MARKETING STRATEGIES TO STAND OUT,
BUILD TRUST, AND DRIVE RESULTS
Shawna's Marketing Topics
Small is Your Superpower!
Why Big Brand Marketing is Failing—and How Any Size Business Can Start Winning Today
The way people buy, trust, and engage with businesses has changed faster in the last five years than in the last fifty...and the past six months have been record-breaking.
The marketing world has changed—and most big businesses didn’t get the memo. While big brands are still shouting through megaphones and polishing their media, small businesses are quietly winning hearts, attention, and loyalty. How? By doing something revolutionary: being human.
In this insight-packed keynote, Shawna unpacks the rise of the underdog in a trust-crisis era. She’ll reveal why today’s consumer is more skeptical, more distracted, and more craving of authenticity than ever before—and why that gives smaller organizations an unprecedented edge.
This keynote is your marketing reset button. It’s not about doing more—it’s about doing it differently. Whether you're a solo entrepreneur, a lean business team, or a scrappy organization trying to compete with the big guys, you'll walk away with practical strategies to:
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Stand out in a world overloaded with noise
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Build trust with audiences who’ve seen it all
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Become unforgettable (without becoming obnoxious)
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Apply Shawna’s Customer Brandships™ Framework to forge lasting loyalty through personality, presence, and permission to be real
Backed by behavioral data, packed with relatable humor, and rooted in Shawna’s decades of experience in buyer psychology, this keynote proves that small isn’t a liability—it’s the new marketing advantage.
Perfect for:
• Small business and entrepreneur conferences
• Association events and cooperative networks
• Marketing, sales, and customer experience tracks
• Events where attendees are stretched thin, burned out, or stuck
Optional add-ons: Breakout workshops, book signings.
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The Marketing MosaicTM Strategy:
Why the Future of Marketing Is Many Tiny Stories—Not One Big Pitch
Traditional marketing told us to find one perfect slogan, polish it until it sparkled, and repeat it everywhere. That era is over. Today’s consumers are skeptical, distracted, and tired of being “sold.” They don’t need a louder message—they need many smaller truths. They want to see who you really are, not just what you offer.
In this keynote, Shawna Suckow flips the old model on its head. She introduces the Marketing Mosaic—a new approach that helps brands ditch the single-message mindset and instead build trust, visibility, and loyalty through micro-stories.
Each story is a tile in your mosaic. Each one shows your humanity. Together, they form a brand that customers don’t just notice—they remember.
Audiences will learn:
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Why acting “polished and professional” is costing you connection
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How to uncover and tell micro-stories that resonate and convert
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Why emotional presence now beats perfect positioning
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How to build a repeatable storytelling habit (no Hollywood needed)
This keynote is perfect for organizations who feel like traditional marketing doesn’t fit them anymore—and are looking for a more human, strategic, and effective way forward.
Ideal for:
• Marketing and communications conferences
• Associations whose members are trying to stand out in a crowded space
• Small-to-midsize businesses seeking clarity and connection
Bonus impact: This keynote often sparks entire messaging overhauls, cultural shifts, and leadership clarity—because it redefines what authentic visibility really looks like today.
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Why choose Shawna?
Shawna is known as The Buyer Insider© because she has the inside track on how they think, what gets their attention, and what turns them away. That's because she spent 15 years as a corporate buyer overseeing millions of dollars of spend. She was a frequent target of marketing efforts that simply missed the mark because they didn't appeal to the real buyer mindset, so she set out to change that.
As a former corporate planner, she is absolutely repelled by boring lectures that drive audiences to tune out. Her proprietary delivery format is called 'The Most Unique Keynote Ever©' because it's designed to solve all the problems planners hate:
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disengaged/passive attendees
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uninspired lectures
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speakers whose idea of engagement is "talk to your neighbor for two minutes"
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sessions that don't give actionable content
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speakers who don't create the conversations and accountability that lead to real change action when they leave.
Shawna's deep expertise and incredibly engaging speaking style has led her to stages in 18 countries on five continents, speaking to audiences across all types of industries that have one thing in common: they want more customers. She shares real consumer insights (both B2B and B2C), not just hype: she goes beyond generic trends and digs into the undercurrents and what's really going on out there.
She speaks with her audience, not at them. Her style has been described as your best friend telling you the truth you need to hear.
She leads them through hands-on exercises that propel learning, retention, and ACTION.
Not Just Theory & Ideas: Participants don’t just leave motivated—they leave with a clear roadmap of what to do next. The real business value of your meeting is measured by what is actually implemented.
She hates cookie-cutter keynotes! 80% of her insights apply to any industry that has customers; the other 20% she researches deeply and customizes to fit each audience. Shawna looks into your industry, your challenges, and your audience to bring an experience that is highly relevant and immediately applicable.
Sound like what your audience needs? Schedule a no-pressure discovery call with Shawna.
Watch Shawna for a sampling of her expertise
“What a speaker! I have so many things I'm going to start doing differently!"
Audience Member
"Really something different than a usual conference you attend!"