Finding Your Marketing Sweet Spot

As we step into 2026, many of us are staring at a long list of shoulds. We should be on TikTok, we should start a podcast, we should be sending daily emails. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of strategies available to us.

Last week, we talked about the power of getting specific and niching down. But how do you decide which specific path to follow when you have a million ideas?

In warm marketing, scaling isn't about doing more; it’s about doing what works consistently. Here is how to filter your ideas and find your focus for the year ahead:

1. The Fun Factor: Choosing Consistency Over Grit.

We are often taught that if marketing isn’t hard, we aren’t doing it right. But in warm marketing, consistency beats grit every single time. If you hate making reels, you will eventually stop doing it. If you love coffee dates, you’ll do them forever.

Mindset Shift: Ask yourself, what part of my marketing do I actually enjoy? Example: If you are a local service provider who loves teaching but hates social media, stop trying to master The Hand Jive for views. Instead, focus on a simple weekly video or a local workshop where you can share your expertise naturally.

2. Set the Why and Track the Loop

Every piece of content should have a job to do. If you don't know why you are posting, you won't know if it’s working. Warm marketing succeeds because it feels intentional.

Action Step: Determine the goal for your favorite strategy. Is it to build brand recognition? Is it to fuel a follow-up loop?

 Example: If you interview a local business owner, the goal isn't just visibility. The goal is to create a compounding asset that allows you to follow up personally with everyone who engages, turning one conversation into multiple future opportunities.

3. Analyze Trends Without Chasing Them

You don't have to follow every trend, but you should understand why they work. Most trends work because they create clarity or leverage a specific human connection, the very things that drive warm marketing.

The Strategy: Look at what is driving traffic for others. Is it the humor? The behind-the-scenes transparency? The clear call to action? Model the principle, not necessarily the platform.

Example: If Day in the Life videos are trending, you don't need a professional film crew. You can simply share a clear, one-sentence story about a specific problem you solved for a local client today. That clarity is what people actually share.

Doing less on purpose is the ultimate form of focus. By choosing the strategies that bring you joy and setting clear goals for them, you shift from busy but quiet to focused and effective.

Which marketing activity actually felt like fun to you last year? Would you like me to help you brainstorm how to turn that one activity into a consistent, scalable loop?

To have a quick chat about how your marketing plan is working, here is my calendar: https://calendly.com/livelocalteam/15-minute-marketing-analysis