ed.D., APR, is Professor Emeritus, Oklahoma University. You can get more marketing ideas, see her blog at Market Segmentation Blog. Learn more about marketing with Marketing Your Small Business.

Submitted to Article Directories 4-22-08: In This Competitive Market Environment, Idea Generation Methods