Insights

Strategies for Guiding a Creative Team

Why Inbound Marketing Works for Hospitality

I wanted to delve into the creative process and how to help a creative team collaborating on a marketing project succeed. But first let’s imagine a marketing campaign that is solely run by accountants, social media strategists, account executives, or a web developers. Some of these specialties would focus only on the data, others the strategy, and others on schedule. All of these different facets of our work are very important and usually have a more concrete guild to measure success. I don’t want to diminish the importance of these team members, but let’s analyze the other side of the marketing team, the creative side. This process is more abstract and has many different roads to success. So how do we bring order to the chaotic and undefined, well let’s organize it and define it! Here are some tips that will help guide your creative team to success and find their place in the marketing process.

Communication

It all starts with communication. The first step in this creative process starts with a phone call, an email, or a conversation face to face. With this communication the question arises “How is this creativity effectively communicated?” Creativity is usually spoken in terms of a “story.” Through the different creative mediums: music, literature, photography, videography, we ask ”What is the artist trying to tell us?” To understand how to communicate creatively we have to speak a focused language and helps guide that “story” along. This language is of feeling, reflection, color, composition, lighting, rhythm, etc. Learning to communication in this way is definitely a skill and takes practice with your team. One thing that always helps me to communication and guide a creative team with this language is to translate that “story” into goals. The best goals for a creative project should always be specific and measurable.

Schedule

The creative process is known to ebb and flow, sometimes we call it “writer’s block“ or “being uninspired.” We want our creative team to be inspired and motivated, and finding that grove is the goal of scheduling. Brilliant ideas and creative innovation doesn’t come on demand. Don’t let this hinder or discourage you from your schedule. Flexibility will definitely be key in scheduling your creative team. Another scheduling road block is procrastination. Procrastination is a tool that is often used by creative people. We can learn to use procrastination as a tool rather than a hindrance. One experience I had with procrastination is with a craftsman that I know. He thrives on procrastination, don’t get me wrong he meets his deadlines but it is always a mad dash to the finish line. This craftsman usually takes on too much or leaves projects off till the last minute, but he thrives in that environment and he turns out impeccable work right on time, even if it was aided by a few Redbulls. Schedule for a creative team can be difficult, but we have understand that the creative process comes and goes, and even can thrive under pressure. We have to be there to shepherd that process and know how to guide the team along.

Knowing your Team

A creative mind usually is always running and rarely slows down, going every which way and processing the world and the stories in that world. When we combined multiple creative minds on a team, it sometimes can be overwhelming to focus. Finding a good synergy between a creative team is a major factor to success. We should know or find out what motivates and keeps our team focused. Finding a groove and forming good habits with your team is important. We shouldn’t always have to wait for the creative roadblocks to clear or be tied down to wait for inspiration. By creating good habits with our team through scheduleing we are making an environment for that creative freedom to have legs to stand on. I have also found that making the right work atmosphere to get those juice flowing is very important. Most of all, trial and error and problem solving will help you know how to guide your creative team to success.