Consider how many headlines you’ve read today while scrolling through your social feeds. Too many, right? And most weren’t even click-worthy. 

That’s why we’ve made sure your click here is worth your time. We’ve done the hard work for you – we read back through 20 of our Lightspeed blogs and pulled out 20 insights or actionable tips you can start using today. 

When we sit at the Thanksgiving table this year with our soon-to-be stuffed bellies, our gratitude list will include our clients and readers like you. 

Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday, do your best with the in-laws and let us know how these tasty morsels work for you. 

 

Branding: Be powerfully authentic

If your brand feels like a teenager who thinks the world just doesn’t get her, then it’s time to stop stressing and start asking yourself why. Best-selling author Simon Sinek says companies that have extraordinary success are those that start with the core belief of why their business exists: “It is the ‘why’ that provides solidity and continuity.” – Marketers, you can cross these 3 things off your stress list

Brands can learn from a well-planned holiday menu. To make the whole family happy, you give everyone a chance to offer input and then make clear what they can expect. Likewise, when you undertake a brand refresh, ask your stakeholders for input. Work toward agreeing on the branding and business vision, and make the goal crystal clear. – Take Your Brand from Lame Side Dish to Spectacular Main Course

 

Customer advisory boards: The ultimate relationship builder

Customer advisory boards (CABs) increase sales, productivity and customer retention. Use our complimentary Advisory Board Playbook to start or improve your CAB program, so you can reap the benefits of your CAB customers’ advice and support. – Why the Idea of Starting a Customer Advisory Board Freaks You Out

An advisory board should be a sounding board for ideas and feedback that will help guide the direction of the company. Three keys for success: have a clear purpose and objective, a healthy budget to make it worthwhile for your top customers and support from senior executives at your company who are committed to the program. – 3 Things You Need To Get Your Advisory Board Off The Ground

 

Creativity, design and innovation: The heart of brand strategy

Creativity and innovation flourish in a flexible workplace. Future of Work expert and author Cheryl Cran says creativity, constant learning and the ability to be self-directed are all key employee skills valued in the future-focused organization. – Meet the New World of Work (Your Employees and Customers Will Thank You)

Brands are in a Darwinian battle where it’s survival of the fittest and fastest. A huge part of their survival depends on the experience they deliver to customers. If you don’t believe visual strategy and creative design are part of your brand’s customer experience, you’re going to lose the evolutionary fight. – Why Design is the Next Big Thing for Marketing. Really.

Originally intended to be textured wallpaper, Bubble Wrap’s story teaches us innovation isn’t a straight line from idea to jackpot. Some detours along the way make the payoff even more satisfying.Don’t dismiss what seem like bad ideas.

Build on them, re-invent them and help them find their way to greatness. – Why We Love Bubble Wrap: 3 Reasons That Will Change the Way You Think About Innovation, Marketing and Your Life

While you certainly want to use pictures and animation to get your points across, too much can become distracting to your audience. And please, PLEASE change up the color palette. We’ve all seen PowerPoint’s default patterns. And while you’re in there, cool it with the drop shadows. – How to Fix Your Terrible PowerPoint Presentation

 

Customer experience: The ultimate differentiator

From a customer experience standpoint, we can learn a lot from the blockbuster versus indie film battle. Don’t churn out weak content like so many blockbuster movies do.

Create content with a clear, relevant story that gives your customer an experience worth their time and attention. – Is Your Customer Experience a Blockbuster? Maybe It Shouldn’t Be.

A June 2016 Forrester Consulting study commissioned by Accenture Interactive found partnerships to be one of the biggest factors that sets brands apart from their competitors. The partners you choose for your business are a critical part of the customer experience you deliver. Take a cue from Martha and Snoop, and team with the partners who feel your vibe. – The 1 Thing Successful People Like Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg Know About Customer Experience (That You Should, Too)

We can take a lesson from candidates who emotionally engage their followers to campaign for them and ultimately wait in line to vote for them. Why should marketers care? Because emotionally engaged customers are even more valuable than satisfied customers – 52 percent more, according to research published by Harvard Business Review. – Is This Election Over Yet? 5 Useful Take-A-Ways To Improve Your Customer Experience.

 

Engagement campaigns: Much more than swag

Monetary compensation is certainly a prime factor in the channel partner world. However, a variety of research shows effective motivation also requires kindling an intrinsic component. The path to more profitable partner relationships is paved with virtue. Simply put – If you want someone to see your brand as special and Go Beyond the ordinary, then find ways to make them feel special. – Going Beyond to Capture Mindshare with Partner Sales Reps

 

Events: Face-to-face experience and engagement

Consumer expectations in our brave, new digital world have changed every aspect of event planning. Lightspeed’s Billy Matiernan, Director of Events and owner of the largest collection of badge lanyards we’ve seen, says: “The best events are the ones that hit the perfect combination of content and education blended with experience and entertainment. People want to learn something they didn’t know, and have fun doing something new. Preferably at the same time.” – Then and Now: Audience Experience Has Changed for Your Events, and Here’s Why

The conference focused on helping partners learn and capitalize on the trends and shifts happening in marketing such as social media, buyer personas, revenue marketing, content marketing and digitization. What was once a novel approach of not being company-centric, but instead focusing 100% on helping partners become better, stronger marketers, has become an industry best practice. – Celebrating 10 Years of Cisco’s Marketing Velocity

The Center for Exhibition Industry Research found it costs 22 percent less to contact a potential buyer at a trade show than through traditional field sales calls. That makes trade shows one of the most cost-effective ways to promote your company’s products and services, and engage with the people who are likely to buy from you. – Why the Age-Old Trade Show Is Saying, ‘We’re Back, Baby!’

Hiring an amateur will ultimately cost more than hiring a professional. Do your due diligence. Look for vendors able to act as an extension of your business. Find seasoned professionals eager to act as a sounding board for your business plan. – The Oscars & Event Management: Details Matter

 

Learning: Change-up your bag of tricks

Share your brilliance, boost your memory. Sharing your insights to teach someone else helps you remember what you’ve learned. Scientists call it the protégé effect. – Call Yourself a Modern Marketer? Use These Learning Tips to Go Back to School All Year

A whopping 84% of marketers believe the level of complexity faced by marketing professionals over the next five years will be high (55%) or very high (29%), according to the latest Forrester/SoDA Global Digital Marketing Outlook. The lesson: train with the discipline of a ninja to make your mad skills outpace your competitors. – Four Ninja Marketing Moves to Put Your Business in the Black

 

Messaging: Connect, engage and influence

The central crux of the Curse of Knowledge – the fundamental source of bad business writing – is that writers are frequently guilty of making terrible, unconscious assumptions about the contextual knowledge possessed by their audience. In other words, you write something and it makes sense to you because you automatically add the extra context in your head; your reader, however, cannot. – The Curse of Knowledge: The Source of Bad Writing According to a Neuroscientist

 

Video marketing: A must-have part of your content marketing plan

By activating the senses, video delivers your message in a way our brains are wired to remember. Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video, compared to just 10% when reading it. – Find Your Zen in the Golden Age of Video Marketing

We could have included a lot more than 20 marketing insights, but we know you’ve got a turkey dinner to plan.

Whenever you want more, we’re happy to share our thoughts.

For more ideas for your business, contact us at [email protected].