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You are here:   Home Blog Unleashing Your Creativity in Business Writing

Unleashing Your Creativity in Business Writing

April 30, 2013 by Jessica Lee Leave a Comment

We are in the age of the creative content professional. Ad agencies have been hiring these types of writers for years, and now businesses need to start valuing the creative side of writing just as much.

Gone are the days where business writers are merely cornered into technical documents or writing boring copy for websites. The age of quality, engaging content that’s also creative is here. The business writer now has the spotlight, and it’s time to tap into creativity to turn boring business writing into something else.

But what do you do if you’ve been writing that drab copy for years and feel like you’re drained of creativity? It happens to the best of us. But deep down inside, if you’re a writer, you have that artisitic ability. It may not seem like it, if you’ve been tied to a cubicle all these years. That drab corporate environment may have put your creativity into remission, but it’s there.

Let’s look at how to rekindle that creative flame.

Make Your Work Environment Inspiring to You

One of the biggest mistakes, I believe, is to treat writers within a company the same way you would treat someone in say, the HR department or an administrative role. Tying a creative to a desk and turning writing into a “factory” process kills creativity.

Don’t get me wrong; you have to have serious planning and process when you’re running a content department for business. But, there needs to be a balance to keep your writing inspired.

My first tip is this: Redesign your office space. If you’re not in a super creative environment like ad agencies so often have, you need to be in a pro-creative space. Not everyone has the luxury of redecorating their office environment, but if you can, surround yourself with things that make you happy, make you think, inspire you.

Add color, add pictures, add humor. Make your sterile environment feel like home. It sounds trivial, but your surroundings have a profound affect on your psyche – especially if you’re a creative.

Next, get up and move. If you have to be tied to an office environment, take breaks and walk away from your desk. Some of my greatest moments of clarity and my best ideas happen when I am away from my laptop. Take a quick walk and get those ideas flowing. Sitting stationary for long periods of time can literally work against the creative process.

If you have a big content project to tackle, go somewhere other than your office if it’s better for you. Scope out a conference room or space outside the building you can post up. Sometimes merely changing your scenery can have a huge impact on your productivity and creative ideas.

Write About Something You’re Passionate About

Do you have any experiences in your life that had such an impact on you that you can recall them down to the minute detail? It’s these experiences that spark the passion necessary for exciting content. Use these experiences as a launching pad for creative writing exercises.

I write every single day for my job. And 75 percent of the time, it feels like a job. And I don’t mean that in the sense that I don’t enjoy it; but writing quality content for businesses is work. The research, the attention to detail, the strategy, the data tracking, and the time and energy spent to create something you think people want to read can be a challenging task day in and day out.

But it doesn’t always have to feel that way; which is why writing off the clock is an important step to staying creative. Take a class if you can. I popped into a creative writing course this year at UCLA, and it was a fantastic way to get me thinking outside my normal boundaries in writing.

Or think about something that moved you in life, and write about it. Recently, I got an email from someone asking me about my most memorable trip. As I wrote about it, the words flowed out simply because I was passionate about the experience.

If you’re curious, here’s my trip down memory lane on a vacation to Europe:

When I was 19, I spent six weeks in Europe with my mother, staying mostly with friends in Germany. It was before the Euro and money went a long way in most countries. I stayed in a tiny village that had cobblestone streets and one market. I lived like a local, eating late dinners in the homes of people we met, and in neighboring towns. I watched in awe as the whole village dressed in traditional garb and put on a colorful parade to pay homage to their community. We bicycled everywhere and found paths in magical forests with hidden gems along the way (including a swan-filled pond and a pub in the middle of the thick trees). I went to parties and heard great electronic music from awesome DJs way before the tracks hit The States. I discovered my favorite beer, brewed by monks for centuries in Bavaria. We took minitrips by train and car to other countries throughout Europe and I experienced many different cultures and way too many castles to count. It was a trip I’ll never forget and one I hope to top someday.

I have two takeaways from this: 1) Write about your passions whenever you can; it’ll help you tap into better writing for business and 2) You have to live to be a better writer. Being tied to an office day in and day out with no extracurricular activities or adventuresome life experiences is a sure-fire way to be not only a dull person, but also a dull writer.

Believe me, I speak from experience. When I get into periods of my life when I become a workaholic, I notice the quality of my writing (and life) suffers. So be good to yourself and your writing will shine.

Start Looking at Visuals as Part of Your Job

When you’ve been cornered into the world of “words” for so long, you forget about visuals as part of content. To be a great content strategist and marketer in today’s age, you must explore other forms of content as part of your arsenal. Tapping into visuals can actually help you as a writer: art begets art.

Start looking at your world differently; what visual beauty can inspire you to write? Take a picture of something meaningful or beautiful and write a short story about it. Do anything to help you start connecting to visuals – including video. Follow people in your social networks that share visuals that can inspire ideas.

