5 Tips to Kickstart Your 2026 Marketing
It might seem a bit daunting to plan your marketing for 2026. There are a lot of unknowns as we enter the year so you might have put off any planning or you might be focused on figuring out how you can take advantage of AI to be more productive or drive business. But the strongest marketing years don’t start with trepidation or trying to fit the biggest trend into your strategy, they start with intention. Taking time now to reflect, prioritize, and recalibrate can mean the difference between a year that feels busy or chaotic and one that delivers real impact. These five tips are designed to help you step back, get aligned, and build a marketing foundation that’s focused, strategic, and set up for long-term success. And no, it’s never too late to recalibrate!
1. Meet with your Team
Ask your team what went right in 2025 as well as what could use improvement. Prepare a Google form for answers or have them respond to an email. Review and then discuss one-on-one or as a team, or both. Looking at what worked can be inspiring if you are feeling a little lost. Looking at what could use improvement, and asking your team for solutions, can also inspire positive change. Be sure to ask your staff about their personal priorities and goals for 2026 as well. You might be surprised at the answers to each of these questions and it could alter your plans for the coming year.
2. Lock in your Priorities
Define your top goals for the year; think about increased awareness, credibility, product or service launches, or community growth. Each element should reflect the company’s mission and vision. (Is it time to revisit your mission and vision?) Putting these priorities into quantifiable goals and action steps and identifying what will be achieved each quarter, will go a long way to helping you stay on track and attain success.
3. Identify your Successes
Look closely at which stories, platforms, and moments drove results this year, and double down on those instead of spreading resources too thin. Also take a look at your most successful clients or customers (or donors in the case of nonprofits) and try to find a common thread. How did they find you? What services did you provide? What was successful and why? Attempting to replicate those successes could be your defining plan for 2026.
4. Plan for Fewer, Stronger Moments
From a PR perspective, editors and audiences are overwhelmed. A tighter calendar with well-thought-out moments will outperform a packed schedule of smaller, less impactful efforts. Determine your strongest stories or narratives. What will resonate not only with your target market but with editors and reporters? Do those stories tie in with national trends or storylines? Remember that it is in the consistency of PR efforts that you find success; being a reliable source with solid consistent information often leads to the media reaching out to you when news strikes.
Seth Godin
“Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell.”
5. Refresh your Messaging
While everyone talks about consistent brand messaging, refreshing that message is important for not only keeping the attention of your customers and referral sources but also enticing new ones to learn more. While you may not need a new logo or complete rebranding, the message refresh can take place through your website, your ad copy, your handouts, social media posts, and other collateral material. Think about a fresher message, sharper language, clearer positioning, all of which can make a familiar brand feel newly relevant.
Kickstarting your 2026 marketing doesn’t require reinventing the wheel, it requires clarity, discipline, a look back, and a willingness to apply lessons learned. By listening to your team, sharpening your priorities, focusing on what truly works, and refreshing how you tell your story, you can enter the new year with confidence and momentum. A thoughtful reset now creates space for stronger results later, ensuring that every effort in 2026 is purposeful, measurable, and aligned with where you want your brand to go.
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