Episode Summary
On this episode of the Out & About Podcast, Tiffany is joined by Lauren, Ellie, and Jimmy for a roundtable conversation on what’s actually shaping marketing in financial services as 2026 begins. With perspectives spanning strategy, design, analytics, and business development, they unpack what’s working, what feels overdone, and where firms should refocus their energy — centering on one shared theme: people-first marketing. From bolder visuals to more intentional use of AI and data, the episode offers a grounded look at how firms can evolve without chasing trends.
Key Takeaways:
This episode of the Out & About Podcast explores how financial services marketing is shifting away from “scale at all costs” toward clarity, personality, and human connection.
- Financial services firms are feeling pulled in multiple directions at once. AI is accelerating content production, design trends are shifting, and marketing channels feel noisier than ever — leaving many teams struggling to figure out how to evolve without losing what makes them credible and human.
- These days, there’s real pressure to chase trends. Firms worry about falling behind if they do not adopt AI fast enough, refresh their brand often enough, or show up everywhere at once. Without a clear filter, those efforts can lead to generic marketing that blends in rather than stands out.
- A client recently took steps to differentiate without a full rebrand by making one intentional change. While keeping a traditional look and tone, the firm replaced an expected blue palette with a restrained use of purple, creating distinction without sacrificing credibility or clarity.
- We unpack a few common myths about marketing trends in financial services:
- AI doesn’t replace human judgment: AI improves efficiency but people are still needed to interpret nuance and make strategic decisions.
- Differentiation doesn’t require a full overhaul: Standing out often comes from small, intentional changes, not total rebrands.
Safe branding doesn’t always build trust: Generic design blends in while clear, confident personality builds recognition.
Don’t Miss the ONE Thing You Should Go Do First!
- Take stock of what you’re already doing before adding anything new. Filter new ideas through a people-first lens and be clear about why you’re doing them and what success looks like.
Links & Resources
- Previous Episode: SEO: Optimizing Your Financial Services Website for the New Search Environment
- Previous Episode: Financial Services SEO: What You Need to Know in an AI World
- Check out the book Lauren’s reading: Unreasonable Hospitality
Join Us!
- Want more practical ideas? Join the Out & About newsletter for fresh insights into financial services marketing and downloadable resources.
Transcript
Jimmy (00:10):
I think there is that craving for connection, especially if we're talking about financial services.
Ellie (00:16):
You had to follow the rules. You were weird and crazy and now it's not reading crazy.
Tiffany (00:20):
I wonder if there's some connection there. I feel like just an undercurrent where people are a little bit like, but we can serve everyone in a little bit more like, yeah, this is where we're from. Hey everyone, welcome back to the Out and About Podcast, where we break down all things marketing and financial services and what we see working and what's not working, which is especially the theme of this episode. So whether you've been in the marketing seat your whole career or you just sat down and don’t know where to start, we're here to support you. Today, I am joined by a full house, a whole bunch of us here. I know it's going to be a really fun conversation. I don't even know where it's going to go because we have so many notes and I don't know exactly what's going to happen. But with the start of the year, we thought it would be fun to gather a bunch of us together and just break down all the, I say all, I don't know what all we're going to cover, but a lot of the trends, a lot of the things that are trending and happening and we're talking about and all that stuff.
(01:23):
So we're going to talk about trendy, trendy stuff and it's going to be really fun. And like I said, I don't even know where we're going to go because we all dropped a bunch of notes over here and I think we're going to just bounce off each other and cover a bunch of stuff. So before we dive in, do you want to just do a quick little round robin? Just remind everybody of who you are in case this episode becomes our most viral one and they've never heard of us. And then we always start with what are we saying yes to, especially if we're diving into a deep, really specific area. We like to ask, what are we saying yes to about that? But this is so broad. So we're just going to ask, what are we saying yes to in marketing in 2026? So Lauren, do you want to kick us off and remind everyone who you are and then tell us what you're excited about when it comes to marketing right now.
Lauren (02:23):
Cool. Yeah, thanks Tiffany. Hey guys, my name is Lauren. I started Out & About, I think we're in 13 years of business, which is wacky. So we have been around for a while. I wear a lot of different hats here, mostly in a business development role but what I'm saying yes to is community. That's really my theme for today's conversation.
