Want More Creative Content Ideas? Break These 6 ‘Rules’

As you’ll see in the video below – the latest in CMI’s Mastering Content Marketing series – Kathy believes that the most interesting ideas come from flipping expectations on their head, breaking molds, and taking risks. Make everything measurable and repeatable Marketers often are scared of things that they can’t quantify or replicate. We don’t do that here Creativity comes from asking “what if.” For example, “What if we go against assumptions and mash up two things that aren’t supposed to go together?” You might come up with amazing ideas. Content marketers own storytelling The best stories don’t live in the C-suite, and they don’t live with marketing. Make sure teams understand they can take risks. Companies must start with culture and take an attitude of “yes, and …” to create that environment. Imagine if you rewarded teams for how many ideas they generated. Or you rewarded them for breaking silos and working with other departments to create new stories. Is shaking up the status quo essential to truly creative content ideas? Check out more opportunities to master content marketing.

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.”

More than 20 years later, an interview with Kathy Klotz-Guest at Content Marketing World brought to mind that Apple ad, which pressed into service images of some of the greatest leaders, artists, visionaries, inventors, and thinkers of the 20th century.

Speaker, comic, and founder of Keeping It Human, Kathy responded to the question of how to create a culture that truly promotes creative ideas with answers that echoed the sentiments in the Apple ad.

Watch the two-minute video to hear Kathy, who trained at ComedySportz and Second City in addition to working in marketing for 15 years, explain in her own words. Then read on to find out what she recommends you flip, smash, and challenge.

Here are six rules and conventions you should set about breaking and what to do instead to create a smarter content marketing program.

Make everything measurable and repeatable

Marketers often are scared of things that they can’t quantify or replicate. Too many companies, people, and teams buy into this template mentality: “I want to see what other companies do.” But you’re not that company. Your customers are different. Your path is different. Your story’s different.