This week I had one of my most wholesome conference experiences ever. Yes, there was - as always - way too much caffeine consumed.

But I resisted both the pina coladas which were served from 8:30 AND the after party shenanigans, meaning I was tucked up in my hotel bed at 10am and out running along the River Tyne early on Wednesday morning feeling (kind of) fresh as a daisy.

I'd just spent two days at Atomicon with 1,500 others learning about marketing at the Glasshouse in Newcastle, my brain absolutely buzzing with insights, strategies, and new ideas.

What I needed was a run to process it all. What I got was a great business analogy, delivered by the good people of Newcastle's morning fitness community.

Within the first few minutes, I was overtaken by a woman who glided past me like I was moving through treacle. Not a bead of sweat in sight, all coordinated running kit, looking so effortlessly graceful I half expected her to start narrating a nature documentary about my struggling form. Then a gent in his seventies jogged past me like I was standing still, offering a cheerful "Morning!" that somehow managed to sound both encouraging and slightly pitying.

But then, when my inhaler kicked in and I settled into my decidedly mediocre pace, I started overtaking people too. Dog walkers enjoying their leisurely stroll. A couple taking photos of the bridges. Someone lugging their suitcase back up the hill to the train station.

And that's when it hit me. My run was basically Atomicon in microcosm.

We’re all running different marketing races

Just like on that riverside path, the conference was full of people at completely different stages of their journey. There were the sprinters - seasoned speakers who could deliver gold-standard marketing insights so eloquently and powerfully. The steady pacers who'd found their rhythm, their purpose and their people, and were consistently moving forward. And newcomers who were running their first marketing mile but had shown up anyway.

And the best bit is we’re all on the same path, heading more or less in the same direction, just at our own pace.

Which brings me to the real treasure from Atomicon 2025: six strategies that work whether you're currently lapping people or getting lapped yourself. And something that struck me most about the best speakers: the ones who really had us gripped weren't just sharing tactics - they were master storytellers who made their insights stick through brilliant narratives.

Let me take you through the standout insights from the conference, starting with the man who absolutely mastered the art of captivating an audience through spinning a good yarn.

Geoff Ramm + celebrity service in mundane moments

Geoff walked on stage and immediately transported us to a dirt airstrip in Zimbabwe (for the geographically-challenged, that’s right next to South Africa, my homeland - so I was immediately gripped).

*Geoff Ramm and his boarding card for that memorable flight.*

As Geoff told us about Christina - the South African flight attendant who turned a potential nightmare journey on a rust-bucket plane into the best flight experience of his life - every person in that room understood something profound about what he calls "celebrity service" … moments that transform ordinary interactions into memorable experiences your customers talk about for years to come.

But here's where it gets practical for small businesses: Geoff didn't just tell us to "be nice to customers”. He reminded us about the mundane touchpoints that every business has and how we can use them to wow people (and sell more).

For example, most businesses respond to enquiries exactly the same way - a polite email with a PDF attachment. Geoff shared how he started picking up the phone instead, and how one of his clients began sending personalised video responses to potential clients.

So simple, but that differentiation is exactly what we need to aim for in our interactions with people. Instead of thinking "How can I make this look more professional?" ask "How can I make this feel more personal and stand out completely?".

There are 3 levels of service experience:

Expected: What they paid for (the baseline)
Desired: What they hoped for (slightly better than expected)
Unanticipated: What they never saw coming (celebrity service territory)

Most businesses obsess over level one and occasionally reach level two. The magic happens at level three - when you do something so unexpected and delightful that people can't help but tell others.

What I’m implementing: I’m going to look at all the touch points in my business - enquiries, proposals, etc - and thinking how I can use these as an opportunity to make someone's day rather than just tick something off my to-do list. Get excited!

Ryan Deiss, data and popcorn

Ryan bounded on stage with the energy of someone who's spent $8.3 million of his own money testing what actually works in marketing (not client money - his money). I was cynical, but I soon realised I should be paying attention to this dude!