Tiffany (02:45):
Oh my gosh, I love it. We're going to unpack that. It'll be great. Okay. Ellie, who are you? What are you excited about?
Ellie (02:51):
I am Ellie Alexander. I'm the design director. So all things, visuals, logos, brands, colors, fonts, typefaces, layouts, all that good stuff. And this year I am saying yes to bigger, bolder personality in design, less vanilla, more sprinkles, chocolate chips, icing or no, what's it called? What's the stuff you put on a sundae called?
Tiffany (03:12):
Whipped cream? All things. Jimmy?
Jimmy (03:20):
And finally, I'm Jimmy. I'm the marketing analytics director. So I look at data, dashboards, analytics, put my ear to them, see what they tell me, and then look at the numbers and see what story they tell me. What I'm saying yes to this year is the year of AI, saying yes to marketers, clients saying yes to embracing AI in the right way.
Tiffany (03:54):
I love it. Okay. I'm Tiffany. I am the senior director of marketing strategy, which means I sort of oversee the strategy of marketing at a senior level. But yeah, I really help the team figure out where we're going with each client and set that tone and then interfacing a lot with the client to make sure everything's aligned with their bigger business goals and where we are going. That is the theme of my job, helping everybody know. And I'm going to be a little controversial, Jimmy, and say I'm the opposite of AI but I think analog things are going to be a big theme for 2026, especially direct mail is something I want to chat about a little bit. It's already come up in conversations, so it's a little bit controversial but it'll be fun.
Jimmy (04:49):
Are we still going to be friends after this episode?
Tiffany (04:54):
You know what, I love AI too, and I think it's important we're having that conversation and obviously we do digital marketing here at Out & About, so we don't have to go too analog. But I do think there's a lot of interesting stuff happening on the sort of real person, real life side of things. Sorry, what did you say?
Ellie (05:13):
I said two things can be true.
Tiffany (05:15):
Yeah, we can have two facts going at the same time. Absolutely. So my notes are all over the place. Where do we want to start? Lauren, do you want to talk about this community thing? I feel like as we talk we're going to sort of coalesce around some common things.
Lauren (05:38):
Yeah, I don't know. Maybe I'm leaning on community because it's part of our vision statement and it's something we lean in on. So I think I'm naturally gravitated toward that. But with COVID behind us, at least isolation, I feel like more and more people are leveraging AI, which kind of strips away some of the human component. I feel like as individuals working at all different businesses in different roles, we need more real, more people. And I feel like that's the very heart of what makes financial services really what it is, is the people side of the business and building those relationships. So I feel like people and businesses in general are stepping out and stepping forward to be more around community, if that's internal or external, building those relationships in person and digitally. It's a hybrid.
Tiffany (06:30):
That's really interesting because as you all know, I've sat in the content seat for a long time and I feel like recently people, clients, firms and things, are leaning more toward their locality, their local side. We've seen more and people interested in showing up in Google business profiles and SEO more, leaning into giving back to the community. I mean, it's always been there, but I wonder if there's some connection there. I feel like we’re seeing a bit of a little undercurrent where people are thinking we can serve everyone a little bit more — this is where we're from, this is what we're about. And of course we can also serve everyone because yay technology. But let's see. Okay, Ellie, do you want to tell us more about the big, bold, what you're seeing maybe on a global scale first? I think after that I want to dive into some specifics.
Ellie (07:32):
Yeah, sure. Going through things that have been trending, things that are projected to keep trending, it's literally you go down all these listicles and it's like bigger, bold type, bigger bold colors, bigger, bold, this bigger bold — it's like a maximalism thing. We are moving away from decades of delicate type and big airy layouts in terms of design. And it's just like every year it's chipping, chipping, chipping away, and people are just adding more personality to things. So that's kind of what I mean. We just had bigger and bolder kind of stopping, being afraid of having a personality. Stop thinking what you're saying must try to please everyone, make sure it's like I got the word vanilla, palatable, and I was like, well no, we don't, how do I say this? A brand's personality doesn't have to perfectly match a person's personality for them to appeal to it. There's plenty of brands I interact with where I look at the brand and I'm like, that's not my personal aesthetic style, but I love that that brand has an aesthetic and it tells me something about them. So I think people are starting to realize you have to say something to be interesting.
