14 creativity tips for breathing new life into your ... · 3 t ten // 14 creativity tips for...

14 Creativity Tips for Breathing New Life Into Your Content Creation Process

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Introduction // 14 Creativity Tips for Breathing New Life Into Your Content Creation Process

IntroductionStories stir your emotions, capture your imagination, awaken your senses, and reside in your memory. And brands are harnessing the power of storytelling to build lasting connections with consumers through content creation. Crafting brand experiences around compelling stories allows consumers to relate to a brand’s messaging on a personal level. We’ve all experienced the potency of storytelling in various forms and contexts. Whether we discover a story on a dusty library shelf or through a click-inspired 140-character call to action, our minds are full of narratives.

Every brand—and every person—has a story. According to research conducted by anthropologist Robin Dunbar, personal stories account for 65 percent of our conversations. This mindshare demonstrates their dominance in our daily lives and social interactions. We know that stories can transform our perceptions and shape our decisions, but do we know why? Scientific research has provided factual evidence of their influence over the human brain.

In this eBook, we’ll dissect the cerebral elements stories trigger in buyers, allowing brand narratives to be heard and remembered in today’s attention economy. Additionally, we’ll look at how in-house and freelance storytellers are shaping the future of Web marketing and conclude with creative process that you can bring back to your content team to ensure every story produced resonates with the intended audience.

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Table Of Contents // 14 Creativity Tips for Breathing New Life Into Your Content Creation Process3

Table of ContentsIntroduction 2

ContentCreationandCerebralActivity: 4AStory’sPowerovertheBrain

Mirror Neurons Produce Empathy 5

Dopamine Cements Memories of Emotional Experiences 5

Stories Activate Brain Regions that Are Dormant When Processing Facts 6

HowReadersandWritersAreDemocratizing 7ContentontheWeb

Addressing People as People 8

WhyWeNeedtoAbandonRigidLinear 10ThinkingintheCreativeProcess

Augmenting a Linear Creative Process with Nonlinear Methods 11

ContentCreationProcess:EnvironmentandStructure 127 Tips for Developing the Right Creative Environment 12

7 Tips for Developing the Ideal Creative Process in Content Marketing 15

WhyaCreativeProcessIsImportant 18

HowCanSkywordHelp? 19

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14 Creativity Tips //

Content Creation and Cerebral Activity: A Story’s Power over the BrainWhen a storyteller’s brain performs a particular activity, the brains of listeners follow suit. This merging of brain patterns is a result of neural coupling, a process discovered by Princeton University neuroscientist Uri Hasson whose research focuses on social interactions. In the study, a participant told an unrehearsed tale while an fMRI analyzed her brain activity; later, 12 other participants listened to a recording of that story while their brains, too, were analyzed via fMRI. The results of the study showed coinciding brain activity among all participating listeners in the experiment. Even more groundbreaking was the discovery that the brain activity of the listeners matched that of the speaker. This is a clear indication that storytelling couples the brains of speakers and their audiences, forming a connection that makes the act of telling a story more immersive, and therefore more powerful.

As you tell a story through content creation, you can create emotions and implant ideas in your audience. Peoples’ brain patterns will begin to reflect yours as they get swept up in your story. You can take on the voice and identity of your brand, an influencer or subject-matter expert, or even your customers, based on the content platform and channel. This allows your audience to internalize the story and relate to their own bank of experiences.

14 Creativity Tips // Content Creation and Cerebral Activity: A Story’s Power over the Brain

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MirrorNeuronsProduceEmpathyYou’re reading an article about a brand that just made a cringe-worthy move on social media; a public-relations disaster ensues. You shudder, recognizing the terrible implications of this blunder for the involved individuals’ careers and the brand’s image. Your empathy is a result of mirror neurons. Essentially, the class of neurons that fires when you perform an action or experience an emotion fires again when you observe others’ similar actions and experiences.

