Here are marketing predictions that leaders of small-to-medium sized businesses can expect in 2026.
- Marketing dollars will continue to flow from traditional forms of marketing to online options. The best companies will seek balance and leverage tools both new and old.
- AI technologies, and particularly Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, are being leveraged in greater capacity for marketing and other facets of business. But realism will continue to set in. AI systems still struggle with consistency, accuracy and practical usefulness. Sometimes they’re great; sometimes they’re not.
- Expect to see AI be more useful to those with experience. A seasoned graphic designer, for instance, will be more successful in deploying AI design tools than non-designers.
- LLM use will continue to affect the way buyers purchase goods and services. Buyers know more and often have decided to buy before companies even know it or, thanks to information available through AI, before a company website has been visited (zero-click marketing). So, an organization’s digital presence had better say the right things. Companies will need to ensure their information is up-to-date on the chamber of commerce site, Google Business listing, and so forth. Successful e-commerce has never been more important and is an area of expertise at TRG Marketing, helping your online store thrive and stand out in a competitive marketplace.
- In this new era of buying, consumer-facing and B2B companies will assess how LLMs view them and their products and services. Perception is increasingly automated. LLMs produce so much, in mere seconds, but the answers may not be consistent with what a company wishes were being reported.
- Websites will be overhauled to adjust SEO tactics and refine what information is shown to visitors. Additionally, the growth of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and Artificial Intelligence Optimization (AIO) provides another information source for consumers. The goal is to be useful to human beings while also ensuring that LLMs have a proper understanding of what you do.
- You can’t “game” AI as some tried to do with SEO practices in Google’s early years. Wise leaders of small-to-medium sized businesses will help prospects and customers understand what they want to learn, easily, and through clear, consistent messaging. They will have a focused strategy and deliberately tune out extraneous noise. Authentic messaging is key, as flashy keywords won’t work as well as anymore.
- Being strategic means being consistent across multiple platforms. Smart marketers won’t just build a good website; they will tie in with social media, digital advertising, and activities like Google reviews, which will continue to take on added weight.
- Email will get more attention as it remains a cost-effective way for small-to-midsized businesses to stay in front of customers and referral sources. As privacy regulations tighten and third-party data fades, companies will increasingly need to maintain their own customer databases to gain advantage. For e-commerce businesses, email personalization will continue to be a foundation for loyalty and repeat business, along with trust and transparency around data and automated decisions.
- With so much noise in sales and marketing it’s easy to chase unworthy ideas, waste time or even feel paralyzed. So, business owners and leaders will ask how their customers are changing. The best competitors in business always know their customers inside and out.
TRG Marketing helps companies navigate change. In a sea of half-truths you can rely on us to provide strategic thinking and marketing execution that is cost-effective and flexible. We help clients ride out of the ebbs and flows of a business world that has become less predictable.
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