Google Teaches How To Be Creative? It’s not only about talent
As you may know, the Brighton SEO event was held online in addition to being on-premise, for the first time, and participation was Free of charge.
So, of course, I took the opportunity to find valuable material to share with you.
And while I was reviewing the speech schedule, this one was the first one that made me say, “I have to listen to Max Hoppy’s this speech:
“How they teach you to be creative at Google.”
By the way, Max Hoppy is the co-founder of Bind, a company that delivers highly technical Google, Meta, and Amazon advertising.
Back to the point, I thought to myself:
Why this specific speech?
Why did this specific title catch my attention so much that I added it to my schedule without hesitation?
So I dug deep into research, and here are some of my conclusions:
- The heading is catchy,
- The topic is of general interest,
- The promised value is worth spending 20 minutes on.
Let’s break each point down to its core:
The heading is catchy
You probably already know that you have to include certain words in your titles to catch readers' eye since it only takes three seconds for a user to decide whether the reading is a smash or a pass.
You should include at least one of the following:
- An alert word that pushes the reader to take action,
- A brand name that awakens a feeling of value,
- A context word that will make them think, “this is the one,”
- A humanizing word that they can resonate with.
Well, the title of the speech includes three out of four.
The brand name, one of the best: Google.
The context word, a talent that almost anyone wants: creative.
The humanizing word, stressing the subject: how they teach YOU.
In conclusion, this title is a definite smash.
And it got only better with the speech itself:
Not being creative is not about fate, Max says
And he had proof.
Apparently, if you provide the right environment and a little bit of effort, anyone could become more creative.
He started his speech with facts about “when marketers get the most ideas.”
I’m going to turn those facts into a question, and I want you to think about an answer sincerely before you keep reading:
Which of the following is when marketers get the best ideas?
- In the shower
- At work, in front of the desk
- Right before they sleep
- At the toilet
And I promise you, the answer is not “all of the above.”
The answer is:
All, except for B.
I bet you are surprised to hear that, right?
Well, the first thing you have to do to be more creative is to give yourself time and not stress about work, apparently.
Right after this part, he got to his actual point?
So, how does Google teach creativity?
Max introduces the 3Rs:
- Related Worlds: What are all the elements that can help you find a solution to your problem?
- Revolution: How could you possibly uniquely approach this problem?
- Random Links: What is the most unrelated thing to the problem you need to solve?
This method is effective for B2B and B2C. Let’s see how it will work for our hypothetical SaaS company.
Let’s visualize what this means
Hypothetically speaking, you have an app that helps people find the cheapest of everything.
Think of the interconnected worlds; think of Amazon, eBay, think of Dollar Tree, and anything similar.
- How did they solve the problem?
Then, think of a revolution; what hasn’t been done in this industry yet?
- Did any of them focus on how they make it easier to choose? I don’t think so.
And finally, think of random links; many others probably solved their problems by promoting cheaper but high-quality products, such as Xiaomi, but did anyone relate this issue of finding the cheapest option to saving the environment?
- Less money means fewer trees cut. I’m not being serious. I just created a random link.
Not that I know if this app exists or if anyone has done such a thing before.
But I know for sure that absurd things stick in the head, and going from what’s useful to what’s totally unrelated makes total sense.
And I promise it will help you as well.
