Creative - Solution Thinking

Creative - Solution Thinking

Have you caught yourself saying that there could be no other solution to a problem and that that problem leads to a dead end? How often have you felt stumped knowing that the problem laying before you is one you cannot solve. 

Did it feel like you had exhausted all possible options? When encountering such enormous problems, you may feel like you're hammering against a steel wall. The pressure of having to solve such a big problem may be overwhelming.

With some creative problem-solving techniques you may be able to look at your problem in a different way. The light might just be the end of the tunnel that leads to possible solutions.

First of all, in the light of creative problem-solving, you must be open-minded to the fact that there may be more than just one solution to a problem. You must be open-minded to the fact that there may be solutions to problems you thought were unsolvable.

Be optimistic, with an optimistic mindset, we can be more creative in solving our problems.

1. The possible reason we cannot solve our problems is that we have not really taken a hard look at what the problem is. Try to understand the problem and have a concrete understanding of why it's a problem. If you know how it works, what the problem is, then you have a better understanding to solving the problem.

2. Try to take note of all of the constraints and assumptions you have of the problem. Sometimes it is these assumptions that obstruct our view of possible solutions, you have to identify which assumptions are valid, in which assumptions need to be addressed.

3. Try to solve the problem in smaller parts. Solve it going from general view towards the most detailed parts of the problem.  Write down the question, and then come up with a one-sentence solution, for them. The solution should be a general statement of what will solve the problem, from here you can develop the solution further, and increase its complexity one step at a time.

4. It will help to have critical thinking aboard as you solve a problem, you must also keep a creative, analytical voice at the back of your head. When someone comes up with a prospective solution, try to think how you could make that solution work. Try to be creative and at the same time, look for the usefulness of that solution.

5.  Remember that there may be more than just one solution being developed at one time. Try to keep track of all the solutions as they develop. There could be more than just one solution to a problem.

6.  Don't be stubborn " two heads are better than one." That one is truer than it sounds. Be open to new ideas,  you can only benefit from listening to all the ideas each person has. This is especially true when the person you're talking to has had experience solving problems similar to yours.

You don't have to be a solo hero to solve the problem. If you can organize collective thought on the subject, it would be much better. Ask for help, it's a strength, not a weakness.

7.   As long as you persevere, there is always a chance that a solution will present itself. Remember that no one was able to create an invention the first time around, be patient.

Creative thinking exercises could also help you in your quest be a more creative problems solver. 

Take a piece of paper and write any word that comes to mind in the center. Look at that word, then write the first two words that come to your mind. This can go on until you can build a bunch of related words. 

The solution could be staring you in the face. All it takes is creative thinking, some planning, and some work.

3 trends you may want to watch on Social Media...

Here is an article that I have been discussing in my trainings to my "Mom and Pop" small business owners and entrepreneurs.  The bottom portion of the article is below and I ABSOLUTELY believe that to much automation takes the "Social" out of Social Media if you are automating all of your posts.  tools and I use some automation tolls and I train and discuss this fulling with my audience as to how to appropriately use automation on social media.  

The purpose of social media is to socialize and engage with present or future customers and clients. I agree with this article and thoughts about using caution in your social media. I love the fact that I am not alone in this belief and that I can post this information on to my clients.

Social media marketing: Three trends to watch out for in 2017

"Automation – less is more?

Companies are increasingly turning to social media automation to schedule and measure content. It was inevitable given the rise of the platforms. However, they must be cautioned against too much automation.

People still turn to social platforms (as opposed to a call centre), expecting a more personal interaction . When it comes to customer service, they are also looking for resolution within the platform, and not to be directed to an email address or call centre.They’re also expecting a prompt response from the brands they’re engaging with - whether it be the resolution of their complaint or query, or an acknowledgement that their issue is being attended to.

They need to strike a balance; while automation should be used for content marketing and advertising, one of the key elements of social media is being social – engaging with fans by participating in conversations, responding to comments and queries, and in being able to provide customer support. And these have to be done in real time, by real people."

