THE LATEST

~

MARKETING AND PR TRENDS

~

THE LATEST ~ MARKETING AND PR TRENDS ~

10 Must-Run Marketing Plays for Small Businesses in 2026

The year ahead favors the bold, the scrappy, and the founder-led.

If you’re a small business owner heading into 2026 with a “let’s just keep doing what worked in 2021” mindset… oh sweetheart, pull up a chair. The marketing landscape has officially entered the era of AI engines, personalized discovery, lifestyle storytelling, and consumers who can spot inauthenticity a mile away (even from behind a screen scrolling at 2x speed).

Use This Strategy to Build Your Audience on Instagram and TikTok
Social Media Carolyn Delacorte Social Media Carolyn Delacorte

Use This Strategy to Build Your Audience on Instagram and TikTok

Your current customers (for brands this would mainly be retailers that carry your products) have a vested interest in your success, as you do in theirs. For brands that are carried in dozens or even hundreds of stores you have a built-in network of micro-influencers who can help drive your social account to major success.

Encouraging your current customers to post about your brand on their platform of choice not only helps to increase visibility but also fosters a sense of authenticity and trust.

Here are some tried-and-true strategies to inspire customers to share their experiences and promote your business on Instagram and TikTok:

Read More
3 Easy Steps for Setting Up an Online Store
Social Media Carolyn Delacorte Social Media Carolyn Delacorte

3 Easy Steps for Setting Up an Online Store

Even if your retail business is mainly driven by local foot traffic, setting up a web shop gives your customers a way to browse what you have to offer at their leisure. In this manner, you’ll sell more and have a direct route to following up with clients in weeks and months to come. You can more easily “bundle” items that go well together as you would instore, and offer incentives to buy on the spot.

Read More
Five Easy Ways to Instantly Boost Your Brand's Social Proof
Social Media Carolyn Delacorte Social Media Carolyn Delacorte

Five Easy Ways to Instantly Boost Your Brand's Social Proof

Social Proof relies on the notion that if a product is tried and true, it must be trustworthy and worthwhile.  Most easily put, Social Proof is the spark of energy that each of us give off each time we scroll through a social feed.  We offer it in the form of likes, recommendations, comments and shares. Few brands can exist without social proof, and in the abscence of it, find competing in a crowded marketplace very difficult.

Read More
How Lifestyle Brands Can Repurpose Content On Social Feeds and Blogs
Marketing, Social Media Carolyn Delacorte Marketing, Social Media Carolyn Delacorte

How Lifestyle Brands Can Repurpose Content On Social Feeds and Blogs

We all know content is king, but for solopreneurs and smaller brands, keeping blog posts and social feeds fresh and relevant can be a struggle. Time taken away from designing, manufacturing, and direct selling can be hard to give up.

And while the struggle is real, it’s important to keep those social marketing channels well fed and buzzing.

Read More