Positive Results from Negative Thinking, Naps, Checkout Psychology… Roger’s Picks

This week’s roundup has a distinctly Austin flavor – we didn’t plan it that way, but brainy marketers are as much a part of the Austin scene as brisket and live music!

We’ve all been in more than a few project post-mortem meetings to try to figure out what went wrong. My new friend and fellow Austinite Ryan Holiday (@RyanHoliday) says what businesses really need are pre-mortem analyses. In his Psychology Today article The Importance of Negative Thinking, Ryan talks about negative thinking and how it is an important part of positive outcomes. (While you are at it, check out Ryan’s brand new book, The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph.)

Whether you have a blog (who doesn’t, these days?), or are just starting one, here are more than 3 dozen tips from some of the most popular bloggers on the web. Konrad Sanders (@KonradSanders) convinced pros like Guy Kawasaki (@GuyKawasaki) and David Meerman Scott (@dmscott) to offer up one secret that led to more readers and better content. Learn from the pros, read 38 Blogging Masters Reveal Their Number One Tip For New Bloggers!

You know that mobile traffic continues to grow, and that converting your mobile visitors is critical to your success. CRO expert Bryan Eisenberg (@TheGrok) shows you how to amp up your mobile conversion in How to Design High-Converting Mobile Landing Pages {includes video}.

While we’re highlighting Austin-based conversion experts, Peep Laja (@peeplaja) teaches us How To Write “Compelling” Copy When You Don’t Have An Audience. In this typically detailed and well-illustrated post, Peep shows how to deal with a problem we all face: visitors who are casually grazing, and readers who aren’t really reading.

Abandoned shopping carts plague just about every online retailer. Rob Toledo (@stentontoledo) digs into the The Psychology Of The Checkout to explain why so many buyers bail out of the checkout process before completion. (My title for this post would have been, “Four Common Ways Ecommerce Sites Increase Cart Abandonment.”)

Speaking is a skill we all need to have, and conveying an image of strength and power will help make our content more convincing and persuasive. Dr. Marcia Reynolds tells us how to do that in How to Speak with Power. Her tips are geared for women, but men can benefit just as much.

Content is king, and content marketing is the new all-purpose strategy for branding, traffic generation, and PR. It turns out writing isn’t just good for business, it’s good for the writer! Gregory Ciotti (@GregoryCiotti) explains why in Psychological benefits of writing.

If “content” is the top marketing buzzword these days, “community” is a close second. In a lot of ways, building community is far more complex than creating content. Tinu Abayomi-Paul (@Tinu), writing at Danny Brown’s (@DannyBrown) blog, does a deep dive into The Value and Meaning of Community In Marketing.

Question: would a “how to” headline get more clicks than a “how NOT to” version? Unbounce’s Lance Cummins (@lancecummins) chose the latter approach in writing this piece, 5 Embarrassing Habits That Keep Your Emails From Getting Clicked. Are you guilty of any of these?

Which of your personal failings (assuming you have at least one) ties back to self-control? Whether you are a sucker for sugary foods or can’t resist getting distracted by funny cat videos, less than optimum self-control is probably involved. In A study on self-control — and a simple way to train it, Pam Zhang discusses new research that proves that people can train themselves to practice self-control.

My stuff

Know anyone who really loves their open office? Me either… Well, maybe the CFO (safely ensconced in her private lair) likes the cost savings. But that same CFO might not be as excited by the productivity losses found by some researchers. In Do Open Offices Destroy Productivity?, I look at the open office research and get some surprising feedback from flow expert Steven Kotler.

If you think PR and brand building are all about spin and “spray and pray” press releases, you are doing it wrong. And, you are doomed in today’s fast-moving, transparent environment. Who’s the best person to tell you how to do it right? In my latest edition of The Brainfluence Podcast, I talk to Spin Sucks author (@ginidietrich). Gini provides advice that is straightforward and actionable by businesses of all sizes. Listen to her insights, grab them at iTunes, or (if you are more of a written word person) read/download the transcript – it’s all at Ep #5: Building an Impactful Online Reputation with Gini Dietrich.

Also check The No-Spin World of Gini Dietrich for a little additional commentary.

Just in case you missed last week’s roundup, you can find it in 20 Magic Words, How to be Interesting, & More – Roger’s Picks. Great tips for brainy marketers from some of the smartest writers on the web!

Weird and/or Wonderful

Think that naps are for slackers? Think again… Naps can be an important part of keeping your brain functioning at optimum levels. In Eric Barker‘s (@bakadesuyo) 5 Scientific Secrets To Naps That Will Make You Happier And Smarter, he explains how naps can help you succeed in business and life.

As usual, feel free to add your own favorite find in a comment!