Stop, Start & Supercharge Your 2026 Marketing
If 2025 taught us anything, it’s this: doing more marketing doesn’t always mean getting better results.
Businesses everywhere hustled, posted, emailed, redesigned, experimented—and many still felt like they were spinning their wheels. As we head into 2026, it’s time for a smarter approach. Not louder. Not busier. Just… smarter.
Enter the Stop, Start & Supercharge method—an SHD Marketing staple and one of the most effective frameworks for building a plan that actually moves the needle.
Instead of chasing every new trend, this method simplifies your 2026 planning into three clear categories:
✔ What to STOP doing
✔ What to START doing
✔ What to SUPERCHARGE
It’s efficient, empowering, and—most importantly—actionable. Let’s dive in.
STOP: The Marketing Habits Holding You Back
Before you add more to your plate in 2026, you must take inventory of what no longer serves your business. Some things need a refresh; others need a hard stop.
1. Stop posting without purpose
Random content posting, inconsistent themes, and “we should post something today” energy is not a strategy.
In 2026, intention beats quantity every single time.
2. Stop using branding that’s outdated or misaligned
If your visuals, tone, or messaging no longer reflect who you serve or how you show up, your marketing is leaking credibility.
A light brand refresh—from colors and logos to typography or messaging—can reset the tone for the year ahead.
3. Stop trying to speak to everyone
Marketing becomes powerful the moment you start speaking directly to your ideal buyer and stop trying to appeal to the masses.
Clearer targeting = stronger lead flow.
4. Stop relying on a website that doesn’t convert
Your website is your #1 sales tool.
If it’s slow, unclear, outdated, or product-heavy with no story or strategy, it will cost you opportunities daily.
5. Stop avoiding your analytics
Numbers tell you what’s working—and what’s not.
If you only “guess” at performance, you’ll always be in reactive mode instead of proactive leadership.
6. Stop doing everything manually
2026 is the year to embrace automation.
Email sequences, client onboarding, follow-ups, review requests—these should scale without more workload.
When you stop what’s ineffective, you create space for strategies that actually move your business forward.
START: The Marketing Moves That Set You Up for 2026 Success
Once you clear out the clutter, it’s time to build smart, sustainable habits that compound throughout 2026.
1. Start showing up consistently with valuable content
Consistency builds trust. Thoughtful content builds authority.
Together? They build a magnetic brand people want to work with.
2. Start refining your messaging
Clear messaging is one of the highest-ROI upgrades any business can make.
Ask yourself:
Who is my target audience?
What makes us the obvious choice?
What pain points do we solve best?
What benefits do we deliver?
If you don’t have those answers dialed in, start here.
3. Start building automated customer journeys
Welcomes. Nurtures. Upsells. Referrals.
These touchpoints create a long-term relationship (and increase lifetime value) without relying on more manual outreach.
4. Start prioritizing case studies + showcasing your work
Your future clients want receipts.
Case studies, testimonials, and portfolio highlights prove your results better than any ad ever can.
5. Start investing in SEO + long-form content
Search behavior is shifting—but Google is still a powerhouse.
Fresh, optimized content paired with a technically-sound website boosts your visibility long after the post date.
6. Start planning quarterly instead of annually
A full-year plan becomes obsolete the moment your industry shifts.
Quarterly strategy gives you structure and agility.
These “START” strategies create momentum, clarity, and consistency—three things every business needs heading into 2026.
SUPERCHARGE: Pour Fuel on What’s Already Working
Not everything needs to be reinvented. Chances are, you already have strengths worth doubling down on. In 2026, your growth won’t come from starting over—it’ll come from accelerating strategic momentum.
1. Supercharge your strongest performing marketing channel
If Instagram is your highest lead generator, go deeper:
Add video
Boost posts
Use more client transformations
Add monthly themes
Test thought leadership content
If email brings the highest conversions? Make it monthly, add segmentation, and create evergreen sequences.
2. Supercharge your website with conversion-led updates
Small improvements can significantly amplify results:
Clearer CTAs
Stronger service pages
Keyword usage
Fast-load performance
Accessible design
A storytelling-driven homepage
Your website is never “done”—it should grow as your business grows.
3. Supercharge your referral and client relationships
If referrals drove revenue in 2025, build an actual program.
Incentives
Spotlights
Thank-you campaigns
Automated follow-ups
Happy clients are your most powerful marketing engine.
4. Supercharge your founder’s visibility
Modern marketing is human-first.
Your founder (or leadership team) is often the brand’s strongest voice.
Podcasts, speaking engagements, articles, community involvement—these are force multipliers.
For SHD, this is where Susan shines. For your business, it may be someone else—but visibility sells.
5. Supercharge what your audience already loves
Look at what gets engagement, praise, clicks, or conversation.
Then do more of exactly that—but bigger, better, and more consistently.
How SHD Marketing Supports This Framework
At SHD, our team naturally aligns with Stop/Start/Supercharge planning:
Molly helps businesses START strong with elevated branding and identity design.
Stephanie SUPERCHARGES your website with clarity, speed, and conversion-focused structure.
Taylor STARTS strategic consistency across social media—and stops the “just post something” chaos.
Kimberley helps STOP confusing messaging and STARTS powerful storytelling, email marketing, and copy.
Nicole SUPERCHARGES client touchpoints and follow-ups that nurture relationships and spark referrals.
Susan STARTS (and scales) thought leadership visibility where businesses become industry voices.
It’s the framework SHD relies on internally—and the one we use to guide clients to their most strategic year yet.
Ready to Design Your 2026 Marketing Action Plan?
Don’t wait for January.
Don’t chase trends.
Don’t keep doing what hasn’t worked.
Use the Stop, Start & Supercharge method to enter 2026 with clarity, confidence, and momentum.
And if you want expert support building a plan that fits your goals, your audience, and your bandwidth, SHD Marketing is ready to help.
Contact us and let’s build your smartest year yet.