Start thinking about your own content in terms of visuals, too. What sort of images come to mind with the content you just wrote? How can you make that into something artistic and visual to share with your audience?

If you start thinking and acting like an artist, you’ll start to spark that creativity from deep within – even if you are in a business environment that doesn’t particularly “think” the same way. Remember, writing is a creative process – don’t let anyone else tell you different. Even if you’re in a business environment.

My advice to writers? Start changing things up so that the monotony of working in an office environment does not suck the soul out of your writing. Whatever it is that moves you, explore that. My advice to businesses? If you want to get a writer’s best work, let them work in a manner that is conducive to tapping into their creativity.

Do you have thoughts on this subject? Please leave me a comment about it.

Jessica Lee
Jessica Lee is founder and chief creative at bizbuzzcontent Inc., helping B2B and B2C businesses realize the value of quality web content to their marketing plans. Sign up for tips on content strategy and writing delivered to your inbox directly from Jessica and the bizbuzzcontent team.

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Jessica leads one of the most professional content agencies I’ve ever worked with. We target a very niche industry, and Jessica and her team were very thoughtful in their approach. From planning thoughtful pieces, to researching and interviewing SMEs, to brainstorming promotion strategies, Jessica and her team maintain a high degree of professionalism and efficiency.

Steven S., Senior Manager, Demand Generation, Rentlytics

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Steven S., Senior Manager, Demand Generation, Rentlytics

Jessica leads one of the most professional content agencies I’ve ever worked with. We target a very niche industry, and Jessica and her team were very thoughtful in their approach. From planning thoughtful pieces, to researching and interviewing SMEs, to brainstorming promotion strategies, Jessica and her team maintain a high degree of professionalism and efficiency.
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Tailor-made content strategies

Jessica dedicated her time as a pro-bono volunteer with VolunteerMatch to help us with some key content marketing needs. What impressed me most about working with Jessica was the way she tailored her approach to accommodate the needs of our nonprofit with the resource constraints of our team. Jessica developed personas, one-pagers, case studies and website content that has resulted in an increase in traffic to our site and improved our ability to communicate to our key audiences.

Bree v.F., Director of Marketing and Engagement, VolunteerMatch

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Bree v.F., Director of Marketing and Engagement, VolunteerMatch

Jessica dedicated her time as a pro-bono volunteer with VolunteerMatch to help us with some key content marketing needs. What impressed me most about working with Jessica was the way she tailored her approach to accommodate the needs of our nonprofit with the resource constraints of our team. Jessica developed personas, one-pagers, case studies and website content that has resulted in an increase in traffic to our site and improved our ability to communicate to our key audiences.
https://www.bizbuzzcontent.com/blog/testimonials/tailor-made-content-strategies/

Highly targeted and relevant content

I've worked with Jessica at her company bizbuzzcontent for years. It's my go-to provider whenever my team is looking for high-quality content. What differentiates bizbuzzcontent is that they not only have superior writing skills but a rare ability to completely understand our industry, our company positioning, brand voice and tone, and customers. This just makes the content highly targeted and relevant, and goes a long way in achieving our marketing goals.

Nag P., Sr. Manager, Product Marketing, Salesforce

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Nag P., Sr. Manager, Product Marketing, Salesforce

I've worked with Jessica at her company bizbuzzcontent for years. It's my go-to provider whenever my team is looking for high-quality content. What differentiates bizbuzzcontent is that they not only have superior writing skills but a rare ability to completely understand our industry, our company positioning, brand voice and tone, and customers. This just makes the content highly targeted and relevant, and goes a long way in achieving our marketing goals.
https://www.bizbuzzcontent.com/blog/testimonials/highly-targeted-and-relevant-content/

Compelling content that drives results

I love Jessica and the team over at bizbuzzcontent. Within just a matter of a few interactions, she was able to understand, in depth, our complex solution and business model. Since then, she's been critical to us in driving compelling, engaging content via our blogs and white papers. She's a wonderful, thoughtful person to work with, and the work she's done has been a key factor in increasing our conversion rates.

Collin S., Angel Investor and Technology Executive

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Collin S., Angel Investor and Technology Executive

I love Jessica and the team over at bizbuzzcontent. Within just a matter of a few interactions, she was able to understand, in depth, our complex solution and business model. Since then, she's been critical to us in driving compelling, engaging content via our blogs and white papers. She's a wonderful, thoughtful person to work with, and the work she's done has been a key factor in increasing our conversion rates.
https://www.bizbuzzcontent.com/blog/testimonials/compelling-content-that-drives-results/

Outstanding process

bizbuzzcontent helps me efficiently leverage my own subject-matter expertise to create original content on timely topics. Together, we are able to distill complex topics into client-friendly articles that I can use across multiple platforms. I especially appreciate bizzbuzz’s super-efficient process because it keeps me on track for timely production of new content. Jessica Lee is a pleasure to work with, and I rely on her to bring a strategic eye to my publication efforts.

