In the following post, I intentionally ask a ton of questions that will not be answered by me.  I’m hoping that your brain will give you the answers you need so you can become one of the marketing gurus too!

In online marketing, everyone wants a formula, a rulebook if you will. People want to be told exactly how they can make money, and how they can do it with as little work as possible. This is a natural human disposition that isn’t necessarily something to be ashamed of, but it’s a mindset you need to move away from.

Sure, there are processes for making money online; building affiliate sites, selling products, contextual ads, etc. These things all work. However, what sets the truly great marketers apart from the rest of the pack?  Why are the people selling their $997 online course making more money from their methods than their students?

It’s called creativity.

Creativity is horribly underrated in online marketing.  Unfortunately, no one is making this clear.  It’s simply not in the interests of most marketers to say – “Well you could buy my course, but it probably won’t make you much money unless you use your creativity”.  They’re not going to sell as many products, and you’re probably going to look for a different option that doesn’t require creativity.

You’re probably thinking that you don’t know how to be creative.  This mindset has been created by years of marketers selling “The step-by-step system to generate huge passive income streams”.

Instead of thinking in this way, you’ve got to start thinking outside the box, and you’re business is going to be vastly more successful because of it.

Do you know how the most successful marketers get millions of visitors from search engine traffic? They use creativity. They don’t just do what every other chump is doing, because otherwise they’d be in exactly the same situation as them. They don’t necessarily work hard, they just use their brain!  They innovate with their link building strategy, they find loopholes to generate buzz and traffic to their website, and they keep doing it.

There are loopholes in every market.  Each niche has its own intricacies and things that you can exploit to make your business wildly successful.  Why is there no step by step guide for you to follow?  Because every niche is different!  No one can tell you how to completely dominate the “Weight Loss” niche, you need to find that out for yourself.  If someone knew, they certainly wouldn’t tell you.  There are people who have used their creativity to create massive brands that dominate huge niches without spending millions to do it.

How many marketers do you know that put their success down to reading some SEO manual?  How many millionaires tell you that they followed a step-by-step guide to build their business?  None, because there aren’t any!!

If you don’t use your creativity, you’re not going to fulfill your potential.  If you’ve had some success with online marketing, think back to what really made you money.  You’ll almost certainly remember a few little innovations and creative touches that you used to set yourself apart from the competition or to generate more revenue.

Creativity is everywhere.  You don’t have to be an artist or have a brilliant mind, you just have to use what you’ve got.  Grab a piece of paper and start jotting down ideas relating to your latest business venture.  I guarantee that you’ll come up with at least one idea that you can put into action straight away.  Within an hour you could have dozens of potential ideas that will completely transform your business.

Stop looking for answers in the latest money-making course.  You might find a great way to make money, but imagine what you could do if you added your own creativity to that method – you could be wildly successful.

Think about this.  When you read a self help manual, it’s not going to tell you everything that will change your own life.  It will give you general guidelines for improving your life, for improving anyone’s life.  You then have to put those guidelines into action and apply them to your own life.

This is what you have to do in marketing.  You can take an idea, but you have to apply it to your own business.  You have to customize it to suit your business, otherwise it’s just not going to work as well as it could.

Here are some questions to get you started:

Creative Ways To Generate Revenue

Is Adsense your only option? Have you thought about a premium membership for your website? How about creating a small product related to your site? Are you giving your visitors what they are looking for? Are you building a list? Where is the money coming from in your niche?

Creative Link Building

What is unique about your niche?  How do people interact in your market?  Are there lots of blogs, news sites, or review sites?  Who are the authorities in your niche, and how can you help them?  How are the big players in your market getting traction?

Creative Content

What are your visitors really looking for?  What would cause controversy?  What are people afraid to talk about?  What different types of content can you create?  What creates linkbait in your particular niche?

Creative Branding

What sets your site apart from your competition?  Do you talk to your customers about your brand?  What is exciting about your business? How are you using social media?

Creative Marketing

What are people passionate about in your niche? Why not create a hilarious Facebook group or Google+ community related to your niche? Are your banner ads boring and stale? What is your message, and how does it differ from your competition?

You have to start asking yourself these questions.  There are potentially thousands of them, and each one could give you a great idea.  Most people are stuck in a rut when it comes to online business. Either they start with a basic formula that isn’t working, or they spend their whole time trying to think of a killer idea and never get started.  Why not combine the two?  Start with a basic formula and then add your own killer ideas to it once you start seeing it take shape.  This is a million times easier and far more successful.

Adding creativity to an established business is incredibly powerful, and it’s why some people are so hugely successful, while others are stuck struggling to get by.  Don’t overlook the fact that creativity is fun.  Doing the same mundane tasks all day will not stimulate your mind.  Finding exciting ways to transform your business will give you the motivation and stimulation to make serious money.