Where your 2026 marketing budget should really go

As you plan for 2026, it is very easy to spread your marketing spend too thin or back the wrong horses. To keep it simple, here are ten areas that are usually worth backing.

• Your website

• Being found

• Existing customers

• Reviews

• Social

• Relevant content

• Simple videos

• Customer experience

• Time-saving tools

• Small tests
  

Let’s dive in.

1. Your website, not “somewhere online”

Most people will check your website before they call, even if they heard about you elsewhere.

Put money into clear wording, fast loading pages and obvious “next steps”, so visitors know what you do and how to get in touch.

2. Being found when people search

When someone types your service into Google, you want to show up.

Invest in making your key pages match what people search for, and run tightly focused search ads on a small set of important phrases, rather than trying to chase everything.

3. Existing customers, not only new ones

It is nearly always cheaper to sell more to people who already know you.

Put budget into simple follow up emails, check ins, and small “keep in touch” campaigns so you stay on their radar.

4. Reviews and referrals

People believe other customers more than they believe adverts.

Spend time and money on a simple system that asks happy customers for reviews and referrals, and make it easy for them to say yes.

5. One or two main social channels, not all of them

You do not need to be everywhere.

Pick one or two places your customers actually use, show up there regularly, share useful tips, proof of results and real stories from your business.

6. Content that answers real questions

Most buyers do their homework before they talk to you.

Use part of your budget to create practical content that answers the questions they keep asking: short guides, FAQs, before-and-after stories, and “how this works” posts.

7. Simple video, not glossy TV productions

Short, honest videos often work better than highly polished ones that say nothing.

Put some budget into simple videos: a walk through of how you work, a quick explainer, or a customer story filmed on a decent phone and tidied up.

8. Customer experience and follow up

If your service is painful, no amount of marketing will fix it.

Invest in smoother onboarding, clearer instructions, and a small set of follow up messages after someone buys, so they feel looked after and know what to do next.

9. Basic systems, tracking and time saving tools

You cannot improve what you cannot see.

Spend a portion of your budget on simple tools that show which enquiries came from where, and on automations that take boring tasks off your plate, so you and your team have more time for actual customers.

10. Small tests, all year, instead of one big gamble

Rather than betting the budget on one big campaign, test little things all year.

Try two versions of an ad, two headlines on a page, or two offers. Keep what works and drop what doesn’t.

Bringing it all together

If your 2026 budget backs these ten areas before chasing “the next big thing”, you are already ahead of most businesses.

Need a hand turning this into a plan?

If you’d like help turning some or all of these ten points into a simple plan for your business, you can get in touch to set up a short call. Simply email sgunning@advantage-mkt.com