As we move into 2026, businesses face evolving expectations from their clients and customers. Digital noise is increasing, attention spans are shrinking, and audiences are seeking authentic, engaging content and immersive experiences. At the same time, advances in technology and AI are reshaping how people learn, discover, interact with, and buy from businesses and brands. In this article, we explore 10 key trends set to define marketing in 2026 and provide some actionable insights for companies looking to connect, build trust, and grow with their business in the year ahead.
1. Long-form influencer marketing — slower, more impactful storytelling & sharing
There’s a clear shift underway from short-form content to more immersive, long-form storytelling and knowledge sharing. Platforms like YouTube, Substack and a variety of podcast networks increasingly use algorithms to detect and reward creators who keep audiences engaged for longer.
For businesses, long-form content can be a powerful way to showcase expertise, strengthen customer and supplier relationships, and build trust with potential clients. Podcasts in particular offer a regular touchpoint that allows you to speak directly to an audience about what you know best. This repeated exposure creates familiarity, demonstrates credibility, and builds personal connection.
Substack, LinkedIn newsletters, and other long-form publishing platforms are also expanding and reviving the traditional blogging model. These long-form formats enable detailed, valuable insights to land straight into subscribers’ inboxes and often achieve much higher open rates than standard marketing emails.
According to Aspire (a leading influencer marketing platform), “Brands are quickly realizing the potential of Substack, as Substack creators consistently achieve remarkable engagement. In fact, the average open rates for most Substack newsletters is between 40-70% — a stark comparison to traditional brand newsletters that might see a 15-20% open rate.”
We support our clients with developing long-form content strategies and writing blogs, articles, email campaigns, case studies, advertorials and video scripts — which we also repurpose into short-form snippets such as social copy and video reels. We even present, record and edit podcasts for clients. Just ask if you need ideas or support.
LinkedIn articles created as part of our content strategy for our client Ken White Signs.
2. Interactive & immersive content driving engagement in 2026
Passive content is giving way to more engaging formats such as polls, quizzes, sliders, gamification, and AR/VR experiences. These approaches encourage prospects to participate actively rather than passively consume. According to Siege Media in their 70+ Key Content Marketing Statistics for 2025 report, “44.4% of those leveraging interactive content report a mildly or very successful strategy compared to 39.9% of those who don’t invest in interactives.” — Siege Media + Wynter.
Businesses that incorporate 3D product demos or AR features on their websites and social platforms enable prospects to explore products and solutions virtually. This is particularly useful in sectors where AR can simulate complex procedures, demonstrate technical specifications, or help stakeholders understand the scope and scale of a product or service before purchase. Immersive content enhances pre-purchase clarity, builds confidence, and increases engagement.
Talk to our web and digital experts to discover how immersive content can transform your customer engagement journey.
Check out our interactive e-commerce website solution for Laybrook Motion Furniture: www.laybrook.com
3. Optimising content for voice search in 2026
With Google’s 2025 updates — including AI-generated overviews in search results — search engines increasingly prioritise content that demonstrates E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. This requires creating in-depth, high-quality content that directly addresses user needs through guides, tutorials, and explanations of complex topics.
By 2026, voice queries are expected to reshape content strategies as users increasingly rely more on conversational search for quick answers. Smart speaker and mobile assistant queries are typically question-based, so optimising for natural language, conversational phrasing and long-tail keywords is essential. This alignment increases visibility, improves organic results, and establishes your business as a trusted authority.
Get in touch to ask us about our in-house copywriters who can help to realign your web and digital content, SEO and campaigns to ensure you’re fully voice-search-ready for 2026.
4. Humanise your business — building trust through real stories
As AI-generated content becomes increasingly sophisticated, it’s becoming harder for audiences to distinguish between real and artificial. In 2026, focusing on content, stories, and interactions that feel human and real is more important than ever. Humanised storytelling and authentic, real-life content help businesses build trust.
Case studies remain a core tool for highlighting real customer challenges and demonstrating the solutions your business provides through clear, tangible results. Sharing these experiences via photos, videos, testimonials, or endorsements brings real scenarios to life, creates resonance, and reinforces credibility through social proof. Encouraging clients to provide reviews, photos, and testimonials also allows you to turn their positive experiences into compelling case studies and success stories, attracting the right types of prospective customers.