This phenomenon was discovered by a group of Italian researchers, led by Giacomo Rizzolatti, who were studying the relationship between motor actions and the brain, based on the behavior of monkeys. As a researcher reached for his food, he noticed that neurons were firing in the same area of the monkey’s brain as when the monkey had a similar motion. The monkey’s brain was reacting to the researchers’ action just by watching him. The same behavior has since been observed in human brains, too. This discovery indicates that understanding and reacting to the actions of others is not solely a logical process, but is largely driven by empathetic feelings. Mirror neurons let us experience the emotions that drive and result from the actions of others without direct exposure.

DopamineCementsMemoriesofEmotionalExperiencesWhen you experience an emotional event regarding pleasure or reward, your brain releases dopamine. This chemical enhances memory and information processing. In the context of content creation, dopamine aids a reader in recalling a poignant story and its supporting message. Steeping your content with emotional relevance will not only maintain a reader’s attention and curiosity but will also cause the release of dopamine, which makes the story more salient in his or her mind.

Piquing a reader’s interest results in a dopamine rush. Therefore, you should construct stories that speak to the specific interests and problems of your audience. The brain’s inclination to seek reward will keep readers intrigued if your story delivers a relevant, valuable resolution and hints at more to come. When readers sense that your content will consistently offer useful information or emotional satisfaction, they will remain engaged and associate their positive feelings of reward with your brand.


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StoriesActivateBrainRegionsthatAreDormantWhenProcessingFactsAdditional cortex activities related to emotions, senses, and physical motions occur when your brain processes stories. Factual information stimulates the Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas of the brain, which are responsible for speech and language processing. But that’s where the cerebral reaction to facts ends. In contrast, areas of the brain such as the sensory cortex and motor cortex are activated by stories.

This stimulation was uncovered in a study conducted by Spanish researchers. By scanning the brains of reading participants, researches found that the sensory and motor cortices activate when written language addresses the senses and motor functions. Subsequent research support these findings as well. The researchers also discovered that overused phrases such as “a rough day” did not elicit responses beyond standard terminology. Therefore, descriptive language that does not rely on common clichés or figures of speech and uses active and sensory details is crucial for effective storytelling.

The experiential nature of content creation enables marketers to successfully communicate their brands’ narratives. From anecdotes to thematic consistencies, artful storytelling unifies your content marketing initiatives with a beginning, middle, and end. Today we’re seeing more and more brands embrace the art of storytelling to connect with people around the world. At the other end of the equation are the storytellers who are revolutionizing business communication.


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How Readers and Writers Are Democratizing Content on the WebOnline platforms have paved the way for amateur content production with global visibility. In the case of writing, blogs—an entirely new, Internet-native form—gave a voice to anyone with a computer and a connection. Beginning in the late ‘90s, Web-publishing tools ushered in a new medium and a new writer demographic. Content itself began to change.

Onethingisclear: Bottom-up content rules the Web. Despite regulatory efforts by pur-ists (see Wikipedia’s failed predecessor, Nupedia, where experts submitted journal-level articles by invite only), the informal voice of amateur content production has suffused the Web via platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

First-person narratives, formerly confined to the pages of personal diaries, are now being shared with the world at large. George Orwell’s famous quote, “…the writer is some kind of rebel, expressing his private opinions…Orthodoxy, of whatever color, seems to demand lifeless, imitative style,” has been proven right. For the palette of a Reddit-fed generation, the most compelling written content tends to be brash, colloquial, and thrillingly abrasive. This is causing a profound transformation, far beyond the blogosphere, that is only just becoming evident today.

14 Creativity Tips // How Readers and Writers Are Democratizing Content on the Web

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AddressingPeopleasPeopleBig-ticket content producers (think news, op-eds, and topic-specific sites) have begun absorbing narrative form into the mainstream. According to Olga Kahan’s piece for The Atlantic, “The difference is that now mainstream publications like The New York Times and The Washington Post are embracing personal essays alongside features and news.” When it comes to news or op-eds, what better writer to choose than someone who can speak from experience? Brands have begun actively democratizing content, and millions of non-writers are being published in their own style.

