Top 12 Dos, Don’ts and Stop-Its -- Digital Marketing Strategy 2026

When it comes to marketing, one thing is for sure — change. The marketing landscape continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace due to shifting consumer behaviors, the evolution of AI technology and the constant emergence of new strategies and platforms.

As we enter 2026, AI has moved from experimental to essential, customer expectations have never been higher and the pressure to demonstrate real revenue impact is intensifying. Yet amid all this technology and data, the brands winning are those that maintain authentic human connections while leveraging intelligent automation.

Top Marketing Strategies and Trends for 2026

Therefore, we've compiled our annual list of the top 12 Dos, Don'ts and Stop-Its in Digital Marketing Strategy for 2026. Here are our team's top tips for 2026:

12. Stop Neglecting Strategy

"Your marketing strategy is your why – your purpose behind your marketing tactics. With so many moving parts in marketing today, a clearly defined strategy brings focus and alignment so the entire team is rowing together toward the overarching business goals.”

- Kelly Braun, Chief Marketing Strategy Officer

Your marketing strategy:

Aligns your entire team, including marketing, sales, leadership and outsourced agency partners.
Clearly communicates marketing’s strategic intent and operational needs.
Guides implementation by outlining what should be done, when, by whom and with what resources. It removes ambiguity and keeps teams on track.
Serves as a baseline and benchmark so you can report progress, demonstrate results and know when to pivot.
Is the roadmap that connects your marketing efforts to your business goals. It outlines where you're headed, how you’ll get there and what success looks like along the way.

11. Stop Getting By with an Outdated Website

“Your website is often the first impression customers have of your business. If it's outdated or difficult to navigate, you're losing opportunities before the conversation even starts."

- Libby Noffsinger, UX/UI Designer

Start with a website strategy that defines the website's goals and outlines the roadmap to achieve them.
Design for the buyer’s journey with clear navigation and logical pathways to conversion points.
Provide valuable information that addresses customer needs rather than focusing on promotional messaging.
Optimize for SEO and AI referrals – without visibility, your digital presence remains largely invisible.

10. Don't Misuse AI

“AI has moved from experimental to essential, but don’t let the pendulum swing so far that AI-generated content and processes dilute your brand authenticity and team’s human creativity.”

- Adam Ward, SEO Specialist

Use AI for data analysis, pattern recognition, predictive analytics, ideation and editing.
Maintain brand voice authenticity across all AI-assisted content.
Keep humans in charge of strategic thinking and emotional intelligence.
Establish clear AI usage guidelines and create an AI council for oversight.
Above all – build a team around talent and culture that embraces technology as an enabler.

9. Don’t Ignore Data

"Let data intelligence, not instinct, guide your marketing decisions. By using data and AI-powered analytics, you can meet customers where they are in the buyer's journey.”

- Mark Blackford, Director of Marketing Analytics

Track multi-touch attribution to understand which touchpoints drive conversions and allocate efforts accordingly.
Implement lead scoring and predictive forecasting to identify purchase-ready prospects.
Enable automated sales hand-offs at optimal moments in the buyer journey.
Use data insights to validate your marketing strategy and demonstrate ROI based on measurable results rather than assumptions.

8. Do Put an SEO & AI Visibility Program in Place

“The future isn't SEO or AI – it's both. It’s about holistic visibility. And the good news - they can work together. The SEO tactics that have always mattered – authoritative content, clear site structure, brand reputation etc. – are some of the same signals LLMs use to determine who shows up in AI results.”

– Rachel Stephens, Director of Strategic Content

Optimize for comprehensive search visibility with both traditional SEO and AI optimization strategies.
Demonstrate your brand’s expertise and authority with problem-solving content – FAQs, comparison charts and transparent pricing information.
Strengthen your brand recognition with public relations, which is experiencing a major resurgence as off-site signals become critical for AI recognition.
Expand your KPIs beyond organic traffic and keywords to track overall visibility across search engines and AI platforms.

7. Do Publish Expert Content with Strong E-E-A-T

"While AI has added a new dimension to how people seek and consume information, their expectations have not changed – they still want valuable and relevant information, not generic content.”

