For a lot of businesses, marketing is something that happens on the fly. You have a slow month, so you run some ads. Someone suggests posting more on Facebook or other social media, so you make a few posts. The website looks a little out-of-date, so you change a couple of colors or move some stuff around.

Marketing as a reaction is very common. It’s also a big reason a lot of businesses feel like their marketing isn’t seeing consistent results.

Businesses that have more success with steady growth approach things in a different way when it comes to marketing. They don’t wait for things to slow down or problems to show up before they contact a marketer. They consider their future options and needs and make a plan.

As we head into 2026, this is the perfect time to step back, look at what’s happening, and think about what you want your marketing to do for you in the coming year. We can help you figure how to get there with a plan instead of a haphazard, month to month marketing gamble.

A Plan Helps Make a Marketing Resolution You Won’t Break

A marketing plan doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, it really shouldn’t be. At the end of the day, it’s just a way to decide what you’re focusing on and why.

Without a real plan, your marketing can get scattered. You might be active in several places, but not know which efforts are working. You might be spending money but not understand what it’s really getting you. Uncertainty makes it hard to stay consistent and stick with it, and it certainly doesn’t help give you confidence that you’re doing the right thing.

With a plan in place, things will feel clearer. Social media posts have a purpose. Your website has a job beyond looking nice. Blogs, emails, and website updates all support the same goals instead of pulling your efforts in different directions.

It turns marketing from a constant question mark into something you can manage and direct as needed.

Start with a Year-End Reflection 

Before planning your next year’s marketing campaign, it’s important to take an honest look at what happened this year.

What brought in real contacts or customers? What felt like a lot of work or expenditure with very little payoff? Did certain types of content get better engagement? Did people visit your site but not reach out or purchase anything?

This isn’t about looking for mistakes or wasted opportunities and feeling bad about them. Every business has some marketing tries that failed or that worked better than others. The point is to learn from these attempts so you don’t have to guess in the coming year.

At Wild Iris Marketing, this step is where we often see things start to click for clients. Once you can see what’s actually helping your business, planning becomes much easier.

Decide What’s Best for You in 2026

Not every business has the same goals, and that’s okay. They shouldn’t! Your business is unique in its needs and strengths. This is why working with a marketer who treats your business as an individual is better than a giant company that funnels you into a generic plan that works best for no one.

Some businesses need more leads. Others want better leads. Some want to improve their website so visitors are more likely to take action. Some want to stay more visible with existing customers and strengthen those long-term relationships.

A good marketing plan is built around what your business needs right now, not what you feel like you’re “supposed” to be doing. Clear goals make it easier to choose the right tools and avoid wasting time on things that don’t do you any real good.

Make Realistic Goals!

Don’t set yourself up for disappointment or failure. Marketing works best when it’s realistic.

It’s easy to come up with ideas that are great in every way except being sustainable. Planning helps you decide where your budget makes the most sense, and which strategies should be ongoing versus occasional.

That might mean putting more effort into content and SEO instead of ads, improving your website before driving more traffic to it, or spacing out campaigns so they’re manageable and can be targeted.

Marketing doesn’t have to be expensive to be effective. It does has to be intentional.

The Building Blocks of a Solid Marketing Strategy

Successful marketing plans include a mix of a few basic things.

Social media keeps your business visible to customers and at the top of their mind. Website updates help visitors become customers instead of just viewers. Blogs and newsletters give you a way to explain what you do, show your expertise and authority, and build trust.

The key to all this is that these things need to work together. When they’re planned, each part supports the other instead of just being another thing to be checked off a list while not actually doing the most it could be, or even weakening your other efforts.

Imagine a marketing campaign where you successfully get people to your physical storefront to purchase a new product, but the product is actually only able to be purchased online and delivered to their home. Your better effort would have been spent on getting people to your website to purchase this product instead of having to explain to them that they made an unecessary trip!

Make Sure Everything Works Together

When you have a plan, marketing feels copacetic and smooth. You know what you’re doing this month, and you have a solid idea of what’s coming after that. You can check in on what’s working, and you can make intentional changes without starting over.

Instead of asking, “What should we try now?” you’re asking, “Is this doing what we expected?” and you’re making smart moves to keep improving. That’s a much better place to be in this game!

Wild Iris Marketing is a Great Resolution Buddy

Wild Iris Marketing can help you take a step back and look at the big picture. We will review with you what has worked in the past, talk about realistic goals (something big box marketers often avoid), and help create a plan that fits both your budget and your needs.

Whether that means refining your website, delivering great content, improving customer conversions, or coordinating your marketing strategies across multiple channels, a good plan gives you and your efforts direction. And we’re here for that!