Tiffany (08:42):
And we're seeing that in our conversations too. That's another area where I feel like people are — we've had that conversation with so many clients but they're leaning into it more like, sure, I'll change up my brand. They're seeing it and feeling it a little more. I feel like people are willing to be a little more creative.
Ellie (09:03):
Open shells a little bit.
Tiffany (09:04):
Yeah, 2026 is going to be a fun time for a lot of brands. Okay, Jimmy, specifically, what do you want to talk about? Yeah, AI. Oh goodness. I'm going to lose my voice in the middle of this podcast and someone else is going to have to take over. No, I want to tie this in because I feel like I'm starting to see some threads already and we're, oh gosh, I forgot to leave a timer but we're like five minutes in, I don't know, maybe 10 minutes. I usually have a timer going. By the way, if you've ever watched this and wonder why my eyes are bopping everywhere, I am starting to see a thread just a few minutes in around people, personalities, leaning way into that. It's something we've talked about for a long time. So Jimmy, how do you see your thoughts around AI tying into this people conversation?
Jimmy (09:53):
Oh yes, let me help you out a little bit. Make your job easier. So I think because AI, everybody's going digital, searching everywhere, AI. So I think there is that craving for connection, especially if we're talking about financial services. I mean, yes, we do a lot of research online but at the end of the day we are speaking to real people because it's something very, very personal. So I think that community is there. And also I think in terms of that big, bold type, big, bold brand personality, I think it's also needed because I mean, how often have we gone to one, for example, like a shopping website for a certain product and then you go to another one, you go to another one, and the logos just all kind of look about the same. The color palettes are all about the same. I feel like if I could bring it all down, it's kind of like AI is good but then there's also this growing awareness of AI slop.
(10:52):
And a lot of like, wait, is this created by AI? Was this website generated in two minutes? Why does it look like every other website? The logo looks the same. But that aside, I think AI is good, and it's really just a tool and how we use it. And also I would say understanding that people are using it more. So if we want to get to people, we have to understand that now it’s just the new way of saying SEO, right? It's like search everywhere optimization. We don't just search on Google, we search on YouTube, Instagram.
Ellie (11:35):
I have a way that AI ties into the design bigger, bold aspect. If I could jump in with that too. One thing I’m hearing about AI and design is terrifying. It's like, okay, is my job going to exist in a handful of years? But one thing that gives me hope is the thing that gets me most excited about AI in terms of graphic design is the ability to comp things up to show what an idea could look like without having to invest umpteen hours doing comp work. I think maybe an example would help. There was a client of ours that we were working on redoing their homepage and it was like, okay, we wanted to bring them one option that primarily uses photography and one option that we're trying to get them to push the box a little bit. Here's what it could look like if you're used primarily illustrations but purchasing all those stock illustrations would've been expensive, especially if we didn't know if they were going to go with it.
(12:26):
Making all those stock illustrations would've been completely time intensive and unrealistic or just problematic. But with AI we were able to say, okay, this is about what we want. They're not going to be pixel perfect, they're not all going to match. If we go this route, we will then redo them professionally, have the designers make them brand aligned, but it allows us to really quickly show a vision that could push things further than the lowest, quickest route or the lowest common denominator. So that's just one thing I think might also be kind of feeding into the bigger, bolder design, or at least I'm hoping. And Jimmy, you made me think of it too when you talked about, oh, you go to websites and they all look the same. Oh my gosh, the photography. I'm just thinking of retail websites, especially those direct to consumer online stores.
(13:12):
I love 'em. A lot of 'em. I shop at a lot of 'em but the photography is indistinguishable across all of them. So I'm hoping that with AI, designers and art directors can plug something in and say, hey, this is what I'm thinking. Being able to show, get approval, and have a visual direction for something that's a little bit more out there and different because they've had that tool to show their imagination and then to make it a reality. I'm just crossing my fingers that's where it's going to be really taking in graphic design.
Lauren (13:43):
I think the longer I'm in this business and in this kind of world, especially with a lot of the clients we're serving, they're looking to climb mountains. They're like, okay, I got to this level and I got to the next level, but how might I get to that next threshold if it's an AUM, if it's a sales number, whatever it might be. And sometimes those initial thresholds are frankly, they're just because they've been that mass production or they could have been something from AI. But you get to this place of scalability, that's where community comes in. That's where strategy comes in. That's where expertise comes in that starts to differentiate you in the market. And I feel like it is going to be those companies that go, we don't want to play the same way. We don't want to play the better way. What we're offering is something different and we want to show up differently. And that's something I love about the model we've created in that firepower we can bring because it's not the shelf plug and play component of it, it's the collaboration and community.
