The weather has been hot, hot, hot in Michigan this week, which means that some of us may have been a little crankier than usual. If you fall into that category, we have two things to help lighten your mood this afternoon: First, it’s Friday! Second, it’s time for our favorite headlines of the week!

Our roundup this week is (once again) a bit random, but we think you’ll be able to find a few nuggets of inspiration in each.

So whether you’ve found yourself succumbing to the heat, or if you’re just looking forward to the weekend ahead, take a few minutes to read a few of our favorite articles/blog posts from around the web this week. Cheers!

The Takeaway: We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Shiniest is not always best. The ever-evolving technological space means that marketers have countless options for where to invest their dollars, and just as many “experts” telling us every day which new platform we should invest in. The tough part: unless you are a fortune 500 company, you likely don’t have the budget or resources to dedicate to every new marketing channel and platform.

That’s why it’s so important to resist “Shiny Object Syndrome” as columnist Erik Huberman suggests, and instead be strategic with your marketing dollars. Start with identifying your audience, then figuring out which platform will be most effective at reaching them. Then focus on tailoring your message to fit what matters most to that group.

The Takeaway: What if we told you that there’s a secret marketing channel you’ve been paying for all along, but not even using? And what if we told you that channel had the opportunity to reach as much as 10x your averagemarketing reach?

This channel does exist, and it may very well be sitting right in front of you. So what is it? Your employees, of course!

As marketers, we have the tendency to assume that employees at our businesses have the tools they need to be advocates for our brands. But many employees may not know, understand, or buy into your organization’s mission and vision. The key to helping them understand is strong internal communications, which is why we like this article so much. We don’t expect you to start using an intranet in the next six weeks, but take the ideas from this article to heart and start thinking of your employees as another segment in your target audience.

The Takeaway: Here’s an exciting running analogy for you: If you’re experiencing knee pain while you run, you might visit your doctor or consult Google to learn about different knee injuries. But what if you found out that the issue was actually caused by an injury in your hip?

Because our bodies are systems, it’s common for the pain of an injury in one area to manifest itself in a completely different area. The same holds true for our mental systems, too – which is why your struggle to be productive may stem from a more peripheral issue; e.g. the nine habits Dr. Travis Bradberry lays out in this article. So how do you get to the root of your productivity problem? Know which habits are the most common productivity killers, identify the habits you’re guilty of, and take the necessary steps to start eliminating them.

The Takeaway: Proud Grapidians that we are, we’re including this fact sheet from ExperienceGR in celebration of 616 Day. For those of you who aren’t from Grand Rapids, 616 is the city’s primary area code, and today just happens to be 6/16. Get it?

Whether you’ve never visited Grand Rapids, are an occasional visitor, or even live in the Greater GR area, you can learn something from the Fact Sheet! Check it out for attractions, history, and even a list of the higher education options our great city has to offer. Then come see us!

What articles did you find particularly interesting or relevant? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook or Twitter!