Kick Off 2026 Right: 5 Things to Do in January to Set Your Marketing Up for Success

Jan 5

Don’t worry if you don’t have a plan for 2026 yet, there’s still time.

But not a lot of time.

Most organizations don’t start the year with a pristine roadmap. They start with ideas, half-built decks, and a creeping sense that January is already moving faster than expected. Totally normal. What matters is what you do next.

January isn’t about perfection. It’s about positioning. The brands that win the year aren’t the ones with the flashiest resolutions, they’re the ones that make a few smart, focused moves early and let momentum do the heavy lifting.

If you want your marketing to work for you (instead of constantly chasing it), start here.

1. Re‑Anchor to Your Business Goals (Not Just Marketing Goals)

Before you plan a single campaign, get brutally clear on what the business actually needs this year.

Revenue targets
Growth markets
New products or services
Retention vs. acquisition priorities

Marketing doesn’t exist to “do more marketing.” It exists to move the business forward. January is the moment to align your message, channels, and spend to outcomes—not vanity metrics.

Gut check: If your marketing worked to perfection this year, what would change for the business?

2. Audit What You’re Already Doing (Then Cut Ruthlessly)

Every organization carries marketing baggage into a new year.

Campaigns that never quite worked
Channels you’re “supposed” to be on
Content that exists because it always has

January is your permission slip to stop doing things that don’t serve you. Look at last year’s performance and ask:

What actually drove results?
What drained time with little return?
What could be simplified or combined?

Cutting is a strategy. Focus is a flex.

3. Lock Your Core Narrative Before You Create Anything

Before blogs, videos, ads, podcasts, or social posts—define your story. Your core narrative should clearly answer:

Who you help
What problem you solve
Why you’re different
Why now

When this is locked early, everything else becomes easier, faster, and more consistent. Without it, teams spin, content gets diluted, and campaigns feel disconnected. January is when alignment happens—so the rest of the year can scale.

4. Build a Realistic Content & Campaign Rhythm

Not an aspirational one. A real one. The best marketing plans aren’t aggressive—they’re sustainable.

In January:

Decide how often you can actually show up
Map key campaigns, launches, and moments
Leave space for flexibility and opportunity

Consistency beats intensity every time. A plan you can maintain will outperform a perfect plan that burns out by March.

5. Decide How You’ll Measure Success (Before You Start)

If you wait until Q3 to decide what matters, you’ve already lost. January is when you should define:

The KPIs that matter most
How often you’ll review them
Who owns optimization and adjustments

Measurement doesn’t kill creativity, it protects it. When you know what success looks like, you can take smarter risks and make faster decisions.

The Key Takeaway

January isn’t about doing everything. It’s about doing the right things first. Align to the business. Cut the noise. Clarify the story. Commit to consistency. Measure what matters. Do that—and the rest of the year won’t feel like a scramble. It’ll feel like momentum.

And if you want help turning January decisions into year-long results, you know where to find us.