New Year Goals Every Small Business Should Accomplish in 2026
The digital landscape for local, small to medium businesses is rapidly changing. So to is how buyers are searching, reviewing and selecting businesses to patronize. Here is a list of 6 essential marketing initiatives to act on as an business owner or marketing manager in 2026.
1. Clarify Positioning
Before figuring your marketing initiatives or advertising outlets, the new year is a great time to reflect on your business’s core mission. What need do you satisfy? What question do you answer? Who then is your target market? Arguably most important, why is your business different from the competition?
These questions will hone your scope and dictate how you launch campaigns to reach your target market and sell your product or service.
2. Build (or Optimize) a High-Converting Website
Your website, as simple as a one-page scroll or as complex as a multi-layered e-commerce platform, is a 24/7 salesperson. Without it, audiences searching your industry don’t have a chance to discover, learn about and contact your business.
Essential pieces to a well built website include:
- Clear headline and call-to-action above the fold (before folks start scrolling)
- Social proof (testimonials, gallery, awards, certifications, etc.)
- Lead capture (contact form or clear phone & email placements)
- Captivating design (to increase length of stay)
- Responsiveness for mobile devices (most web traffic will view from their phones)
The question a Delaware website design and development company can help answer is, “Can a first-time visitor understand what I do in 5 seconds?” First impressions stick!
3. Invest in Local SEO & Profile Optimization
So you have a shiny new website and offer a great product… But can potential customers find you when searching your industry on Google? A monthly SEO campaign and Google business profile optimization (along with onsite management) offered by a Delaware search engine optimization firm is one of the highest ROI advertising channels for small businesses.
- Further your website build with onsite content that search engines will index and push to searching audiences
- Optimize your Google Business Profile with ‘about’ information, contact methods, reviews, photos, etc. (Don’t forget about Google Analytics for tracking!)
- Ongoing Search Engine Optimization campaign to connect the dots between public searches and the content in your profile and on your website.
It’s not enough to have great onsite content. Bridge the gap between your target audience to your business profile and website with the most efficient advertising method for small businesses.
4. Consistent Content Creation
Producing content can be daunting, especially for an owner or manager, but even 1-2 topics per week offered by a Delaware social media and content creation company can go a long way in creating an approachable face to your brand.
- Adding blog posts to your website
- Posting realtime business updates to your social media platforms
- Creating monthly e-news campaigns about industry tips/updates or business recaps
Don’t over complicate it. Content can be repurposed across your outlets customized to those various audiences. Subject matter can vary from simple how-to’s to more complicated gallery features. Put yourself in your audiences’ shoes—what content would you want to see from a business you may purchase from or hire?
4. Build (and update) an Email List
Being one of the most profitable marketing channels, an email database puts your business directly in front of your audience. Pulling existing clients and colleagues then building up from a website lead generation and networking, building an email list is a relatively cheap means of communication between you and warm leads.
But what type of email campaigns do I send? Repurposing content listed above goes a long way to being viewed as interesting, credible and valuable. But remember, 80% of your content should be valuable, educational, or entertaining content that engages your audience and builds relationships, while only 20% should be self-promotional. One helpful email per month beats no email at all.
6. Track What’s Working (and Cut What’s Not)
Many small businesses know they need to advertise, but do so blindly or with little strategy. However you’re marketing your business, make sure you are routinely:
- Tracking leads, conversions and sources
- Doubling down on what drives revenue
- Staying true to what works for your business despite what you may see your colleagues or competitors doing
Numbers don’t lie. Launch, track, review and adjust monthly.
Make 2026 a Year of Action
Don’t throw a handful of darts at the board at all once. Research, analyze, plan then promote, one dart toss at a time. 2-3 of these initiatives can outperform a scattered approach across 10 outlets.
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Commit to action this year and if you’re still unsure where or how to get started, Catalyst Visuals, a Delaware digital advertising company offers coaching to point you in the right direction.