Content doesn’t need to be perfectly polished — behind-the-scenes insights into your team, processes, and day-to-day work can be fascinating, educational, and engaging. Staff-led content that shares expertise, demonstrates products or services, or offers tips builds credibility and strengthens human connection.
We’ve helped our clients transform their customer success stories into long- and short-form formats suitable for websites, campaigns, video testimonials, and social content.
5. Premium print — make a long-lasting impact in a digital world
In 2026, print is shifting from quantity to quality, permanence, and meaningful, memorable experiences. Physical publications can carry lasting gravitas in a noisy digital landscape.
Many businesses are returning to print to express authenticity, communicate brand values, and make a strong impression on clients and stakeholders. A well-produced magazine, brochure or corporate report signals confidence, attention to detail, and has a long-lasting presence in a client’s home or office.
Hybrid print is also a growing trend. Print can now serve as a gateway to digital using QR codes, NFC tags, and augmented reality, enabling readers to access interactive or extended content.
As a full-service agency, we help our clients take an integrated marketing approach across print and digital media, creating beautifully designed print assets that support multi-channel marketing strategies. Like this hybrid video mailer for our client, Claims Consortium.
6. Short-form video content — capturing attention quickly
Short-form videos on TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and similar platforms continue to deliver some of the highest ROI. In HubSpot’s 2025 State of Marketing Report, 21% of marketers identified short-form video as their most effective content format for delivering the highest return on investment (ROI). These brief videos grab attention quickly and deliver key messages efficiently.
B2B brands can use short-form video for product and service demonstrations, comparisons, educational content, behind-the-scenes insights, and company culture highlights. These formats perform strongly across LinkedIn and Pinterest, boosting visibility and engagement. For smaller organisations, short-form video is a cost-effective way to compete with larger players.
Image: Filming for our client, Patient Choice, at a health conference
Our in-house team specialises in creating professional video content, including company showreels, product demos, and case study videos. We manage the full process — from concept development and art direction to scripting, voiceovers, filming, and production. If you’re considering short-form video for 2026, click here to learn more or get in touch. You can also check out our Vimeo account for examples of our work.
7. Account-based marketing (ABM) & hyper-personalisation
What is it, and why does it matter?
For B2B companies with long sales cycles or high-value clients, ABM is becoming essential. Instead of running broad campaigns, ABM focuses on the accounts that matter most. Recent B2B insights indicate that ABM often delivers a stronger ROI than wide-reaching marketing efforts.
The Insight Collective, in a recent article based on their customer findings, reported that “ABM stands out for its ability to generate a higher ROI compared to other marketing strategies. By focusing on high-value target accounts that are more likely to convert, businesses can optimise their marketing spend and achieve a higher return on investment. Based on insights gathered …two-thirds of senior ABM and marketing professionals regard the ROI of ABM to be higher than that of other sales and marketing activities.”
As third-party data becomes less reliable due to privacy regulations, first-party data, intent signals, and personalised content journeys are becoming increasingly critical.
What this means for acquisition and retention
Acquisition: ABM encourages focusing on high-value accounts and niche audiences. This includes tailored content, personalised outreach sequences, and digital touchpoints that reflect specific needs.
Retention: ABM also supports existing customers — with industry-specific newsletters, helpful planning content, personalised product signposting, and exclusive events or webinars.
Budget efficiency: For mid-sized budgets, ABM allows more meaningful investment into fewer, higher-value accounts, prospective sectors and opportunities.
How we help:
- PR, social, digital and content strategies tailored to niche sectors or high-value audiences
- Customised landing pages, optimised user journeys, marketing funnels, email campaigns, social sequences, and video content
- Tracking, measurement, and integrated systems to attribute ABM results
8. Sustainability — demonstrates responsible business practices
Sustainability remains a major consideration for customers and clients. Businesses can build trust and credibility by clearly demonstrating their commitment:
- Highlight eco-friendly packaging and carbon-neutral shipping
- Showcase sustainable technologies, processes, and practices
- Use AR/VR to reduce returns through virtual product experiences
- Consider certifications like B Corp
- Partner with environmental or community organisations to create a meaningful impact
Embedding sustainability into your marketing reinforces brand values and resonates with increasingly conscious buyers.