Tiffany (14:47):
So I want to actually go there about differentiating in financial services because I wonder if there's anything we've just talked about or totally new other trends, if you guys are seeing anything that is really helping or would help firms. I am not sure how I'm asking this question, but what are some of some trends or elements that would really help a firm differentiate or stand out? Whether it's a totally random new idea or I am thinking of one thing with a client, but now I'm realizing I can't say it because they want to differentiate, so I can't talk about it, but they have this idea, this way of doing something that is kind of table stakes marketing, but they're like, well, what if we did it this way? No one's doing it this way among our competition. So I don't know, do you guys have any ideas around that?
Ellie (15:47):
Mine's little and silly, but stop using blue and white.
Tiffany (15:50):
Yeah, no. Things like that. Absolutely.
Ellie (15:53):
And not to hate on brands, you can do it well, but I just feel like for so long it was like financial brands had to be white and blue or green and blue or green and white. And you had to follow the rules. You were weird and crazy if you didn’t but now it's not weird and crazy. You can push it to whatever degree, but yeah, do things that might not be expected to your point, to differentiate.
Tiffany (16:14):
It's not really crazy but it's still differentiating, right? Still, most of the brands are green, blue, or white in some combination of that.
Ellie (16:26):
And we have a brand we work with that I always think of as this example, and they're overall a very formal, very traditional classic brand but they use purple and just using that sets them apart a little bit. So you can pick and choose those little bits. It doesn't have to be all in; you can just try something besides blue and white.
Tiffany (16:46):
The brand I'm thinking of, you're right, I'm not a designer, I don't know how to say this, but it still sits within the, if you turned their purple into blue, it would look like the other, do you know what I mean? It's the same sort of saturation and hue and variance of that purple. I'm not using the right words but I think you know what I'm saying, right?
Ellie (17:10):
Yes, everything else about them is very classic, traditional, but they decided to do one little swap to be different. So yeah, you can just do one little swap to be different. It doesn't have to be an overhaul. Sorry, I keep hogging the line with design.
Tiffany (17:22):
We got to keep talking, otherwise it's just air. No one wants to listen to that, so that's good.
Jimmy (17:30):
I agree though. I would say to clients and would-be clients, potential clients out there, just be brave to try something new. You don't have to do an overhaul, just try something new. And the good thing about data is you can always try something new, look at how it performs, what people are saying, how people interact with your website. Let it guide you if that was the right change or not, and then you slowly turn up the dial. You don't have to go from zero to a hundred from one color to the next but you could try something,
Tiffany (18:10):
Introduce a new color instead of everything. Yeah. Lauren, did you have something to add? I have a question for you.
Lauren (18:18):
I think with AI coming out it's going to be really easy to get behind the screen and feel safe. So I'd encourage leadership at all different levels to not get so lost in the world of AI and automations, but also invest in your people and in particular the emotional intelligence component because that's especially on the advisor side, but even on operations and other sites. What makes things churn? And if we lose sight of that, then we're losing sight of the human connection, which is really the thread that holds it all together. So I'd encourage, I mean that goes for, it doesn't matter what size of company you are, but that human side is so important.
Tiffany (19:04):
And like you said, that goes into operations but that's marketing too. I'm thinking, well, high level, it's important when you're investing in your people that everyone knows how to communicate and knows how, especially if they're involved in business development. But even if not everybody can feel the brand and knows the brand and knows our messaging and knows our culture — it all ties in. So it's really important to have those positioning pieces in place, which we can link back to that episode. But also on a more tactical level, I'm thinking of one client who's doing just that, really investing in their people and helping them do some of the business development type of work. And so the marketing is really starting to set up to support them as individuals. What do each of them need and how can we templatize things? How can we create a template that each of them can kind of plug into for their particular niche or their particular target market or their special messaging. I mean, obviously messaging has to be an umbrella for the whole firm but maybe they have a particular topic or something they're focusing on. So I think that's really exciting to see that too, or seeing firms and companies not just have, I guess to Ellie's point, not just vanilla marketing across the board but a little marketing for you and a little marketing for you, and being able to scale that quickly is really one to support with.
