A flash of light. A spark of inspiration. Creative ideas spring forth from the unconscious mind, instantly filling you with energy, drive and excitement.

It’s a good place to be. Especially since creative ideas for marketing your product or service are available on tap. You just need to give your unconscious a helping hand.

As long as it is firmly grounded in a thorough understanding of your audience, market, brand, positioning and benefits of your product or service, your idea stands a good chance of being a blinder. So grab yourself a coffee, a pen and some paper and read on.

Creative copywriting - ten ways to spark the creative fire

• Think of an awful consequence – will the eco system suffer? Will women get wrinkles? Jot down the awful consequences of your customers NOT using your product or service?

• Be free and inventive – free delivery. Free compliments. Everyone loves a freebie so think what you can offer, for free, that nobody else is offering.

• Create ‘stuff that looks like other stuff’ – aircraft that look like eagles. Teeth that look like polar ice caps. The people shelling out advertising awards, in particular, LOVE visual ads featuring stuff that looks like other stuff, so get out your crayons and felt tips and let your imagination soar.

• Get real with the writing – throw in the odd pun here and there but be aware. Todays’ social media audiences rarely appreciate fake, ‘advertisingy’ copywriting these days so aim to be true and natural, as well as strong and captivating.

• Have a focused and compelling vision – is your product or service the most original? The most nutritious or natural? Make a note of your leading benefit and run with it. You’ll be amazed at where a focused vision can take you.

• Reach into the past – did you set a world record? Did you beat the competition hands down? Write down something great you’ve already achieved and leverage your message on that.

• Be new and improved – moving forward, go for a re-brand or take things to the next level by improving your product or service and putting it out there in a fresh way.

• Let your customers do the talking – the more testimonials, the merrier. Some organisations rely solely on customer recommendations and nice pictures to sell their products and services.

• Commandeer someone else’s idea – by the time you’ve imbued it with your own positioning and brand personality, the commandeered idea will be, to all intents and purposes, an original. No need to feel guilty.

• Let it cook – even if you think you’ve got the best idea ever, let it cook. A great idea can become an even greater one if you rock it back and forth and let your subconscious work its magic.

If you have completed the above exercise, your creative idea should now be on its way to you, via of the unconscious mind. If, for any reason, you are disappointed with it, please get in touch.