Too many creative people think they don’t need to specialize, that they can have lots of ideas in lots of different subjects all of which are going to be great.
Persuasion has a bad reputation because it’s associated with selling things to people, sometimes selling them things they don’t even want.
Getting noticed is a prerequisite of any good idea.
Storytelling is the most powerful form of communication ever invented.
Through stories we learn, entertain, communicate, and socialize with each other.
Juxtaposition is the art of placing together a number of contrasting objects or ideas, usually two.
Used effectively, it captures our imaginations immediately, making it one of the most valuable techniques any creater can employ to dramatize their message.
And it’s at its most potent when these two objects are as diametrically opposed to each other as possible.
If it’s a race to get into minds and stay there, then it’s the artists who make their points faster, smarter, and more thought-provoking that will be the ones who succeed.
Facebook’s pages platform reaches only six percent of a brand’s followers; and it’s headed down to one to two percent.
If businesses want to make sure that people see their content, the best strategy is, and always has been, paid advertising.
The Golden Age of Bullshit by Bob Hoffman citing Time Magazine and a Facebook spokesperson for Time Magazine
Improving customer service is about dealing with expectations and dealing with absolutely crucial points in the process more than just actually trying to improve everything evenly.
When we have strong positive emotions about a brand we seek supporting evidence and ignore contradictory facts.
7 unconscious errors we make when buying brands by Douglas Van Praet
Burn your business cards.
Whenever we introduce ourselves to another person, we usually lead with our title – whether it’s on our business card or what we claim ourselves to be.
In fact we’re robbing ourselves of some really great opportunities.
Recognizing that brands aren’t simply built upon exclusive loyalty but are highly dependent on vast numbers of light, polygamous buyers – and that growth comes from acquiring more of them, not increasingly the loyalty of current buyers – puts the role of the ‘fan’ into proper perspective.
The Participation Paradox by Martin Weigel
There are plenty of people who are not very good web developers and not even necessarily good web designers, but they’re good at using the tools available to them, and if their design and message are good enough their idea or brand gets picked up spread everywhere.
We draw conclusions based upon how the information is presented—not the actual information itself.
An ad for cream cheese that states 95% fat free is more likely to convince us than one that says it contains 5% fat.
The facts are identical but it is the positive spin not the concrete evidence that drives the appeal.
7 unconscious errors we make when buying brands by Douglas Van Praet
One of the greatest threats we face is simply put – bullshit.
We’re drowning in it. We’re drowning in rhetoric that is just true enough not to be a lie.
One of the great problems of (advertising) is how oblivious we are to our own prejudices and our own illogical behaviors.
We seem to be able to recognize it in everyone but ourselves.
Rather than simply stating the facts most advertisers typically embed their message into creative contextual devices that evoke feelings and bypass rational resistance.
This is why advertisers use stories, poems, slogans, songs, jokes, pictures, symbols, characters, roles, and metaphors.
They are particularly ripe marketing tools, because they lead the imagination and evoke the feelings that strike at our heart not our head.
7 unconscious errors we make when buying brands by Douglas Van Praet
Running a crowdfunding campaign isn’t just sitting back and watching money come in – it’s a full time job in itself. You have so much to handle because you have to simultaneously manage all aspects of the project – design, brand, promotion, social networking, press, etc.
Listening and being engaged with what people are saying about your product, brand, service, etc. is crucial, especially when trying to raise funds.
Staying active in the comments section and inbox was definitely instrumental in getting funded and continues to be a great way to stay in touch with pledgers.
Advertising is most successful when it seeks to increase penetration, not loyalty.
The Participation Paradox by Martin Weigel citing Charles Graham
We make assumptions about the world around us based on sometimes incomplete or false information.
Start With Why by Simon Sinek
You can be conditioned through advertising to choose logically inferior options.
We can even become conditioned to find great pleasure in things that harm us.
7 unconscious errors we make when buying brands by Douglas Van Praet