Jimmy (20:45):
Yeah. I do want to add something. I was going to add something to Lauren, just what Lauren said about the people and all that just kind of gentle reminder from what we have seen, just really top three pages, always team pages, either number two or number three. So people are curious about the team, who am I interacting with, who am I working with? Because again, at the end of the day, it's your money, it's personal. Even on LinkedIn, we're seeing when there's something about the team, it always gets the most engagement.
Lauren (21:28):
You're part of the difference.
Tiffany (21:30):
Yeah. I was going to ask you about the community side too. What are you seeing or excited about how firms and companies can differentiate by building community or leaning into community or that side of things?
Lauren (21:49):
Yeah, it makes me think about the COI podcast we recorded, and one of the things that came out was just this idea of you don't have to have a huge center of influence. You may have a huge network, but you likely just have a few people who are really your core. It's kind of like if you try to spread yourself too thin, it's not going to work. But if you can really narrow things down. So I think that concept of narrowing is really critical. How do you narrow within your COIs and really invest in that? How do you narrow within your team and make sure you're really investing in the right ways? Maybe it's an event but it's a really high impact event. So I think the idea of tightening is something that can be really beneficial versus kind of trying to do everything under the sun for everyone, being everything to everyone and the shiny object of this firm's doing this, I should be doing this too kind of thing. Which I know deviates from the community concept but I think just pulling it back to narrowing is and tightening our networks.
Tiffany (22:50):
The concept of community can only be so large. And I think this is going back to my analog theme. I think there's just a general sense in the world outside of our financial services but just we've all felt it as we kind move through this winter season on this side of the hemisphere and moving into the new year, leaning more into just analog stuff like the granny crafts thing, people are talking about that and just smaller groups of friends you can really invest into. I just feel like there's a little bit of zeitgeist around that, around just what's real and things like that as opposed to maybe a couple of years ago where it's like build your brand, build your personal brand, how big can everything be? And I think we're all just feeling a little bit overwhelmed; we just want realness. And so I think there's something to that too.
(23:47):
Who are your real COIs? How can you really serve your clients a little better? How can your gifting strategies have more personality to them and more true care and things like that. And I feel like there was another layer I was going to add to, and I can't remember this, but yeah, I think that's all part of it is true community instead of trying to be the biggest on LinkedIn, trying to be the biggest on YouTube, really leaning into these are the people I can serve really well and here's how I can do it really well and really intentionally — maybe intentional is the word I was looking for.
Lauren (24:26):
Yeah, there is a book I'm listening to, an audio book. It's Unreasonable Hospitality. I found it because it's been going around LinkedIn everywhere and everyone's talking about it. It's about the restaurant industry and just this idea of providing this really exceptional customer service and what does that mean. So I'd give a shout out to that book because I think it really helps you to kind of zero in on what actually is important in your day to day and how do you create a wow customer experience that doesn't feel like you're just mass marketing. So, tightening.
Tiffany (24:56):
Tightening, yeah, absolutely. Okay, so I know we kind of need to wrap it up eventually, but how can companies and firms get on board with new ideas without feeling like they're just jumping on the next new bandwagon? You know what I mean? I think there's a balance here — we've talked about all kinds of different ideas and we've gotten really specific about it but I don't want people walking away going, okay, there's 17 new ideas because it's the new trend. This is what I need to do. Do you guys have any thoughts about that? How do we do something new without bandwagoning?
Ellie (25:38):
I think we talked about a theme that overlaps with our last episode but from a little bit of a different place. But just pick it apart and ask yourself why I think I'm going to use it again. I've used my haircut example in the last episode and I like that one. Apparently bob haircuts are coming back. I know me and I know a bob haircut's not going to work on me. So that's one trend I shouldn't jump on. Same thing for your company. Same thing for your brand. Look at what your brand stands for, your brand values. Look at the tools you have at your disposal. Look at what if you were going to do this new thing, what would the resources to undertake that really be? Really dig into that first. You don't want to get halfway down the path and be like, actually, we don't have the manpower or the time to really see this thing through in a meaningful way.
