Data-driven Reflection
Reflection provides you with the knowledge to make informed marketing decisions for 2026. Carve out a bit of time to answer these questions:
- What marketing from 2025 worked for you?
- What’s your online data showing? (look at website traffic, social media results, …)
- What are your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats at this moment in your business? Do a SWOT analysis.
Your Smart Goals
Now that you have a clear picture of 2025, you can set Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) goals for 2026. Here are some questions to get you thinking …
- Do you need to increase brand awareness?
- How many leads do you need to get the conversions you desire?
- What products need a sales boost?
Your Audience
Know your ideal customer. That’s how a successful marketing plan starts. Here are a few questions to get you thinking …
- What are their pain points that cause them to buy?
- What motivates their purchasing decisions?
- Where do they spend their time online?
Your Content Strategy
Now that you have your goals and audience defined, map out your marketing and content strategy for the year. Remember to address your audience’s pain points, encourage their journey to become your customer, and determine how you will engage with them. Here are a couple of questions to consider:
- What’s your online approach? (blogs, videos, social media, email campaigns, …)
- What printed pieces will you need? (for mailers, events, …)
Your Resources
Your monetary budget, your time, your team’s time, the various marketing platforms (email, social media, website, paid advertising, etc.), and more need to be determined. Having a clear approach will help you prioritize your money, time and effort in the new year.
Your Roadmap
Create a detailed roadmap of when and how all of this will be implemented. We love using project management tools for this, but a simple spreadsheet can work too. With a clear timetable and determining responsibilities, you’ll have an organized approach to bring your marketing plan to life in 2026. And of course, we’d love to help you!