The new year resolution you need to make for 2026

As business owners everywhere plan for 2026 and resolve to ‘do more’ in the year ahead, here’s a strategic New Year’s resolution that might feel counter-intuitive at first – stop committing random acts of marketing.

Too many founders and leaders treat marketing like a to-do list, something to tick off when there’s time, money, or inspiration. They buy ads, post social media content, launch webinars, or hire cheap creative support with one hope in mind: something will stick and deliver results. This scatter-gun approach might look busy, but busy doesn’t equal effective. In fact, it’s one of the most common reasons SMEs end up wasting precious budget with little or no business impact.

So, what are random acts of marketing?

They’re marketing activities undertaken without a clear business reason, strategic context, or measurable goals. They’re the ads you ran because a competitor is doing it, the blog posts you publish because ‘content is king’, the event you sponsored because there was space available – without being clear how the activity tied directly to your business goals.

In other words, they’re actions that are disconnected from why your business exists and where you’re trying to get to.

But why does this matter? At the core, marketing is a tool for growth, for creating awareness with the right people, building preference for your brand, and generating demand that flows through to sales and revenue. When it’s treated as a box-ticking exercise, it’s no surprise that it delivers little return. The antidote is a simple, take a step back and start with strategy. Before you invest time or money in anything, ask yourself three questions:

1. What are your business goals this year? Is it growth in revenue, customer volume, increased market share? Whatever they are, they must be specific, measurable and timely. Without SMART goals, you’re marketing blind.
2. What marketing strategies will move the needle toward those goals? The strategy isn’t about tactics, it’s the ‘why’ behind what your marketing needs to achieve. Should your marketing focus on building your prospect database? Boosting conversion rates? Raising brand visibility among a niche audience? These strategic decisions determine the direction your marketing should take.
3. What tactics will deliver those strategies and how will you measure success? Here’s where you decide on the specific actions, resources and channels that serve your strategy. Crucially, each activity must have a metric attached to it, so you know whether it’s working and worth continuing.

This framework might feel obvious, but too few leaders actually implement it. That’s why so many businesses spend their limited marketing budgets on activities that feel like marketing without delivering business impact.

Strategic marketing doesn’t mean you’ll never experiment. On the contrary, experimentation is vital for growth, but it must be intentional. That means small, controlled tests with robust measurement and learnings. Random activity might feel like action, but it’s unlikely to deliver insights you can rely on.

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As founders, we are pulled in a thousand different directions. It’s tempting to react to the latest trend, tool or tactic. But make 2026 the year that your marketing propels your business toward its goals, not an erratic noise machine that distracts your team and wastes budget.

This is where structured thinking and leadership matter. Whether you build this capability in-house or bring in a part-time strategic marketing expert, ensure that every pound you spend and every minute you invest aligns with a clear strategic line of sight back to your business objectives.

So, here’s the resolution – be intentional. Replace random acts of marketing with strategic marketing that is rooted in your business goals, driven by data, and measured by outcomes. I promise you, your business will reap the rewards in 2026.