Before You Plan for 2026, Ask Yourself This One Question
As the year winds down, most business owners start mapping out their goals for the year ahead — new offers, new marketing campaigns, and new revenue targets. But before you start planning 2026, there’s one question you need to ask first:
What actually worked in 2025?
It’s a simple question, but it’s the foundation of every strong marketing strategy. Without looking at what worked (and what didn’t), you risk repeating the same mistakes instead of building on your wins.
Let’s walk through how to evaluate your business results, refine your marketing approach, and set yourself up for your most strategic, successful year yet.
Step 1: Look Back Before You Look Ahead
Before you dive into your 2026 planning, spend time reviewing 2025 through the lens of data, growth, and momentum. Reflection isn’t just about identifying what didn’t work — it’s about finding what did, so you can do more of it.
Ask yourself:
What marketing efforts brought in the most leads or clients?
Which services or products were the most profitable?
What content performed best online?
What investments gave you the biggest return — and which drained your time or budget?
If you have a team, think about them too. What motivated them? What do they need to work on for the upcoming year?
This type of analysis gives you a realistic picture of your marketing strategy’s strengths and weaknesses. Maybe your email campaigns consistently performed well, but your social media engagement fell flat. Maybe a new service launch generated more buzz than expected. These insights are gold when planning for the next year.
Step 2: Identify What Worked in Your Marketing
The best marketing strategy starts with evidence — not guesses. Review your analytics and metrics from the past year to uncover patterns.
Here’s where to look:
Your website:
Check which pages or blog posts drove the most traffic. If certain services or topics attracted attention, they can point you toward what your audience cares about most.
If certain pages did not get much attention, maybe those are services you don’t need to prioritize marketing for the new year.
Email marketing:
Review open rates and click-through rates.
Which subject lines got attention?
Which campaigns converted into sales or bookings?
Social media:
Identify your highest-performing posts.
Was it educational content, behind-the-scenes clips, or trendy content?
Replicate what worked and build consistency around it.
Local SEO and Google Business Profile:
If you’re a local business, note how often people found you through Google searches or map results. Did you see an uptick after adding new photos or posts?
Once you pinpoint the tactics that performed well, your 2026 marketing strategy becomes clearer: do more of what’s working, and refine what isn’t.
Client Onboarding Forms:
What was your greatest referral source?
Of those sources, which one brought in your ideal client?
Step 3: Evaluate Profitability — Not Just Popularity
Likes and clicks are great, but they don’t always equal profit. When shaping your next-year plan, focus on the services or products that had the highest return.
Ask yourself:
Which offerings brought in the most revenue with the least effort?
Where did you see consistent demand?
Were there services that took a lot of time but delivered minimal profit?
If a particular package, membership, or treatment consistently performed well, make it the centerpiece of your 2026 marketing. Create campaigns that highlight it. Build your content strategy around it.
A strong marketing strategy isn’t about doing more — it’s about doing better.
Step 4: Decide What You Want More Of in 2026
Once you know what worked, think about what you actually want to do more of. Maybe you’d like to focus on higher-value clients, add more passive revenue through product sale, or expand your visibility through local partnerships.
Set goals that align with both your business growth and your personal priorities. Remember — a great marketing strategy should support your lifestyle, not overwhelm it.
When planning your 2026 initiatives, be intentional. Build in space for creativity, balance, and systems that make marketing easier to sustain long-term.
Step 5: Turn Insights into a Plan with a Brand Blueprint
Knowing what worked is only half the equation — you need a plan to build on it. That’s where the Brand Blueprint comes in.
The Brand Blueprint is a deep-dive strategy session designed to help business owners like you identify their best opportunities, refine their messaging, and create a clear roadmap for growth. Together, we’ll analyze what’s working, uncover what’s not, and map out a step-by-step plan that ties your marketing efforts directly to your goals.
If you’re ready to start 2026 with clarity, confidence, and a data-driven marketing strategy, this is the perfect next step.
Step 6: Create Your 2026 Marketing Strategy Framework
If you book a Brand Blueprint with me, here’s how we’ll pull everything together:
Review the past year. Identify what worked in your marketing and where you saw the most return.
Define next year’s priorities. Choose 2–3 key focus areas (e.g., brand awareness, client retention, or lead generation).
Set measurable goals. “Increase website traffic by 30%” is more actionable than “get more clients.”
Outline your channels. Decide how you’ll use social media, email, your website, and local SEO.
Build your calendar. Map out campaigns by quarter — product launches, seasonal promos, or events.
This framework ensures your 2026 marketing plan is focused, intentional, and aligned with what actually drives results.
Step 7: Don’t Just Plan — Execute with Support
A plan only works if you follow through. Many business owners start strong in January but lose momentum by March because they don’t have systems or accountability in place.
That’s why your marketing strategy should include recurring check-ins — whether it’s with your team, your marketing consultant, or through tools like your Brand Blueprint follow-ups.
Final Thoughts: Clarity Creates Growth
Before you plan for 2026, pause and ask yourself: What worked in 2025?
When you build your new marketing strategy around data and reflection — not assumptions — you position your business for consistent, sustainable growth.
If you’d like a clear roadmap to start 2026 strong, let’s work together.
Schedule your Brand Blueprint session, and together we’ll create a customized marketing plan that helps you reach your goals with focus and confidence.
