Understanding the Creative Process and Social Media #homecaremarketing

If you’re like millions of people around the globe, social media plays a huge role in your life. Whether you log in to stay engaged with friends who live far away, to regularly check your business page for new followers, or just to kill time between chores, logging in to social media is a habit for more people than it isn’t. And if you’re looking to jumpstart the creative process, it can be a good place to turn for inspiration too.

According to Cognitive psychologist, Scott Barry Kaufman. Ph.D., there’s a cognitive process involved in creating anything — from a blog post to a great work of art. And this process revolves around four distinct phases:

• Preparing
• Incubating
• Illuminating
• Verifying

As an example, consider someone who writes for a living. This hypothetical writer is crafting marketing content for an in-home health care agency, and he turns to social media for prompts throughout each stage of the process.

Preparation

In the case of the fictitious writer, the preparation stage includes the gathering of information and the organization of ideas into words. He turns to social media for the influx of information to jumpstart the process. Assimilating information, sorting it into necessary and unnecessary bits, and deciding whether to retain and use what he’s seen or to discard it all together is a form of preparation.

Incubation

After the writer has worked religiously for hours to pound out what he feels is suitable material, he’ll take a break. Often, this involves a return to social media just to unwind for a bit and allow his mind to wander. The endless parade of images and information across his screen is a comforting experience, and it allows his mind to relax and take a breather before returning to work. It’s often during this time of rest that the greatest ideas become firmament in the writer’s mind — incubating until it’s time to put them down on paper.

Illumination

Once the light bulb goes off, it’s up to the writer to determine whether his idea holds water or whether it’s been done before. Again, social media plays a huge role as he searches for information pertaining to his epiphany. If it’s been done badly, how will he improve upon it? If it’s not been touched upon at all –how best can he address it? Social media plays the role of investigator during the illumination stage.

Verification

How well does the finished product perform? Once the ad is written and posted, it’s users of social media who will determine whether it’s a hit or a miss. Was the image spot-on? Did the text target the appropriate audience and appeal to them at the conversion level? Did the desired outcome occur? These are all factors that are easily tracked and tested using the business tools available across most social media networks. This is how the writer determines how successful his content becomes.

While the creative process can’t really be taught, it can be initiated, researched, and thoroughly tested using social media.

Source

http://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-and-the-creative-process/

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Valerie VanBooven RN BSN

Co-Owner, Author at LTC Expert Publications

Valerie VanBooven, Managing Partner/ Co-Owner of LTC Expert Publications

Valerie’s motto and favorite saying is: “Impact is not created by big budgets, impact is created by innovative marketing ideas!”

Valerie is a Registered Nurse and the author of three books, Aging Answers (2003), The Senior Solution (2007) and Priceless Caregiving (2009). Her adventure in internet marketing began as a self-promotion experiment and ended up becoming a full time marketing consulting business for the elder care market.

Valerie has appeared on national television (Today Show), has hosted her own local radio show, and has been interviewed for dozens of publications and radio shows across the country regarding her business and the business of elder care.

She fast became the foremost authority in driving sales via the internet, seminars, and e-mail for senior service providers and elder care entrepreneurs.While Valerie’s best known for her expertise in marketing, her students share that her biggest impact comes from her ability to make things happen quickly, even on a small budget.

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Latest posts by Valerie VanBooven RN BSN (see all)

• October 2015: Home Care Leads Webinar – Events and More! - October 3, 2015
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• How to Use Facebook to Increase Home Care Leads - September 20, 2015

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