2025 was the year we were told AI could do everything, from our strategy to our content to our business plan. But somewhere in the hype, something important slipped through the cracks: clarity, creativity and genuine connection.
This week I’m joined by marketing strategist Bec Chappell to give you a practical Marketing Resetyou can take into 2026.
Let’s break it down: Stop. Start. Rethink. Redo. Prepare. Because the brands that pause and recalibrate now? Those are the ones who win next year.
This article is inspired by the recent episode of the Social Media for B2B Growth Podcast hosted by Michelle J Raymond, and featuring expert guest Bec Chappell, which discusses this topic in more detail.
STOP - Outsourcing Your Thinking To AI
We both love AI. We use it. We teach clients to use it. But as Bec put it perfectly:
“When we outsource our thinking to AI, it gives us same-same. It removes the nuance and creativity that make us different.”
But here’s the problem we’re seeing repeatedly: Businesses are outsourcing their strategy and differentiation to AI.
That’s how you end up with:
- 70-page marketing plans no one can execute
- LinkedIn strategies that look impressive but change nothing
- Content that sounds like everyone else in your industry
AI can summarise. It can organise. It can accelerate execution. What it can’t do is decide why someone should choose you.
If your LinkedIn strategy doesn’t clearly answer: Why you / your brand, over every other option? No amount of AI-generated content will fix that.
🛑 What to STOP in 2026: Stop believing AI can replace the messy, human work of strategy, differentiation and understanding your customers’ world.
START - Bringing Brand Back Into LinkedIn Marketing
Bec said something in her white paper (“Social Media Won’t Save Your Marketing”) that hit me between the eyes:
“The magic of brand is being lost.”
And she’s right. Brand has been pushed aside in favour of speed, productivity and “ROI by Tuesday”.
But here’s the truth: People buy emotionally, even in B2B. They choose the business that makes them feel something: trust, confidence, belonging, FOMO, identity.
Brand isn’t your logo or colours. Brand is the hill you’re willing to die on. The belief that fuels your business. The thing you really care about.
Without that? You blend in. And blending in is a dangerous place to be in 2026’s crowded digital landscape.
✅ What to START in 2026: Rebuild your messaging around what you truly stand for and why it matters to your buyer right now.
RETHINK - The Role of LinkedIn in Your Marketing Mix
This might surprise you coming from me. LinkedIn is powerful, but it should not be your only growth channel.
Algorithms change. Accounts get restricted. Platforms evolve. I’ve personally experienced how quickly things can shift, even when you do everything right.
When all your growth depends on one platform, your business is exposed.
“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. If a platform gets switched off tomorrow, your business shouldn’t collapse.” Bec Chappell
Social matters, but it can’t be your entire engine.
For 2026, think beyond the LinkedIn feed:
- Website content
- Collaborations
- Events
- Partnerships
- Direct outreach
- Pick-up-the-phone moments (the lost art of B2B)
🤔 What to RETHINK in 2026: Social isn’t the strategy. It’s one channel within a bigger ecosystem.
REDO - Align Marketing Strategy and LinkedIn Activity
Many businesses treat LinkedIn like a separate island: content over here, marketing strategy over there. But clarity comes from alignment.
This is where most teams struggle.
If LinkedIn is part of your strategy, it shouldn’t feel disconnected from:
- Business goals
- Sales conversations
- Customer reality
“Start with business goals, then your marketing strategy… and then decide where LinkedIn fits.”
Ask yourself:
- What is the business trying to achieve?
- What does the market expect?
- What does your buyer need to see at each stage?
- Which channels support those steps, and how does LinkedIn complement them?
If your sales, marketing and LinkedIn activities aren’t working together, you’re diluting your impact.
Before planning content, answer these questions:
- Why do customers actually buy from us?
- What objections slow down deals?
- What questions come up repeatedly in sales conversations?
Those answers should directly shape what you post on LinkedIn.
🔗 What to REDO in 2026: Reconnect your LinkedIn presence to your business and marketing fundamentals, not random trends or assumptions.
PREP - How to Prepare Your LinkedIn Strategy for 2026
At the end of the episode, I asked Bec to share just one piece of advice for the year ahead.
Her answer was simple and powerful:
“Don’t do things just because you think you have to.”
This is where so many marketers and founders lose themselves:
- “I should be on every platform.”
- “I should post every day.”
- “I should follow what my competitors are doing.”
- “I should buy this course because someone said it’s the secret.”
No. 2026 is the year of intention, not imitation.
✍️ What to PREP for 2026: Choose the channels you believe in. Choose the activities you can execute well. Choose the strategies that align with your buyer, not your FOMO.
Final Thoughts and Next Steps
The B2B Marketing reset isn’t about tearing everything apart. It’s about coming back to what actually drives growth:
- Clarity
- Differentiation
- Consistency
- Emotion
- Relevance
- Human connection
Your LinkedIn presence will be stronger when your marketing foundation is clearer. Your content will work harder when your brand is sharper, and your results will improve when your strategy is built for your business, not someone else’s system.
2026 belongs to the marketers who slow down long enough to think.
The brands that win on LinkedIn next year won’t be louder. They’ll be clearer because clarity always beats noise.
Book a time here to discover how we can help your B2B grow – https://calendly.com/michelle-j-raymond/book-an-intro-call-15mins
PS: Want to hear my LinkedIn updates first? Subscribe to b2bgrowthco.com/newsletter
Cheers
Michelle J Raymond is the Founder of B2B Growth Co and has made her mark as the world’s leading authority on LinkedIn Company Pages, offering comprehensive strategies and training to brands eager to harness LinkedIn for business growth through thought leadership, content marketing or social selling techniques.
With 20+ years’ experience in B2B sales, and almost a decade of social selling on LinkedIn, Michelle stands out for her significant LinkedIn contributions as the co-author of two globally acclaimed books: “Business Gold,” the first book exclusively dedicated to LinkedIn Company Pages, and “The LinkedIn Branding Book,” and her insightful podcast Social Media for B2B Growth. Follow her YouTube channel @MichelleJRaymond for helpful how to’s.
