Extend Your Reach

Do you hear the weekend calling, too?

It’s been another busy week in our offices and we’re ready to see what the weekend has in store. If we’re lucky, it will be equal parts relaxing and fun, with a dose of extra sleep.

But before we get there, we bring you the newest edition of Our Favorite Headlines! This week, we’ve got news about the digital and physical worlds colliding, some convicting articles about creating human connections (with our customers and coworkers), and a listicle that you’ll definitely want to save for future reference.

Check them out below!

The Takeaway: We’re sharing this not as an update to the Russia-meddling story, but as a look at the how the digital and physical worlds can (and should) work together – and not just for marketing. Some may call it ironic that one of the largest digital companies is resorting to snail mail to help fix a broken automated process, but we see it as inevitable. Which side do you fall on?

The Takeaway: It’s the great year 2018, and we have access to more information about our customers than ever before… But that doesn’t mean we actually know them.

In fact, the ease with which we can collect customer data makes it tempting to reduce our very human customers to personas or segments. Yet the fact remains that – even in a digitally-connected world – people still crave human-to-human connection. And ultimately, they will do business with people and brands they know, like, and trust. So how do you build trust? Spoiler: it goes far beyond putting out nice products and compelling calls-to-actions.

The Takeaway: Speaking of being human… It will be darn near impossible to create authentic human connections with your customers if your culture requires that employees act like robots during the work day. For teams to function and work to get done, employees must feel like they can express their feelings in a healthy way. We understand that no manager wants to see a yelling match or therapy circle on the sales floor – but expressing feelings in an emotionally-intelligent way can help bring teams closer, address major flaws in a culture or process, and inspire innovation.

The Takeaway: We think you’re going to want to bookmark this one. This list of the top motivational speeches is a great resource for anyone on a mission to improve – whether you’re looking for inspiration for yourself, your loved ones, or your team at work. With 22 speeches to choose from (and a video for each), there’s sure to be something relevant to the challenges you’re facing now.