Readers (or, writers) feel more comfortable with personal content. Why? Above all, it’s authentic. We know it comes from someone just like us. We have become wary of singular, exclusive, totalizing ideas, and we inherently trust the subjectivity and plurality of the crowd.

Businesses are quickly jumping on this trend in hopes of humanizing their public voice and image. More and more content is informal and directly addresses the customer. Dollar Shave Club is a great example. The “How It Works” section (notice, it’s not an “About” or “Company Profile” section) states, “Dollar Shave Club couldn’t be simpler. Select one of our great blades, pay only for the cost of your blades, and we send ‘em right to your door every month…By now you’re probably convinced of the wisdom of joining the club.”


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It goes on to provide an insightful, “’I like shaving with a dull razor’ – No one, ever.” It’s simple, funny, and direct. Compare this approach to that of a competitor: “BIC offers a full range of specifically designed products to meet a variety of consumer shaving needs for both women and men, from a single to four-blade, including system and non-refillable shaves.”

Which one would you buy?

A more human voice can help communicate with customers, make them smile, and build positive associations with the brand. People like being addressed as people.

However, there is still a difference between a witty op-ed by a young writer on The Huffington Post and a corporate email blast that uses colloquial language. Coming from a big company, “hip” can also sound hollow and false. Many companies have forgotten the true reason why customers feel comfortable with informal language: Our positive associations come from authentic, democratic content production. As a reader, you will trust a reader who is just like you, but you will never look at a company as a peer.

Communication is quickly evolving, particularly online. Across the board, businesses—from start-ups to enterprise organizations—are democratizing content and voice. As content marketers, your role within your organization is to tie editorial vision to business value. If you continue to conform to a “business-as-usual” mindset, you trap yourself in a cage with little creative room to explore the new boundaries of Web communication. So before you can sit down and develop a modern-day content production process, you need to learn how to think differently.


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Why We Need to Abandon Rigid Linear Thinking in the Creative ProcessWe humans are grab bags of genetic, neurological, environmental, and experiential factors that influence how we create—which is exactly why the creative process needs to have both structure and spontaneity to thrive within the human dynamic.

In an article about Everything Is a Remix—Kirby Ferguson’s documentary series, which explores collaborative creation throughout modern history—Maria Popova points to a correlation between Ferguson’s narrative and her own belief that “creativity is combinatorial.”

In particular, Popova references Ferguson’s research on examples of historical innovation—including Apple’s Xerox-inspired desktop computer in 1984—as illustrations that “creativity builds on what came before rather than crystallizing from thin air under the touch of a mythical muse.

This exemplifies one of the many ways linear creativity can be helpful in establishing certainty anchors in an otherwise wide open pasture of creative possibility. That is to say, linear thinking can help us develop a framework to create and innovate within.

But where linear falls short is in teaching us how to manage our creative energy, to pull from experience and environment as well as expertise, and to be adaptive enough to respond to sudden changes that affect its trajectory in a given moment.

14 Creativity Tips // Why We Need to Abandon Rigid Linear Thinking in the Creative Process

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Along the linear path, we will inevitably reach obstacles that, because of how we’ve trained ourselves to think, will be harder to overcome if we don’t allow for nonlinear methods to introduce new solutions for breaking out of a rut.

AugmentingaLinearCreativeProcesswithNonlinearMethodsNonlinear comes into play within the guts of a structured approach to creativity. It is the “how I do the actual creating,” “how I deal with distraction and uncertainty,” and “how I get inspired and fuel the creativity.”

This manifests in understanding how structure and spontaneity can coexist. A few examples of structure in the creative process might include:

• A strong morning routine to help wake up earlier, get energized for the day, and show up to work at a consistent time each day of the week.

• Creating workflows that map out the steps for consistently capturing ideas, creating and sharing content, and leveraging what resonates.

• A simple process for prioritizing tasks that don’t require much management.

• Working in shorter sprints to improve focus.

