Welcome to Fresh van Root #55!
What a busy week, for a week in August. I had to postpone writing this newsletter several times because urgent client work showed up in my inbox. But here we go. There is a new work meeting app in town called Headroom that you might wanna check out. If you read this on the weekend you probably just want to look at the newest Banksy art (scroll to the bottom). Have a great weekend.
Hello to all new subscribers: this newsletter is for curious marketers, content/web creators, and entrepreneurs. Content & tool curation as a service, that’s the mission. Stay fresh! Rolf
🧠 Hand-Picked Content
How Much Marketing Tracking & Analytics Do You Need? (Blog, 5min)
I am critical of the extensive use of marketing tracking tools to collect tons of (often incorrect) data, which leads to wrong decisions. This article explains this problem and gives some ideas to make it better from the perspective of a SaaS marketer with years of experience. (Yes, it’s always easier to market a product people want). More
AI and Work Meetings (Article, 10min)
Hundreds of startups want to tackle how we run online meetings, of course using the latest AI technology. This Wired article explains the different concepts these startups try to apply to make our meetings smarter. One of the apps discussed is Headroom, I took it for a test, check below in tools section. More
Taliban 2.0 (Article, 20min)
They wear Apple watches, are versatile in using chat apps like WhatsApp to organize, and distribute their messages via Facebook pages. This long-read looks at the role that technology and social media played in the retake of power of the terrorist group Taliban. More
On Company Culture (Blog, 5min)
Why it is not a good idea to call your colleagues or team a family. More
🛠️ Tools & Apps & Services
New Online Meeting App
Headroom is a online meeting app that is in early beta. I took it for a quick test and here is what I like about it: Notes are front and center, every meeting gets recorded and a transcript is created in real-time. You also can see who is talking how much. Right now only Chrome is supported. Headroom wont replace Zoom or any other established tool in your set up right now, but Headroom is onto something, I can see certain use-cases where it makes sense to use it. One minute demo | More
Create Marketing Copy with AI Support
I can’t remember how many AI powered copywriting tools I featured in this newsletter, but here’s another one. It’s called Neuroflash. Write a brief and seconds later you will get suggestions for slogans, ad copy, and more from the artificial intelligence. I took it for a test and I liked the first results. This is all good for inspiration, and wont replace a real experienced copywriter anytime soon. Watch how it works | Screenshot | More
For Events: Stagetimer
Speakers that are not finishing their talks on time cause headaches for event organizers. This little tool helps you to create a virtual stage timer and share it via URL with the speaker. You, as an organizer/track owner, are in remote control of the timer and can send messages to the speaker. Filed to use it for the next event I am involved in. More
For Makers and Creators on Twitter
Blackmagic is a tool for Twitter nerds. With it, you can dynamically update your Twitter profile and cover image to reflect your current state on a project. More
SEO Checklist
A handy checklist published by Ahrefs. More
📣 Fresh van Root
Last time I asked if you would join a chat group in which content similar to this newsletter is shared to. Thanks to 30 responders! It seems Telegram is fine, but many of you would prefer Signal. Check the results. We are still working on that idea, .. it might take some time before it gets launched. Stay tuned.
🔗 One More Link
Spraycation
New works by Banksy. More