10 Steps to Get Creative With Your Marketing

1. Get Elementary 

Do some easy exercises to unleash your inner creative. Here are some you can try right now:

• Take a walk and snap random photos
• Look up a new word in a dictionary (or try a random word generator if you’re not 80)
• Play a game from your childhood
• Fingerpaint or draw something with crayons

2. Crowdsource Your Next Big Idea

Who says brainstorming has to stay in-house? Turn to your audience for ideas. Ask them to name your next product, vote on your next campaign theme or pitch their own marketing concepts. It's engagement, market research and free creativity all in one.

3. Collaborate Across Departments

Your marketing department isn’t where all of your creative people are. Open up brainstorming with other departments when your creativity well dries up. Who knows what can happen? You might find out that Sandy from accounting has an incredible imagination.

4. Brainstorm Using a Content Matrix 

Content is cost-effective and scalable. Create high-value blog posts, how-to guides, infographics or podcast episodes that solve your audience’s problems. It's one of the most sustainable and creative ideas for marketing in any economy. How do you come up with ideas, you ask? Build a content matrix with your brand’s USPs, products/services and values. Here’s an example:

5. Discover the White Space

Take a look at what your competitors are doing now or have done in the past. You’ll probably notice a lot of similarities. For example, many beauty brands are using food in their visuals. So, run in a completely different direction like NYX did and consider using sports visuals.

6. Find Your Partners

Cross-marketing with other businesses can expand your reach without doubling your spend—or increasing it at all. Plus, you can get some of their creative juice! Collaborate on giveaways, create co-branded content or bundle offers that deliver more value to your shared audience.

7. Look Elsewhere for Inspiration

Look outside your industry for inspiration on creative ways to market your brand. Introduce a familiar concept to a new category. Creativity thrives during recessions, so there will never be a lack of inspirational resources. The key here is to take inspiration, not copycat.

8. Host a “Bad Idea Brainstorm”

Sometimes the worst ideas spark the best ones. Pick up some lunch for the team and host a “Bad Idea Friday,” where your team or audience throws out the most ridiculous marketing concepts imaginable. Bonus: share the funniest ones on social for laughs and likes. Innovation sometimes starts with absurdity.

9. Try Out New Channels

Now’s the time to try out that TikTok trend, Instagram Reel or unexpected new social platform. Don’t be afraid to experiment—you might discover a surprisingly effective new channel with minimal investment or an entirely new audience you didn’t know existed.

10. Track, Learn, Pivot

Recession marketing requires agility. Monitor what's working, double down on what delivers ROI, and don’t be afraid to pivot when needed. Smart creativity always beats expensive guesswork.

Final Thoughts: Creativity Wins in Any Economy

Tight budgets don’t mean you have to go dark. In fact, recessions can be the perfect time to show how adaptable, resourceful and relevant your brand is. The businesses that get creative with their marketing today will be the ones that dominate tomorrow.

If you’re looking for more creative ideas for marketing or want support in crafting a recession-proof strategy, the team at EMB is here to help you think outside the box—and ahead of the curve.