TED Talks are a great way to learn about new developments in your industry and ways to work smarter. I spent 10 hours looking for the best TED Talks for social media marketers – so there’s no need for it.
In this post, you’ll find TED Talks that will teach you how to:
- Spread your ideas (from one of the world’s best marketers)
- Understand why certain types of videos are going viral with insights from YouTube’s trend manager Kevin Allocca
- Find more free time and balance in your schedule with smarter time management
Read on for a list of our favorite TED Talks that can make you a better social media marketer.
one. 3 Ways to Usefully Lose Control of Your Brand
Strategist and writer Tim Leberecht He begins his TED Talk with the phrase, “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
He explains that brands have to come to terms with the fact that they have little power over their own reputations and that “If you’re interested, it’s a constant, free-form conversation about you that you have no control over.”
According to Leberecht, there are three ways businesses can positively lose control of their brand and create more meaningful experiences for their customers:
- Give people more control. This means trusting your people and customers to collaborate for better solutions.
- Give people less control (and more meaning). Trust is earned through predictable behavior, so this is a great way to counter the plethora of choices customers face every day.
- Be transparent. Staying true to the core of the brand is the only real value proposition. As Leberecht said, “Openness is paramount, but radical openness is not the solution.” He recommends that each brand find the level of transparency that suits them.
2nd. How Better Technology Can Avoid Distraction
design thinker Tristan Harris wants to understand how technology can help us avoid distractions and use our time more efficiently.
Harris shares his ideas surrounding the concept of choice. As she explains, “We want to have a relationship with technology that gives us back choices about how we spend time with it.”
Constant interruptions in work and life take a toll on attention spans, and Harris wants to show how technology can fix it.
Harris’ theories focus on one key measure: the net positive contribution to human life. It calls for a world where all designers ask above all how their creations will positively impact the lives of real people.
Social media marketers must constantly consider what their content is like. creating more meaningful interactions and with Harris’ philosophy, this might be top of mind.
3. How to gain control of your free time
If you’re a social media marketer, teasing and “What free time?” You may be asking. time management specialist Laura Vanderkam you have your back He believes successful time management isn’t about finding more hours a day, it’s about figuring out where your priorities are.
Their ideas are based on the importance of work-life balance and helping people find time for the most important thing. Vanderkam provides two basic steps to figuring out exactly what your priorities are. You can apply this approach to every area of your life, social strategy or your personal growth.
- Suppose you are one year in the future. Write down next year’s performance review as if you were looking at that year. What were the things that made him so great? What did you achieve? When you know what a successful year looks like to you, it’s easier to chart a course ahead of time.
- Break your goals into actionable steps. Consider these goals as priorities and put them in your schedule. Make a list of three categories of career, relationship, and personal growth goals and see where you can take time to work on them.
It’s hard to focus on your social media efforts when you’re feeling short of time and pressured. Apply Vanderkam’s approach to your work and personal life to find “the little moments of great power.”
4. The nit-picking splendor of The New Yorker’s Comma Queen
Social media marketers know the importance of writing and editing. A single typo can change the meaning of your content and distract your attention from your message. No one knows this better than the copy editor of The New Yorker. Mary Norris.
In his TED Talk, Norris explains the level of detail that goes into copy editing and the processes surrounding the art. When this process is rushed or ignored, the text editor’s job is at the mercy of public critics.
Social media marketers understand this pressure well. every tweet and Instagram post If you type, there’s always the dire possibility of a glaring typo or grammatical error. Discover how Norris reconciles with his work and how you can too.
5. Adventures in Twitter fiction
While the art of storytelling has not changed, the chosen format has evolved. Hearst Magazine’s chief digital content officer Andrew Fitzgerald (formerly Twitter Moments Editor) explores how microblogging platforms like Twitter are changing the landscape of media and content sharing.
Fitzgerald is most concerned with “how creative people are testing the limits of what is possible in this environment.” As a social media marketer, telling your brand’s story within the confines of each platform is a constant challenge.
if you are to tweet, Using Instagram Storiesor posting to snapchat, real-time storytelling is something you should consider. Fitzgerald explores the blur between the real and fiction, the real and the digital worlds, and the tools at our disposal in our quest for creative experimentation. Watch his TED Talk for inspiration and examples surrounding these ideas.
6. How to spread your ideas
If you want your audience to take action, you need to find a way to spread your ideas. Writer Seth Godin He guides viewers through a series of examples where seemingly simple concepts spread like wildfire.
According to Godin, brands need to find a group that cares about what they have to say. talk to them. And then make it easy for them to want to tell their friends.
As Godin puts it, “It’s really simple – you sell to people who are listening and maybe those people are telling their friends.”
7. Why are videos going viral?
No one knows the answer to this better than YouTube’s trend manager. Kevin Allocca. If you’re a social media marketer looking to get your video content to a larger audience, you’ll want to take note of Allocca’s three main reasons why a video goes viral:
- The influence of tasters—People who influence their audience and are seen as authority in the industry have great power. Check out our post for more on influencer marketing Influencer Marketing on Social Media: Everything You Need to Know.
- Community Engagement—It is very important that your content gets some kind of reaction from your audience. Learn more about creating engaging content with our post How Do You Use Social Media to Engage with Customers and Build Your Brand?
- unexpectedness—Branded content can quickly become boring. Keep your audience engaged and constantly surprised by providing unexpected content on a regular basis. Learn more with our post How Big Brands Use Humor on Social Media (and Why You Should Too).
TED Talks are a great way for any social media marketer to discover new ways to approach their craft. Take a look at the above and let us know about others you find valuable.
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