Before You Start Planning Your 2027 Marketing, Ask These Questions

It might feel a little early to start talking about 2027, but when it comes to marketing, a little planning now can make a big difference later.

Before you start filling a content calendar, planning campaigns or deciding what you want to do differently next year, it’s worth taking a look at where you are right now.

What worked? What didn’t? What has changed? And where do you want to go next?

You don’t need to have every detail of your 2027 marketing plan figured out yet. But asking the right questions now can help you make more intentional decisions when it’s time to put that plan together.

What worked this year?

Start with the good stuff.

Think about the marketing efforts that seemed to connect with your audience this year. Maybe a particular social media campaign received more engagement than usual. Maybe you launched a new website, invested in professional photography or found that certain types of content consistently performed well.

And don’t look at numbers alone. Consider what made your job easier, what generated conversations and what your customers responded to.

If something worked, you don’t necessarily need to come up with something completely new for next year. There may be an opportunity to build on it.

What didn’t?

Not everything is going to work—and that’s okay.

Maybe you spent a lot of time creating content that didn’t get much response. Maybe a campaign never quite came together the way you envisioned. Or maybe you simply realized a certain platform, message or approach wasn’t worth the time you were putting into it.

Knowing what not to carry into 2027 can be just as valuable as knowing what you want to continue.

The goal isn’t to label something a failure. It’s to understand what you learned from it and use that information to make better decisions moving forward.

Who are you trying to reach?

Your audience should play a role in nearly every marketing decision you make.

Who are your current customers? Are they the same people you want to reach next year? Are you trying to attract new customers, recruit employees, reach a younger audience or expand into a new market?

As your goals change, your audience may change with them.

Knowing who you’re talking to makes it much easier to decide what you should say, where you should say it and what your marketing should look like.

What’s changing?

A lot can happen in a business over the course of a year.

Maybe you’ve added a new service. Your team has grown. You’re entering a new market. Your priorities have shifted. Or the business itself simply looks different than it did a year ago.

Your marketing should keep up.

Take a look at what’s ahead for your business in 2027 and think about how those changes need to be communicated. Planning for them now gives you time to build the right strategy instead of scrambling to market something after it happens.

What needs updated?

Sometimes, planning for a new year isn’t about adding more. It’s about taking care of what you already have.

When was the last time you really looked through your website? Are your team photos current? Does your branding still reflect your business? Are your brochures, signage and other materials up to date? Is the information customers find online still accurate?

Those little things are easy to overlook when you see them every day.

Make a list of what feels outdated, inconsistent or simply no longer fits. You may find that a few strategic updates can make a bigger difference than starting something entirely new.

What do you want your marketing to accomplish?

Before deciding what you’re going to do, decide why you’re doing it.

“Post more on social media” is a task. “Build awareness with potential employees” is a goal.

Maybe you want to generate more leads, introduce a new service, recruit employees, strengthen your brand, reach a new audience or simply become more consistent.

Once you know what you’re trying to accomplish, it becomes much easier to decide which marketing efforts deserve your time and budget.

You don’t have to do everything

Planning for a new year can quickly turn into a long list of things you think you should be doing.

A new website. More social media. More video. A brand refresh. Email marketing. New photography. Print materials. Advertising.

But more marketing isn’t automatically better marketing.

Instead, focus on what makes sense for your business, your audience and your goals. A few intentional efforts that work together will usually take you further than trying to be everywhere at once.

And if you’re already thinking about what 2027 could look like for your business, now is a pretty good time to start the conversation.

At Eberle Studios, we help businesses and organizations bring the pieces together—from strategy and branding to websites, graphic design, photography and video.

Let’s make 2027 something worth planning for.