With digital media and the Internet creating a huge marketplace and promotional medium for brands, using design thinking processes to harness your creativity for digital marketing campaigns is more important than ever.

You can’t expect to come up with creative solutions simply by following a step-by-step process every time. You need to focus on developing and nurturing the way you think in a way that lets you adapt to every challenge, and design unique and effective solutions.

Be Inspired by the Arts

Design and art may be two different concepts, but you can develop better design thinking if you learn to think like an artist. Art reminds you how important it is to look at problems or concepts from different perspectives, and to improvise as needed.

Art also reminds you about the importance of emotion. As Greg Satell, a digital strategy and innovation expert says: “…emotions are like a little yellow highlighter in our brains. They’re powerful because they bypass the rational center in our forebrains and go straight to embedding themselves in our consciousness.” Knowing how to stir your target audience’s emotions can help you design campaigns that create instant and long-lasting brand associations.

Look Beyond the Web

You don’t need to limit yourself to the digital world to find your creative muse. The real world offers countless ideas and limitless inspiration to anyone smart enough to step away from their computers and mobile devices once in awhile. Clearing your head and getting yourself out of your fixed mindset every so often gives your mind room to breathe and accommodate new ideas. Taking a short walk or picking up some reading material unrelated to your product or campaign can give your mind a breather while still stimulating it enough to keep your creative juices flowing.

Actively Search for New People and Ideas

Most people would advise you to “be open” to new ideas and new people, but the key to true creativity and innovation is to take a more active approach. Don’t wait for people to bring you their ideas. Be the first to start the conversation. Teresa Amabile, a professor at Harvard Business School, says that striking up conversations with people you don’t know very well is actually a good idea. “The more random the person, the better, because it will force you out of whatever mindset you’re in,” she says.

You don’t always have to look for something new to get good ideas. Going back to a movie, book, or artwork that inspired you before can rekindle that inspiration and help you come up with fresh ideas.

Digital marketing not just about creating beautiful visuals or copy to attract your audience; it’s about using design thinking to develop creative solutions for the specific challenges your brand faces. Honing your creativity and actively seeking inspiration instead of waiting for it to hit you are two of the most important steps you should take if you want to come up with a successful and memorable marketing campaign.