– Luke Watercutter, Content Strategist

Publish content that aligns with Google’s EATT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness) guidelines.
Build a people-first content strategy that answers your buyer’s questions and helps them solve problems.
Feature insights from team members with verifiable real-world experience.
Create content that only your company could create based on unique experiences.

6. Do Create Short-Form Video

"TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts have changed user expectations and how they want to consume video content. While long-form videos still have their place, the real opportunity today is in 15-60 second videos that quickly deliver maximum impact.”

- Mike Judy, Video Production Specialist

Produce consistent short-form video content that engages your audience on the channels they visit every day.
Show the human side of your brand with authentic behind-the-scenes footage, team member spotlights and educational how-to videos that solve problems.
Work smarter, not harder, by repurposing longer content into multiple short clips for efficiency.

5. Do Focus on Reviews

“Reviews aren’t just a ‘nice-to-have’ anymore. They are signals of trust and proof that impact a brand’s search visibility and influence buying decisions.”

– Ashley Roberts, Strategist and Coach

Create processes to actively request authentic reviews so you have a steady flow of fresh feedback from satisfied customers.
Target both Google and social media platforms for reviews.
Don’t just collect reviews; engage with them. Thank those who leave positive reviews and follow up promptly and professionally to negative reviews to show you care and are always looking to improve.

4. Do Take Data Privacy & Security Seriously

"Ensuring the security and compliance of your website is not just about protecting your data; it's about safeguarding the trust your customers place in you.”

- Chris McClellan, Director of Web Ops

Conduct regular website security audits and vulnerability testing.
Secure customer information handling across all touchpoints.
Comply with GDPR, CCPA and other regional specific legal requirements.
Implement SSL certificates and HTTPS across all pages.
Deploy clear consent management for cookie usage and data collection.
Assess AI tool security risks (many AI browsers raise privacy concerns).
For healthcare, ensure all marketing technology is HIPAA-compliant.
Make sure any e-commerce solutions are fully PCI compliant.

3. Do Focus on Customer Relationships

"Growth opportunity isn't just acquiring new customers – it's in nurturing the relationships you already have. Loyal customers become your best advocates.”

– Melissa Smalley, Director of Client Services

Listen more than you sell. Create consistent feedback loops through surveys and open conversations.
Position yourself as a trusted source by sharing educational content, industry insights and tips that help customers get more from your product or service.
Celebrate their wins alongside your own.
Be transparent when things go wrong – how you handle issues often matters more than you even realize.

2. Do Evaluate & Consolidate Your Tool Stack

"With the massive amount of marketing and sales technology now available, it’s easy for a company to have multiple platforms or vendors, data silos, wasted spending and team frustration. Don’t add ‘more’ when the best answer may be consolidation.”

– Kyrsten Kondeti, Strategist & Coach

Audit current marketing and sales tools and associated costs. Eliminate redundant platforms with overlapping ones.
Prioritize tools with robust integration capabilities so your data flows seamlessly rather than living in isolated silos.
Make your CRM the central hub for all customer data – everything should connect back to this single source of truth.
Ensure data flows seamlessly across your integrated ecosystem so your team spends time on strategy, not manual data entry.

1. Do Move Toward Unified Revenue Operations

"The days of marketing operating in a silo are over. Revenue operations (RevOps) break down barriers between marketing, sales and customer service to create a unified approach to growth. When these teams operate from the same data, use aligned processes and share revenue goals, the entire customer experience improves.”

- Tyler Louth, CEO

Move beyond marketing activity metrics to show actual revenue impact.
Create shared KPIs across teams so everyone is working toward the same revenue goals, not competing departmental metrics.
Recognize that sustainable revenue comes from deep market understanding and authentic relationships.
Reframe marketing's value from tactical execution to strategic voice of the customer and the brand.
Establish regular cross-functional meetings where marketing, sales and customer service review pipeline health, conversion rates and revenue forecasts together.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published in 2020 and has been revamped and updated for 2026 to provide the latest trends and dos and don'ts in digital marketing.