Your advertising has to be designed to state a position different from your competitors. You do this by creating a unique ad concept. When your creative concept comes into being, you gain a position in the consumer's mind in which no one else can replace. Creative ideas build business. So, don't just think outside the box. Throw the box in the garbage.

Here's a simple brainstorming technique anyone can use. You can do this even if you don't consider yourself creative. Creativity is about taking the current way you look at things and turning it around to something different. Anyone can do it if given a little training. All you have to do is spend a few minutes associating your "key point" with different words. Then, BOOM! You have a creative idea.

First, come up with your key point. This is the ONE thing you want your prospect to know after they've read your ad. Your key point could be your offer, something particular about your service, your unique selling point, or any benefit you want the prospect to know. Your entire ad is centered on the key point.

What to do if a creative idea isn't freely flowing out of your brain? Don't worry, even among creative people this is rarely the case. You have to initiate the creativity.

Start by writing down everything that comes to mind about your key point. Don't leave any ideas out. Silly ideas are encouraged. The more off the wall, the better. In fact, start by getting your craziest ideas down on paper.

Write down movies, songs, TV shows, cars, food, and products that associate with your key point. Write down some stories your clients have told you about the topic. Then, think of the biggest benefit your client could possibly get from your key point. Write every idea you can think of. There are no bad ideas at this point.

When you can't think of any more ideas, look over your list. Now it's time to enhance your ideas. Make them even more outrageous. You can always tone them down later. But for now, you're coming up with stuff that's bizarre.

Lastly, look over the list again. Take your ideas to the opposite end of the spectrum. Pick some ideas to make extremely conservative. Tone them down. This helps balance out your crazy ideas.

That's the basics. The more you practice it, the better you'll get. Try it the next time you create an ad. You'll get some great ideas.