I absolutely loved his popcorn popper analogy… he pointed out that while we’re told to think of people interacting with our brand in a funnel, we should be thinking of it more like a popcorn popper. (Bear with me.)

In a funnel, everyone flows through at roughly the same rate. When does this ever happen IRL with customer acquisition? But thinking about popping popcorn… some kernels pop as soon as you turn the heat on (your ready-now buyers). Some never pop at all. Most need time to heat up before they're ready. And some pop out of your pot into someone else’s pot unless you put a lid on…

Here's what this means for your marketing: Instead of trying to force everyone through your funnel faster, your job is to identify which leads are about to "pop" so you can apply just the right amount of heat at just the right time.

I also loved his thoughts on “mind reader” content (as well as the super practical tips to actually implement this) and the important reminder to sell every day on email (but through targeted, segmented emails) so you don’t burn those kernels that don’t want so much heat.

Rory Sutherland, marketing genius

*Rory Sutherland in action, making a very valid point.*

Rory is one of those people who can make you feel simultaneously brilliant and completely thick within the same sentence. He walked us through why we're all doing marketing wrong - we're so busy optimising what we're already doing (exploitation) that we've forgotten to explore completely different approaches.

His killer insight: Marketing has "fat-tailed distribution". Translation: One brilliant marketing idea can likely make you more money than years of tweaking what you’re already doing to make some incremental gains.

I loved the story he shared about how James Watt invented steam engines but couldn't sell them. Mine owners weren't interested in pistons and boilers. So Watt invented a new unit of measurement - "horsepower" - and suddenly everyone understood: "Buy a 20-horsepower engine, get rid of 60 horses." Same product, different frame, revolutionary results.

Another brilliant example: The London Overground. If you’ve ever lived in London you’ll know how underused overground trains used to be compared to the Tube. So they put Tube branding on the Overground, added those stops to the Underground map, and quadrupled usage overnight.

Rory said ‘what if we got the maths wrong?’ and basically said benchmarking is for losers. When you benchmark against competitors, you're optimising for mediocrity. Everyone ends up offering the same thing, which is bad for you (no differentiation), bad for the category (less choice), and bad for consumers.

What this means for your business: Instead of asking "What are my competitors doing well?" ask "What are they doing badly that I could excel at?" This is what Rory calls "reverse benchmarking”.

What I'm implementing: I'm going to have my radar up for the gaps everyone in my industry is ignoring. Where are the weaknesses? That's where the opportunities are.

Laura Belgray + emails to your besties

*My pal Louisa (left) who is Laura’s biggest fan, chatting to Laura about email marketing (probably).*

Laura makes million writing emails that sound like texts to friends, and her approach is refreshingly simple: write like you talk, because people buy from people they actually like.

Simple things like using contractions (you'll not you will), read everything out loud, write to one person not "hey everyone" - conversation and not corporate. And of course, tell stories. Find anecdotes and link them to your work. “Add butter” - add tiny personal details that make emails memorable ("Right now I'm eating pancakes and telling my husband to mind his business about how much butter I put on them"). People remember the butter, not the business advice.

I also loved that Laura reminded us that while there’s such a big focus on “value”, we must remember that value isn't just tips and tricks. Making someone feel less alone, sharing what you love, or entertaining them for five minutes - that's all valuable too.

And I’m a nerd for numbers in marketing, so I found it fascinating that Laura doubled her revenue by increasing email frequency from once to three times per week. More emails = more sales. It really is that simple (but so many of us are terrified to email our lists more than once a week). BTW sign up to my emails here.

What I'm implementing: More emails, besties! And they’re getting lots more personality, stories, and good vibes.

Heather Murray + AI

It’s impossible to go to a marketing conference these days and not be inundated with AI advice. What I loved about Heather's talk was that she was no-nonsense, practical, and has the proof (she accidentally made a client $75 million using AI tools she didn't even know were AI at the time). That's the kind of result that makes you sit up and pay attention.

