The summer is behind us and Christmas is appearing on the horizon (yes, I said it… Christmas!).

For many of the businesses we work with, plans for 2027 are already well under way. Growth plans are being shaped, budgets are being agreed and priorities decided. And, of course, there’s the question of what marketing needs to do to support all of that.

Marketing changes all the time, and it feels as though the pace of change is only getting faster. Yet, after more than 30 years working in marketing, I find myself coming back to the same fundamentals.

For me, a good marketing strategy starts with five questions.

1. Where does the business want to go?
2. How does the brand strategy support those ambitions?
3. How well does the business understand the audience it is trying to reach?
4. What should the business stop doing?
5. How will marketing success be measured?

So, as thoughts turn to 2027, I’ve explored some of the questions I believe are worth asking to shape a strong marketing strategy for the year ahead.

Aligning a 2027 Marketing Strategy with Business Growth Plans

The first question I would ask any business leader is…

Where does the business want to go?

You may already have a three or five-year plan in place. If you do, bring that into the thinking. Then look specifically at the year ahead: where do you want the business to be by the end of 2027, and what needs to happen to move you closer to that longer-term ambition?

Growth is different for every organisation. It might mean increasing turnover, entering new markets, attracting new customers or generating greater value from existing relationships.

For another business, it could be launching a new service, strengthening its reputation, recruiting or becoming better known within a particular sector.

A strategy designed to build awareness amongst a new audience will look very different from one designed to increase retention amongst existing customers.

Equally, a business preparing to enter a new geographical market may need to invest in visibility and credibility, while an established organisation looking to increase market share may need to concentrate on differentiation.

This is why strategic marketing starts with the destination. Once there is clarity around where the business wants to go, marketing can begin to answer the more useful question: what needs to happen to help us get there?

This leads to my second question…

How does the brand strategy support business ambitions?

Planning for a new year is also a useful opportunity to look at the business from the outside in.

Businesses never stand still. They adapt to changes in the market or what customers need, recruit or streamline teams, introduce new services and sometimes attract a different type of customer altogether.

This can all happen gradually. The business evolves, but the brand, website and messaging don’t. And that’s when a gap can start to appear between the business as it is today and the one being presented to the outside world.

Brand strategy is expressed through what is said, how it is said, the experience created, the way the team represents the business and what customers come to associate with the brand.

As part of 2027 planning, it is worth considering whether the brand accurately reflects the organisation today and, importantly, whether it supports the future ambitions.

An organisation entering a new market may need to reconsider its positioning, while a company targeting larger clients may discover that its website or messaging no longer reflects the calibre of work it can deliver.

Strategy, brand and marketing are fundamentally connected. When those three elements are pulling in the same direction, marketing becomes stronger.

So my third question is…

How well does the business understand the audience it is trying to reach?

Anyone who has worked with me will know how much I bang on about understanding the customer. And for good reason. It’s surprising how often this gets overlooked.

Who are the people the business needs to influence? What matters to them? What challenges are they facing? What might prevent them from choosing one organisation over another? Where do they look for information and whose opinions do they trust?

It’s important not to assume that next year's audience will be identical to today's. If the commercial strategy changes, the target audience may change with it, influencing everything from positioning and messaging to content and channel selection.

This becomes particularly important when considering the marketing mix. SEO, social media, PR, campaigns, email marketing, events, video, content and, AI search all provide opportunities to reach an audience.

The strongest marketing mix is usually the one that connects the right activity with the right audience at the right time and considers the wider objectives of the business.

And on to question number 4…

What should businesses stop doing in 2027?

This is one of my favourite questions in strategic marketing planning.

Whenever I ask it, it usually creates an interesting conversation. It makes us look at what we’re doing and ask why. Is it working? Is it reaching the right people? Does it support what the business is trying to achieve?

It’s very easy to add another campaign, social channel, event or piece of content to a marketing plan. I’m much more interested in whether it has a purpose and earns its place.

Effective marketing isn't about doing more. Sometimes an important strategic decision is to stop investing time and budget in activity that no longer supports the organisation's objectives. That doesn't mean abandoning something because it hasn't generated an immediate sale. Different marketing activity has different roles, and brand building in particular requires consistency and time.

Is an activity continuing because it works, or because it has always been done? Is it reaching the right people? Does it contribute to a wider objective? Is the return proportionate to the time and investment involved?

Then finally question number five…

How is marketing success measured?

When we work with clients, we get curious about the data. And that doesn’t mean a business needs a big, fancy data machine (although fantastic if it has one). There are little signals everywhere that can tell us something useful.

What type of enquiries are coming into the business? Are they the right ones? Which customers come back time and again? What are people clicking on, responding to or asking about? If the wrong type of customer is finding the business, could the messaging be attracting the wrong audience?

All of these things help build a picture of what is working, what isn’t and where it might be worth looking a little more closely.

Analytics and data matters in business. Website traffic, social engagement and search visibility add another layer to that picture.

Planning a marketing strategy for 2027

The marketing landscape will continue to change. After more than 30 years in this industry, I can confidently say that’s one thing we can rely on!

And perhaps that’s why I keep coming back to the fundamentals of good strategic marketing.

For me, it comes down to clarity, connection and curiosity.

Be clear about where the business is going and what marketing needs to do. Understand the people it needs to connect with, what matters to them and how best to reach them. And never lose sight of something I will always champion: human connection.

Then stay curious. What’s working? What isn’t? What are those little signals telling us?

A good marketing plan joins all of those things together. It gives everything a purpose, while leaving enough room to learn, adapt and change as the year unfolds.

Because if there’s one thing I know about 2027, it’s that something will change.

Marketing strategy support

We help businesses bring clarity and direction to their marketing, joining up business ambitions, branding and marketing to create focused, purposeful activity.

If conversations about 2027 are already under way and some of these questions have got you thinking, I’d love to hear from you. Whether it’s getting clearer on where to focus, understanding who you need to connect with or simply sense-checking what you’re already doing, drop me a WhatsApp on 07860 649274.