Priya H., Partner, Woodruff-Sawyer & Co.

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Priya H., Partner, Woodruff-Sawyer & Co.

bizbuzzcontent helps me efficiently leverage my own subject-matter expertise to create original content on timely topics. Together, we are able to distill complex topics into client-friendly articles that I can use across multiple platforms. I especially appreciate bizzbuzz’s super-efficient process because it keeps me on track for timely production of new content. Jessica Lee is a pleasure to work with, and I rely on her to bring a strategic eye to my publication efforts.
https://www.bizbuzzcontent.com/blog/testimonials/outstanding-process/

Strong content values

Jessica is a great content creator, writer, reporter and partner to work with. Highly articulate with strong content values and work ethos, Jessica adds great value to all projects she works on. I would happily recommend Jessica to people who wish to scale their content marketing efforts.

Andy B., C-Level Marketing and Strategy Consultant

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Andy B., C-Level Marketing and Strategy Consultant

Jessica is a great content creator, writer, reporter and partner to work with. Highly articulate with strong content values and work ethos, Jessica adds great value to all projects she works on. I would happily recommend Jessica to people who wish to scale their content marketing efforts.
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Jessica is a guest speaker of Microsoft internal training program. She made an awesome presentation of how to create marketable web ages to Microsoft Bing Ads product team and services team. Attendees found Jessica very engaging during the presentation. Microsoft Bing Ads is eager to apply the learning in our daily works, and look forward to partnering with Jessica to bring more value to digital advertising community.

Ping J., Product Manager, Microsoft Bing Ads

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Ping J., Product Manager, Microsoft Bing Ads

Jessica is a guest speaker of Microsoft internal training program. She made an awesome presentation of how to create marketable web ages to Microsoft Bing Ads product team and services team. Attendees found Jessica very engaging during the presentation. Microsoft Bing Ads is eager to apply the learning in our daily works, and look forward to partnering with Jessica to bring more value to digital advertising community.
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Critical extension of the marketing team

Jessica has been instrumental in building our content strategy from ground up, educating our stakeholders and increasing our exposure across all lines of insurance. I can say with confidence that she has been a critical extension of the marketing team, always producing timely deliverable. She has always been enthusiastic about creating new formats for us and new vehicles of information to help the marketing team raise awareness and drive internal adoption. Her most impressive feat from my perspective is how quickly and seamlessly she dived into our 12 lines of insurance. The dexterity and the level of expertise she demonstrated although she had never worked with insurance B2B client was absolutely incredible.

Stephanie M., VP Marketing Communications, Woodruff-Sawyer & Co.

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Stephanie M., VP Marketing Communications, Woodruff-Sawyer & Co.

Jessica has been instrumental in building our content strategy from ground up, educating our stakeholders and increasing our exposure across all lines of insurance. I can say with confidence that she has been a critical extension of the marketing team, always producing timely deliverable. She has always been enthusiastic about creating new formats for us and new vehicles of information to help the marketing team raise awareness and drive internal adoption. Her most impressive feat from my perspective is how quickly and seamlessly she dived into our 12 lines of insurance. The dexterity and the level of expertise she demonstrated although she had never worked with insurance B2B client was absolutely incredible.
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Excellent content program

We can't imagine how we managed without bizbuzzcontent before! Working with Jessica Lee is a dream. She is very creative and understands new concepts quickly. The content creation process at bizbuzzcontent is the most efficient we have come across in our many years of working with other writers and agencies. If you want an excellent content program and a company that goes above and beyond, hire bizbuzzcontent today!

Pauline J., CEO, Group Twenty Seven

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Pauline J., CEO, Group Twenty Seven

We can't imagine how we managed without bizbuzzcontent before! Working with Jessica Lee is a dream. She is very creative and understands new concepts quickly. The content creation process at bizbuzzcontent is the most efficient we have come across in our many years of working with other writers and agencies. If you want an excellent content program and a company that goes above and beyond, hire bizbuzzcontent today!
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Trusted partner for years

Jessica and her team at bizbuzzcontent have been a trusted partner for years, and have helped us with our blog, web copy and email marketing, in addition to providing lots of guidance on other content projects. The team is able to quickly get up to speed on any content project's requirements and create quality content that's on target. Over the years, they've helped us educate, drive brand awareness and website traffic. I would definitely recommend bizbuzzcontent for content services.

Ashley G., Digital Ad Management, SearchForce

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2018-07-31T17:18:31-04:00

Ashley G., Digital Ad Management, SearchForce

Jessica and her team at bizbuzzcontent have been a trusted partner for years, and have helped us with our blog, web copy and email marketing, in addition to providing lots of guidance on other content projects. The team is able to quickly get up to speed on any content project's requirements and create quality content that's on target. Over the years, they've helped us educate, drive brand awareness and website traffic. I would definitely recommend bizbuzzcontent for content services.
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