Are you ready to brush up on your marketing skills? We’ve made finding your next moment of inspiration easy with a round-up of past blog posts and resources loved by the KEC team.

KEC Blog Posts

KEC Mentor Network Guest Blog Post: Meet Halee Sprinkle

In this blog post, Halee highlights the key elements needing when communicating about your business: Communication, Confidence, and Community. 

Marketing Clinic Recap Blog

Last year, Jess Blevins Curits and Amanda Martin swung by KEC to teach a marketing Clinic. In this blog post we shared resources from their sessions which covered finding your audience, connecting with them in a strategic way, and ultimately keeping your audience engaged with your business overtime. 

In Search of the Perfect Key Lime Pie

In this blog post, KEC’s Chris McAdoo writes about Brand Margin, or the “trust created when you deliver on a promise to a customer.” He dives deeper into what it takes to create a strong brand. 

Podcast Episodes

Big Ideas Welcome Podcast: Why a Strong Brand Matters When Everyone’s Fighting for Attention

This episode is about how brands aren’t just logos – they’re promises. It’s about how underdogs win, why customer experience is everything, and how the best brands don’t just tell a story—they become the story. Lets get to work. 

Amy Porterfield Show: Your Copy’s too Safe – Here’s How to Fix It (and Finally Sound Like You)

In this episode the host deep dives finding your voice and making bold choices in your copy on social media, newsletters, and more. Your copy affects all of your marketing and is the difference between clarity and connection or possibly being drowned out by all the noise. 

Recommended Books

This is Marketing by Seth Godin

This Is Marketing by Seth Godin teaches that great marketing isn’t about hype or manipulation—it’s about solving problems, creating meaning, and serving a specific audience. Godin emphasizes empathy, trust, and building connection over chasing mass appeal, encouraging entrepreneurs to make things better for the few, not the many.

Why Design Matters by Debbie Millman

Why Design Matters by Debbie Millman is a powerful exploration of how design shapes culture, identity, and human connection through deeply personal conversations with some of the world’s most creative thinkers. The book reveals that design isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s a reflection of values, choices, and the courage to imagine a better future.

Marketing: A Love Story, How to Matter to Your Customers by Bernadette Jiwa 

Marketing: A Love Story by Bernadette Jiwa emphasizes that the best marketing starts with empathy, not tactics. She argues that brands succeed when they deeply understand their customers’ stories and show how their product or service fits into those narratives. Rather than focusing on attention-grabbing campaigns, Jiwa urges businesses to matter by being meaningful, authentic, and emotionally resonant.

Marketing Made Simple: A Step-by-Step StoryBrand Guide for Any Business by Donald Miller

Marketing Made Simple by Donald Miller is a practical guide that teaches businesses how to clarify their message and create a sales funnel that converts. Using the StoryBrand framework, Miller walks readers through building a clear brand narrative, crafting a compelling one-liner, and designing a website and email sequence that drive action. The book focuses on simplifying marketing by focusing on what customers want and positioning the business as a guide to help them get it.

Belonging to the Brand: Why Community is the Last Great Marketing Strategy by Mark Schaefer 

Belonging to the Brand by Mark Schaefer explores how building community—not just gaining customers—can be the most powerful and sustainable marketing strategy. He argues that in an era of isolation and digital noise, people crave connection and meaning, which brands can provide through genuine, purpose-driven communities. The book outlines how businesses can foster belonging to create loyal advocates and long-term emotional engagement.

Tips + Tools

• Start writing down ideas for your brand guide today and include a positioning statement that informs your choices. 
• Consistency is key! 
• Use low-cost tools like Canva to create a Brand Kit and save time. Check out our how-to guide here. 
• Save the date for upcoming Marketing Monday Events covering Content Creation, Email Marketing/Automations, Marketing Fundamentals, and Leveraging Data and Analytics. 
• Reach out for help! The KEC team is here to help with any marketing questions you might have. We also have an amazing KEC Mentor Network with marketing experts available to meet with. 
• Reach out to Kelsi@knoxec.net with any questions you have!