The Two-Pizza Rule, Costco’s Sampling Secrets, More… Roger’s Picks

This reading isn’t required… but you’ll miss out if you don’t read at least a few of our top picks for the week!

My Stuff

One of the biggest challenges facing managers and team leaders is motivating others. The ideal situation is building a team of intrinsically motivated people who want to do the work. New research shows that a simple change in the way a task is framed can cause a striking difference in motivation, effort, and results. Read Can one word turn work into play? and turn your team into a self-motivated powerhouse!

What’s the cognitive funnel? How can you get super-quick but statistically valid feedback on how users interact with your website or mobile app? We answer these and other questions in this week’s Brainfluence Podcast, featuring YouEye founder Kyle Henderson (@KyleHenderson). Listen to the audio or read the transcript for Episode #26 – Optimizing the Cognitive Funnel with Kyle Henderson.

From Around the Web

We’ve always known that music affects the brain, though sometimes researchers have gotten a bit carried away – remember the Mozart-increases-your-IQ fad? Now, an interesting study shows the positive effect of the right music, as Brian Stallard reveals in Your Brain Functions Better When Hearing Your Favorite Songs.

Is there a formula for the perfect video ad? Maybe… based on experimental data, neuromarketing firm Innerscope Research (@Innerscope) explains the story arc of the most effective ads in Success in Video Advertising: A Scientific Formula.

Here’s another item about building effective teams. It’s tempting to create ever-larger teams for important projects, but at some point adding resources may actually hinder progress. Janet Choi (@lethargarian) explains The Science Behind Why Jeff Bezos’s Two-Pizza Team Rule Works.

A lot of persuasion research is based on in-person interaction. The findings may not always translate into actionable advice for improving the persuasiveness of websites. Paras Chopra (@paraschopra) provides a few science-based tips for digital marketers in The psychology of conversion: Use your website to influence potential buyers.

Today, everyone wants to be a content marketer. Big brands, small businesses, and solopreneurs all want to establish authority and connect with customers. But, not all of us have the Hemingway gene. Mandi Ellefson (@MandiEllefson) explains how to cope in her piece at MarketingProfs, How to Construct a Content Machine (Even If You’re Not a Natural-Born Writer).

One of the most important elements of your landing page or website is the “call to action.” Persuasive copy, emotional imagery, and other elements are ineffective if the visitor doesn’t pull the trigger before leaving. KissMetrics (@KISSmetrics) shows how to craft an effective CTA with a dose of science and plenty of real-world illustrations in Everything You Need to Know About the Psychology of the Call to Action.

Who doesn’t like getting free samples while shopping? And, when it comes to free samples, Costco is a brand that stands out. Joe Pinsker (@jpinsk) delves into the value of this practice in The Psychology Behind Costco’s Free Samples. (Another retailer who does extensive sampling is Texas-based H-E-B, as I described in my Forbes piece, The Smartest Supermarket You Never Heard Of.