9. Website trends for 2026 — streamlined, intuitive & immersive
Advances in technology and shifting buyer behaviour mean website visitors now expect instant gratification and seamless online experiences. With most buying journeys starting online, websites must be easily discoverable and deliver the right information quickly and efficiently.
Key trends for 2026 include:
- Simplified, streamlined content: Every page and content block should serve a clear purpose.
- Strong calls to action: Guide users with clear next steps, from enquiries to purchases.
- Intuitive interfaces: Navigation should feel effortless, helping visitors find what they need in as few clicks as possible.
- SEO beyond keywords: Optimise content around user intent, different stages of the buyer journey, and voice search.
- Social proof: Showcase testimonials, reviews, and case studies to build trust and credibility.
- Video content: Use videos for company introductions, product demonstrations, comparisons, educational guides, and client case studies.
- Frictionless conversion: Simplify checkout and enquiry processes to remove obstacles.
- Genuine trust signals: Include transparent policies, reviews, and case studies to reinforce confidence.
- Immersive AR/VR/MR experiences: Enable users to explore products or services virtually before committing.
- Integrated technologies: Ensure your systems work together to improve efficiency and user experience.
- AI chatbots: Provide quick, automated responses to common enquiries.
We help our clients to create attractive, streamlined websites that build trust and are easy to navigate. Our websites are immersive, SEO-optimised, mobile-first, fast-loading, and designed with clear conversion paths. We also support UX design, messaging, analytics, and ongoing content development to ensure your website continues to perform and engage users effectively.
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10. Generative Search Optimisation (GEO) — the next frontier in discoverability
Traditional SEO is evolving into a more sophisticated approach. Generative Search Optimisation (GEO), unlike conventional SEO, which focuses mainly on keywords and backlinks, combines AI-generated content, structured data, and user intent to maximise visibility in generative search results — the AI-powered answers appearing in Google, Bing, and other platforms.
By 2026, users will increasingly rely on AI-driven summaries, chat interfaces, and personalised search experiences. GEO ensures your content is not only discoverable but also preferred by these AI systems. This requires:
Answer-first content: Creating content that directly and comprehensively addresses specific questions and problems your audience is searching for.
Structured data and schema markup: Helping AI and search engines understand your content’s context, so it can be surfaced accurately in generative results.
Conversational and natural language optimisation: Aligning content with the way people speak, type, and ask questions — critical for voice search and AI-driven summaries.
Multi-format content strategies: Combining text, images, video, and interactive elements to provide richer, AI-friendly answers.
Early adopters of GEO will gain a competitive advantage, appearing prominently in AI-generated summaries and recommendation feeds, while competitors relying solely on traditional SEO may see their visibility decline. For businesses, GEO is not just about ranking higher; it’s about being trusted as the go-to source for relevant, authoritative, and AI-friendly content.
Our team helps clients integrate GEO into their marketing strategies — from content audits and keyword-intent mapping to AI-aligned content creation, structured data implementation, and performance tracking. This ensures that your brand remains highly visible and relevant in the AI-first search-driven era.
Next steps — turning 2026 marketing trends into actions
By taking a strategic, trend-aligned approach, your business can increase engagement, build trust, demonstrate authenticity, and create meaningful connections with customers and clients in 2026 and beyond.
Begin by auditing your current marketing to identify your strengths, as well as any gaps or opportunities — or ask us to review this for you!
Prioritise the trends that align with your goals, audience, and resources — not every trend will be relevant to your business. For example:
- Explore long-form content, interactive tools, or short-form video to engage, inform, and enhance interactions with your customers.
- Invest in immersive website features, humanised storytelling, or sustainable initiatives to build trust and credibility.
- Integrate GEO — Generative Search Optimisation and voice-optimised search to ensure your content is discoverable and preferred in AI-driven search results, combining structured data, conversational language, and multi-format content strategies.
Continue building on what already works while experimenting with new ideas, such as long-form content, interactive tools, voice-optimised search, short-form video, or immersive website features.
Leverage technology to improve efficiency, enhance the customer experience, and support your team — but use it to complement your business, not replace the human aspects of it.
If you’d like to explore how your 2026 marketing plan could look — or want a readiness review or audit — we’d love to help. Get in touch and let’s make 2026 the year your marketing works harder, better, and smarter across traditional, digital, and AI-driven channels.