The Best TED Talks for Marketers

/ Zach Heller

Here are my favorite TED Talks that you can apply to your business and your life  as a marketer for your viewing pleasure…

Dan Ariely – Are We in Control of Our Own Decisions

John Wooden – The Difference Between Winning and Success

Malcolm Gladwell – Spaghetti Sauce

Seth Godin – The Tribes We Lead

Derek Sivers – How to Start a Movement

John Gerzema – The Post-crisis Consumer

Rory Sutherland – Life Lessons from an Ad Man

Shawn Achor – The Happy Secret to Better Work

How to Set and Achieve Your Goals

/ Zach Heller

I recently started work on a new project centered around the topic of goal setting. Personally, I’ve been able to make some significant changes in my life in the past 18 months through my own practice of setting short term and long term goals.

While researching the subject I came across a wonderful TED Talk that I wanted to share here today:

New Business Idea: Peer Ad Reviews

/ Zach Heller

Have you seen the new Facebook commercial? By now it’s made its way around the web, but in case you missed it, here it is:

It’s bad. By all accounts, it’s a mess of a commercial. It’s their first try, and it didn’t go so well. I hope someone was fired over it.

But it brought up an idea that I think has potential. I have not researched it too deeply, so I apologize if someone else is already doing it.

What about a Peer Review Network for ad campaigns?

How it could work:

Companies and ad agencies could post ideas, designs, test spots, or full ads on the site. The campaign could be set to private, invite only, or public. There you could invite people to give feedback, like or dislike, and offer ideas. It’s something of a crowdsourcing site for advertisers, and something of an advertising test network.

I think it would give those advertisers that are willing to test it out some good insight into what ideas catch on, and which ones should go back to the drawing board. That way they can avoid an absolute flop, like the one Facebook experienced this month.

Thoughts?

Wondering How Email Works?

/ Zach Heller

Google recently debuted a new website devoted to their devotion to going green. And they added an interesting, interactive feature to the site that shows you how your email travels from your inbox to your recipients.

So it’s not email marketing, but it’s close enough to hold my interest.

Check out the introductory video below and visit the site when you get a chance:

The Key to Testimonial Success

/ Zach Heller

I’ve written a number times about how testimonials can provide a boost to any marketing effort. But just like anything else, there are some ways of using testimonials that are better than others.

A popular trend in business these days is to move beyond the general quotation on a website or advertisement, to a more engaging form of testimonial. The video testimonial!

What make video testimonials so great?

  • They’re more engaging. Today’s consumers are much more likely to watch a video than read anything.

  • They stand out. Videos stand out. And video testimonials are new and different, and will call attention to themselves no matter where they’re placed.

  • They’re “More Real”. We all must have some suspicion when we see written testimonials. Is that a real person? If so, did they really say that? A video testimonial is tougher to fake, more believable, and more effective.

And here’s a video on how to get video testimonials. Enjoy!