The nonlinear methods that influence spontaneity in the creative price could include:

• Making time between tasks to go on long walks, read, and generally recharge your batteries.

• Committing to a completely “free written” first draft of a new blog post or story.

• Sharing talking points or unfinished ideas early to validate whether they will resonate with a particular audience.

• Spontaneously scheduling a block of time to step away from work and enjoy life.

The combination of linear and nonlinear thinking in the creative process is about leaning on structure to get into the game but giving yourself permission to stray and play according to circumstances.

Now that you understand the effects brand storytelling has on an audience and how to free your mind for better content creation, it’s time to lay down a process for ensuring you produce your best work every time you sit down to write.

14 Creativity Tips // Why We Need to Abandon Rigid Linear Thinking in the Creative Process

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Content Creation Process: Environment and StructureIs it possible to be both creative and productive—to deliver imagination and innovation on demand? Absolutely. Creativity and productivity don’t have to be mutually exclusive. With the right environment, mindset, and productivity tips, content marketers can achieve both.

Most marketing-focused jobs today require professionals to be both creative and productive, to be thoughtful and imaginative in busy, noisy environments, and to clear their minds and meet deadlines despite distractions.

Below are two sets of tips that every content marketer can follow. The first will put you in a mental environment that’s conducive to creativity, and the second will provide you with a regular process to follow for sourcing your best ideas.

7TipsforDevelopingtheRightCreativeEnvironment

1.LimitDistractionsOn average, we experience minor interruptions every three minutes and major interruptions four times per hour. After these attention-stealing distractions, it takes 23 minutes to regain focus and get back up to speed. That amounts to hours of wasted time each day.

14 Creativity Tips // Content Creation Process: Environment and Structure

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Of course, distractions are unavoidable, especially in a highly collaborative profession such as marketing. But when you need quiet time to think and write, find ways to get it.

2.GiveYourselfaBreakDon’t think you have time to slow down? Consider this: Even brief diversions from a task or problem can dramatically improve your ability to focus on it for prolonged periods. In other words, a short break makes you more creative and more productive when you get back to work.

3.GoforaWalkTo get your brain moving faster, try moving your feet. Creative thinking significantly improves while a person is walking and shortly thereafter, according to a new study by Stanford researchers. Even walking indoors on a treadmill increases creative output by an average of 60 percent compared to sitting.

4.StopWatchingtheClockIf you ever have trouble sleeping, you know better than to glance at your alarm clock. Once you see how much time you don’t have, anxiety kicks in and wakes you up even more.

Similarly, the more time you spend worrying about the clock running down at work, the less efficient you’ll be. For example, a Formula One pit crew discovered that the more they focused on speed—arguably the most important aspect of their job—the slower they


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performed. In response, crew leaders changed tactics and decided their team would no longer be assessed based on time, but rather on their ability to work seamlessly as a group. This resulted in better teamwork and—surprise, surprise—faster speeds. When the crew focused on effectiveness over efficiency, they actually improved in both areas.

5.ClearYourMindCelebrities and urban hipsters aren’t the only ones meditating these days. Steve Jobs, Rupert Murdoch, Arianna Huffington, and many other business leaders have sworn by meditation and mindfulness techniques for boosting focus, creativity, and energy levels.

Several recent studies have proven these executives right: New research from the Netherlands shows people who meditate for 25 minutes before completing a creative task perform better than those who don’t. This is even true for people who’ve never practiced meditation before.

6.BringtheNoiseWhile peace and quiet can be important for creative thinking, too much quiet can have the opposite effect. A low-to-moderate level of ambient noise (50 to 70 decibels) enhances performance on creative tasks, whereas a high level of noise (85 decibels) impairs creativity and focus.


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7.HaveaDrinkScientists recently proved what artists have always known—that a little booze is one of the best ways to get creative juices flowing.

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago discovered creativity and problem-solving skills peak when a person’s blood alcohol content is around 0.075 percent. Of course, this opens up another question: How do you get creative types to stop drinking after 0.075!?