(26:24):
So yeah, just look at it, say that's something I'm interested in. Dig into why you want to do it. If it works for you, if it works for the company. And then if it's not right, don't be afraid to back out and say, nope, that wasn't wasted time. Don't have the, oh my gosh, what's the word I'm looking for? The sunken cost fallacy. Like, oh, we're already so far down this road, we have to do it now. Just say don't. We checked it out, did our due diligence. Maybe that one's not for us, whether it's a tactic, a style type of engagement, whatever it might be.
Tiffany (26:52):
Yeah, I like it. I was just thinking I never talked about direct mail but that's okay. But I think sometimes it can be easy to see new ideas, the direct mail idea we were working on with someone. It's an old idea too, the old steak seminar thing, but it's the why that matters. So for this particular idea, it's not a sales idea, it's not a sales pitch. It was kind of showing some love. Yeah, it's just brand awareness, that's all that is. And so that's okay, so it's not going to drive sales and we all know that. So I think that's part of it too, is before you get into the sunken fallacy, before you start the money train, really know how are we going to know that this looks like success on the other side? And then you won't get caught in that trap.
Ellie (27:47):
I feel like this is not a dangerous thing to say but do go with your gut. One thing I keep coming back to, I'm going back to AI for a second. I like that it's bringing attention to what computers can and cannot do because I feel like AI is the buzzword now. Ten years ago and even up until now, it's always been like it's all data-driven marketing, and that's great to a certain point, but I saw so many good ideas quashed because the data to prove it was a good idea didn't exist or the data sets we happened to have didn't address that issue. And so people just went, well, we can't, that's not in the data. It didn't mean the data disproved it, there just wasn't any data.
(28:30):
But we had to do everything based on the data because data was God. And I'm afraid, part of me is afraid AI is going to get to that place. But like I said, at the same time, I think it is making clear delineations between what computers are good at and what people are good at. And people have things computers don't have. We have instincts, we have cortisol levels, we have dopamine and serotonin. AI doesn't have those things. So at the same time, yes, do all the logical evaluations, but just because you can't, humans are, there’s one thing humans can do that machines will never be able to do. So just don't throw away your gut, I guess is what I'm saying.
Tiffany (29:10):
Jimmy, as the data guy.
Jimmy (29:12):
Yeah, I hear my name. Don't get mad at me. It's like the bat signal. I hear my name. Yeah, totally. You know what, I totally agree. And Ellie, that haircut thing, the last episode, I remember we talked about the haircut. It's kind of like if you want to change, just don't, sometimes a haircut is maybe not what you need. So if you have long hair, it doesn't mean like, oh, I need to change, I need to cut my hair. No, maybe sometimes it's just changing the color of your lipstick and checking with people. How does that look? Does that make me look better? And it may not always be a drastic change like a haircut, like, oh, or what's in trend? Let's go for a bob right now because it may not suit you, but when you do make a change, get feedback, that's how you know. And going back to Ellie's point, yeah, data is just everywhere and AI is a tool for productivity efficiency. But I would say, I bet my last dollar on it that it does not replace humans and human instinct. Why is it that we can always kind of do this and go, that's AI, that's not AI, that's AI, that's not AI. I think that's proof.
Tiffany (30:26):
Well, and I'll say too — to shine the spotlight on Jimmy — data needs to be interpreted by a human. I mean, we can set up automated scoreboards and things, but at the end of the day you need someone saying, this is the data that's important, this is why it's important. This is what it's showing us and this is how it connects back to the big picture. You still need that human who’s making those connections and making those gut checks.
Ellie (30:55):
And this is why this piece of data is meaningful, but oh, this piece of data might be skewed by this other factor. Putting it through that filter that otherwise would totally get missed.
Tiffany (31:05):
Absolutely. So okay, anything we missed? Okay. I'm sure there's a zillion things and I'm seeing the list. So many things we didn't get to talk about, but we'll just turn that into future podcasts. But anything you guys feel like is on fire that we still want to talk about? We could go on forever,
Lauren (31:25):
I know, exactly. I'm looking at your list. I'm looking at your beautiful notes. You're like, yeah, all these things, but okay, we'll turn them into podcasts. We always end with what's the one thing you should go do first? And it seems like the thread here, I mean it's pretty obvious is people first, human, all those things. Does anyone want to take a stab at people-first marketing?