Full article 

Niche Marketing, How To Pick The Right Niche For You.

Niche Marketing, How To Pick The Right Niche For You.

Choosing a good niche subject to base your Blog around is one of the most important aspects of monetizing. This will give you a foundation. Build from here, target one general audience with a pack of keywords that they are most likely to be searching for. You could take each one of your keywords and use it on the basis of one article on each page. This way, even though you are targeting one specific area, you will be able to interest a wider variety of people within that niche. Add links to other pages that are within your niche that may interest them, which will keep them returning to your site to learn new information about your subject.

The best way to find keywords for your niche subject is to use a Google keyword program and type in the word that is the subject of your niche. This will assist you to generate a list of keywords or phrases that contain your niche. It should show you approximately how many people search for each word or phrase. Google offers a lot of analytics to tell you how many sites are available and you may be competing with for each keyword or phrase (this will help you know if those sites are worth competing with for the number of searches out there). Make sure your topic or niche is something that you are passionate about, that passion will be obvious to others.

You must decide which of these would be most profitable by determining which have the least amount of competitors, so that you have a chance to be found in search engine results, but that also have a decent amount of people looking for your niche each month. These will be the keywords or phrases that you will base the pages of your niche blog. Understanding that competition is a good thing, it means people are searching your niche topic, as long as you are adding fresh new content daily, you will do well.

If there are a number of topics that you like, pick the one that you feel would be easiest to start with and then, once that blog is built and generating income or traffic, you can start another site. The most profitable blog, website, and Facebook marketers, who use their talent of finding niches and combining that with good site content and a handful of affiliate links, have a good amount of passion about the topic or niche that they have started. You are never limited in what you can do with niche marketing unless you do not believe that you have the marketing and skills, belief in yourself. Make it happen, the potential is limitless!

Do Your Own Blog...

Do Your Own Blog...

When you are trying to monetize and create a following, you will need a good, simple, and easy to navigate website to put them on, I suggest Blogger.com. There are two ways that you may be able to accomplish this: You could do it yourself whether you have any web design skills or not, learn some basics or hire someone else to do it, however, if you don't know the basics, you will not know how to hire the right person.

Doing it yourself, unless you are a professional, to begin it could be difficult for some, follow the blogger tutorials. You will need to read some tutorials and it may take some time to get going. You could also risk having a site that looks bad, no worries, it's all fixable. It is also important (for visitors and search engines) that your site is easy to navigate, which may be a problem if you do not know what you are doing.  Learn the basics, you will not know how to hire the right person.

Making a Do It Yourself website can be hard, so use blogger.com and other people's articles (like NY times or major news sources), make sure you give the link and the author's name DO NOT COPYWRITE, FAIR_USE_Act.  When you accomplish your goal, maybe you will learn so much that you could make new niche sites for other's and get paid!

How Social Media May Boost Your Website

How Social Media May Boost Your Website:

My client's ask me all the time if social media is as important as everyone seems to think it is.  I laugh at this because google analytics will show you exactly how important it is to help drive traffic to your website, with the correct plan in place.

Planning is the key to success! I just finished reading and studying an article published in MOZ, which states that "Social Media indirectly influences website performance in Google."  She also states that SMM blogs perform in organic search results better that SEO blogs.  Social Media for local businesses in a target geographical area can create huge momentum for their business when done correctly with a well-targeted social media plan in place.  

When using social media referral marketing is one of the strongest tools you can implement to drive traffic to your website.  The great news is it is all trackable in Google analytics.  Posting to post is not the answer either, understand what you are trying to accomplish & what type of ROI you are expecting to receive. This is a process and will not happen overnight, be patient and consistent. Read the article and understand as much as possible, however, hire an expert. MOZ is a great tool to have in your arsenal of tools, but an expert in Local Marketing & Social Media is your real answer

Read the MOZ article written by Alexandra Tachalova