Shaping 2026 with Intention: Defining Your Marketing Strategy

Fall is officially here! In addition to filling our cups with pumpkin spice and participating in other cooler weather traditions, many of us are in crunch time to finish out Q4 strong. At the same time, many business leaders are juggling strategic plans and budgets for the year ahead. Reflection and intention come together during this time of year: wrapping up one year while shaping the one ahead. 

Earlier this year, we shared a simple quiz to help you reflect on your marketing strategy’s strengths and opportunities. If you haven’t taken it yet—or it’s been a while—now’s the perfect time to revisit this tool before planning for 2026:

Click the image to take the quiz

The overarching theme is that a strong marketing strategy comes down to four key elements: purpose, clarity, connection, and impact.

Purpose

We’re strong believers that your marketing strategy should be grounded in your business and brand strategy. And although business objectives and overarching brand elements may be broadly known, it’s always good to realign on your company’s purpose. The why you do what you do, and why it matters. 

If your purpose feels vague, overly corporate, filled with too many marketing buzzwords, or like it could belong to anyone, make revisiting it your first initiative for 2026. A clear, authentic purpose doesn’t just guide your marketing—it unites and connects everyone in the company to something bigger than themselves.

If your purpose is strong and clear, then you can use this simple framework to align it your marketing strategy:

When you make your company’s purpose, vision, and mission the starting point for your marketing plan, you empower your team with a clear direction that guides every decision, campaign, and pivot throughout the year.

Clarity

Our simple rule for clarity is to ask the question: what matters? So, during your reflection on the past year, what mattered? What drove meaningful impact? The quickest way to identify this is by looking at what got measured or scheduled. On the other hand, what was just noise, confusing, or distracting? What took you off course? These could be internal factors, external ones, or both.

For the year ahead, use the lessons learned and use your 2026 purpose, vision, and mission to determine what will matter for the year ahead. Doing so can help bring the clarity needed to effectively set the objectives and goals for the year ahead.

Clarity comes from reflection, and reflection helps set intention. 

Reflection

Take an honest look back before you look forward. What made the biggest difference? What drained focus?

Here’s some examples to help you get started:

Intention

What will matter most in 2026? Use this framework to set priorities and drive consistent clarity.

Quick reminder: clarity isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what matters most, better. 

Connection

Building trust and connections is what marketing is all about. It’s easy to get caught up in tools and tactics, but the real question to ask is this:

‍If your marketing plan for 2026 centered around not only what matters, but also what builds relationships?  

To start next year on the right footing, zoom out first. Look at how your programs, initiatives, and messages connect, not just across channels, but also amongst your team, partners, and audiences.

Simple Checklist for Connection

• Our brand voice is consistent and human. Our tone and messaging reflect our values and vision across every platform.
• Our strategy is connected. Programs, initiatives, and tactics build on one another.
• We’re leveraging what already works. We have looked for ways to leverage existing work and resources to amplify impact and do more with less.
• We’re focused on human connection. We prioritize relationships over transactions—ensuring our messaging resonates with authenticity and empathy.
• Internal alignment comes first. Teams across marketing, sales, product, and leadership share a unified message and a clear understanding of our larger purpose.
• Collaboration is part of the process. We engage our partners, clients, and industry networks as collaborators—not just as audiences.
• Community is a priority. Our marketing contributes to conversations that strengthen our ecosystem through thought leadership, education, and advocacy.
• Data supports connection, not replaces it. We use analytics to understand our audiences better, personalize experiences, and nurture long-term trust.

Impact

It’s easy to measure what’s visible: impressions, clicks, conversions. But not everything that can be measured matters, and not everything that matters can be easily measured.

For 2026, focus on meaningful marketing impact: the value your work creates for the business, your clients, and your team.  

For example:

As you look ahead, let your impact metrics tell a story—not just of performance, but of progress. The measurements should reveal how your strategy is working, where it’s evolving, and what deserves more focus. And ultimately, it should always align to what matters most. 

In addition to the resources shared above, Beyond Tactics: Building a Strong Marketing Strategy dives deeper into what to think about when you’re creating your strategy. Our recent post,  What High-Growth Companies Get Right at Every Stage with Strategic Marketing, is also a helpful resource depending which growth phase your company is in.

‍Final thoughts: Purpose sets the direction. Clarity creates focus. Connection drives impact. And impact measures what matters most.

‍Ready to create a strong strategy for 2026?