Tiffany (31:54):
People-first marketing, absolutely. Yeah. And as far as the action stuff, I think it's really probably just evaluating what's going on internally and if it feels like there's something missing, how can you lead with the human side with that new idea first? So maybe you feel like webinars are the thing, or you want to do in-person events or need to lean into your COI, whatever it is. I think just putting it through the filter of how can it be people first and leading with that. Any other thoughts? Any better thoughts of what that one thing should be?
Jimmy (32:38):
I think take stock of what, maybe it's a couple of things, but small things into one big thing. Kind of take stock of what you're doing. We recommended trends, but there will always be trends and new trends that maybe aren’t who you are. Really figure out who you are. Is this trend for you or not? Is it going to work for you or not? And then, yeah, power to the team, to the people. Humans make the difference.
Lauren (33:10):
I was like, Tiffany's totally frozen. I know we lost our leader, where'd she go? She's just cracking me up. Tiffany had the best smile there going,
Jimmy (33:20):
You looked so approving. Tiffany, you look so proud of what I had to say. You're like, ah, keep going.
Tiffany (33:28):
Well, the worst part is I heard none of it because it literally crashed after I asked the question, so I didn't hear anything.
Ellie (33:35):
You're so pleased. Hey, that just supported our point. People versus technology. If we were meeting in person, Tiffany would not have just blinked on, would've not crashed and burned.
Jimmy (33:46):
She would've just froze and not come back.
Tiffany (33:51):
Okay. Anyway, sorry. Will discuss that.
Jimmy (33:55):
Take two.
Tiffany (33:56):
Yeah, let's start again. I'm just kidding. We'll take a second and I'll do the wrap-up unless there's anything else.
Lauren (34:04):
Jimmy, bouncing off of what you were saying of thinning and all of that, I would say just speaking to someone who's in a sales seat or has a sales upsell kind of role or just new sales is keep your list of 200 contacts or whatever it is, but then just thin 'em, invest in that. No one will be like, okay, I target X person and my COIs also target X person. Let me lean into those relationships and we can help support each other in a really meaningful way. Same thing with your client base. You may have clients outside that circle of your main target, but lean in to those people you want to go after and create more of. Show up to those events where those employees are showing up or those individuals are showing up. Just really building that in a meaningful, authentic way. I think to what Tiffany was saying earlier that realness is so key versus just the blast.
Tiffany (35:07):
Absolutely.
Lauren (35:07):
Ellie, I really want to know what you're going to say about design. Do you have anything you want to say about design? Because I'm really curious.
Ellie (35:13):
I had just very specific things. I didn't know how in the weeds we were going to get. They all just kind of laddered up to my larger theme. But I mean my biggest ones were just going to be talking about typography, typography as visuals, as people continually get more and more bored with stock photography. And when that's not available or I'm just thinking almost, although the website Heroes Forever has a big banner image with a little headline on it and it's a big photo, why do you need the photo there? Just let the type sing, let the copy sing. And to the personality point, I feel like oftentimes in visual branding, the visual overshadows the copy and I think we're seeing a time where the script is kind being flipped and design is very intentionally being used to elevate the copy and the voice, which I think is smart.
(36:00):
And then I was just going to say, my other subpoint I was going to touch on was interdigital design. Not to get political, but look at Zohran Mamdani’s campaign, just the visuals, whether or not you support him, not getting into that. But the visuals there are so interesting to take something that is usually very, like I said, usually very boilerplate like red, white, and blue. Political campaigns generally don't get super creative and they did something very creative and human with a lot of expressiveness. So just seeing more, it had a lot of texture, a lot of warmth. Again, fighting against that anti always computer, AI gen-type vibe. I think those are my other design subpoints I didn't get to.
Tiffany (36:47):
All right. Well, if you loved this conversation and want more head over to outaboutcommunications.com/community to get on the newsletter list. I happen to know there's some good resources, checklisty type of stuff coming out in the next couple months around this kind of conversation, like human stuff and in-person stuff. So you want to get on that newsletter list so you can make sure to get those resources. We love sending those out and I think that's about it. I can't remember what we're talking about next, but we will keep diving into all these different topics and subtopics and diving deeper. I think we have social media coming up, so if you're super interested in social media, there's some topics coming up. I can't remember, it's the next episode so I don't want to spoil it. But in future episodes we'll be diving deep into social media, so that will be fun. All right, thanks so much everyone. Take care.