7TipsforDevelopingtheIdealCreativeProcessinContentMarketing

1.Don’tLoseRandomThoughtsCapture ideas in a single document to have a list of writing topics to choose from. This reduces the paralysis of deciding what you want to write about and puts the focus on the content creation.

2.DevelopaGoodHabitDevelop a daily writing habit to build a “content repository.” The goal is to build up a backlog of relevant content from which you can cherry-pick.

3.DivideTasksSeparate editing from creating by identifying a scheduled time to either edit all drafts simultaneously or by using an established post frequency to trigger the editing process.

4.EstablishCadencesEstablish publishing frequency for core content such as blog posts, email newsletters, podcast episodes, and video content series.

5.ShareEverythingShare content with an integration, not automation mindset. It’s less promotion and more an extension of the content you create, as well as a trigger to start leveraging content. Try repurposing key takeaways or talking points from a blog post to start a conversation on social media.


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6.Evaluate

Audit content, social media, blog comments, and analytics regularly to identify opportunities to leverage existing content into lead generation and conversions. This allows you to “see” opportunities to repurpose content that performs well and offer more value for your audience.

7.RinseandRepeatThis process should never end.


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Why a Creative Process Is Important The famed jazz composer Duke Ellington once said, “I don’t need time, I need a deadline.” A wise statement indeed, as every creative given the opportunity for extra time will almost always take it.

These creative tips will you put you in the right state of mind to tell truly memorable stories. Now, you just need a technology that makes the publishing and promoting of your stories even easier. We’ve got you covered.

14 Creativity Tips // Why a Creative Process is Important

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How Can Skyword Help?The world is changing and consumers are more empowered than ever. How can you keep with the changing digital trends and compete for dwindling consumer attention? With content, it’s easy.

Skyword moves marketing leaders and those who create content for them forward. By embracing a sustainable, scalable approach to original storytelling, Skyword liberates brands from ineffective marketing practices and inspires them to create deeper connections with their audiences.

The Skyword Platform makes it easy to produce, optimize, and promote content at any scale to create meaningful, lasting relationships. Skyword also provides access to a community of thousands of freelance creatives, an editorial team, and content strategists who help move clients’ content marketing programs to new levels of creative excellence.

Formoreinformation,contactSkywordtoday.+1.855.Skyword+1.855.759.9673learnmore@skyword.com

14 Creativity Tips // How Can Skyword Help?

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Sources:

1. “Gossip in Evolutionary Perspective,” R.I.M. Dunbar, the University of Liverpool http://attach.matita.net/ziorufus/Dunbar%20gossip.pdf

2. “Hasson Brings Real Life into the Lab to examine Cognitive Process,” Princeton University http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S32/27/76E76/index.xml?section=science

3. “Mirror Neurons,” BrainFacts.org http://www.brainfacts.org/brain-basics/neuroanatomy/articles/2008/mirror-neurons/

4. “Clear. Creative. Persuasive,” Micro Fame Media http://microfamemedia.com/

5. “Your Brain on Fiction,” the New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-neuroscience-of-your-brain-on-fiction.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1

6. “Blog of Myself,” The Atlantic http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/11/blog-of-myself/383050/

7. “The Sneaky, Sucky Way Distraction Punctures Your Productivity,” Fast Company http://www.fastcompany.com/3017832/bottom-line/the-sneaky-sucky-way-distraction-punctures-your-productivity

8. “Brief Diversions Vastly Improve Focus, Researchers Find,” the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110208131529.htm

9. “Giving Your Ideas Some Legs: The Positive Effect of Walking on Creative Thinking,” Stanford University http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/xlm-a0036577.pdf

10. “Is Noise Always Bad? Exploring the Effects of Ambient Noise on Creative Cognition,” Journal of Consumer Research http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/665048

11. “Everything is a Remix, Part 3: The Elements of Creativity,” Brain Pickings http://www.brainpickings.org/2011/06/20/everything-is-a-remix-3/

14 Creativity Tips // Sources

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