Heather shared some fascinating tools I’ll be checking out, including Clay for list building (she calls it "Sales Navigator on steroids"), Humantic for personality analysis ("tells you exactly how to communicate with each prospect"), and Perplexity for research (Heather called it "the Google killer").

As a regular person some of these tools and their capabilities terrify me because of their ability to find out stuff about you and then use it to sell to you in manipulative ways. But as a small business owner, how they allow us to do at scale what was previously only available to huge organisations with budgets to match is really exciting.

Andrew & Pete: leverage and the cheeky ask!

The Atomicon organisers delivered their most powerful concept: instead of waiting until you feel "ready" for bigger opportunities, create leverage with what you already have.

*Andrew (left) and Pete (right) and some of the 1,500 Atomicon 2025 attendees (I’m in there somewhere!).*

The four types of leverage currency according to Andrew and Pete:

Skill currency: What can you do for someone?

Access currency: Who do you know that they want to meet?

Audience currency: Do you have people they want to reach?

Results currency: Have you achieved something they want to do?

Real example: Andrew & Pete wanted coffee with podcaster John Lee Dumas but had nothing impressive to offer. So they said "We'll create beautiful PDFs from your content for free, you can use them however you want." He said yes. That coffee led to podcast appearances, speaking gigs, and ultimately Atomicon itself.

Another example: Elizabeth wanted to meet top fashion brands but couldn't get their attention. Instead of pitching her services, she organised a lunch where these brands could meet each other. All four said yes because they wanted to network too.

The key: Your leverage only works if it matches what they actually want. Don't ask "What can I offer?" Ask "What do they need that I can provide?"

What I'm implementing: I'm identifying my leverage currency and making one bigger ask this month. No more waiting until I feel "ready enough”.

Back to the river: business lessons on the run

As I finally made it back to my hotel on Wednesday (slower than intended, wetter than anticipated, but quite satisfied), I realised something important.

The runners who'd lapped me weren't necessarily more talented - they'd likely just been at it longer. They'd found their pace, their rhythm, their sustainable approach to the long game.

The people I'd overtaken weren't slower or less capable - they were just starting their journey, or taking a different approach, or had different goals entirely.

And me? I was exactly where I needed to be: moving forward, learning from those ahead, and hopefully showing those behind that it's possible to keep going even when you're not the fastest person on the path.

That's the thing about marketing (and riverside runs): it's not about being the best. It's about showing up consistently, learning from those further along, and finding approaches that feel sustainable for you. Slay in your lane and all that.

A final thought: storytelling makes the best ideas stick

An unexpected takeaway for me from this year’s Atomicon was how the speakers who had us completely gripped weren't just sharing better strategies. They were the ones who understood that the best way to make ideas memorable is through narrative.

Geoff made us understand customer service by putting us on that Zimbabwe flight with Christina. Ryan helped us grasp customer psychology through his brilliant popcorn popper metaphor. Rory taught us about reframing through vivid examples like James Watt's horsepower innovation. Laura showed us email mastery through her own journey and client stories. Andrew and Pete demonstrated leverage through compelling case studies.

This isn't just good presenting - it's good marketing. Stories make information stick, create emotional connection, and help prospects see themselves in successful outcomes.

Marketing doesn't have to be complicated, manipulative, or soul-crushing. The most effective strategies are often the most human ones - they just require you to pay attention to what actually works rather than what everyone else is doing.

Whether you're currently getting lapped by the marketing equivalent of that woman who jogged past me like I was standing still, or you're the one doing the overtaking, the path forward is the same: keep moving, learn from those ahead, and remember that everyone's running their own race.

Stop overcomplicating it. Start with stories. Make it feel good for you and your audience.

That's how you cut through the noise - whether you're on a conference stage or a riverside path in Newcastle.

Want more no-nonsense marketing insights delivered with the occasional questionable running metaphor? Join 100s of business owners getting my weekly email. No fluff, no corporate speak, just practical stuff that works.

P.S. If you want to come to Atomicon next year, you can now book a cheap early bird ticket here. (affiliate link)

Marketing lessons from Atomicon 2025 (and a river run in Newcastle)