Understanding the small enterprise advertising and marketing panorama is essential if you wish to be aggressive and stand out.
What are your opponents doing? How are they investing their advertising and marketing budgets? What new tendencies and techniques are they planning to strive in 2026?
LocaliQ has the reply to all these questions and extra in our second-annual Small Enterprise Advertising and marketing Tendencies Report for 2026, together with tons of knowledge and insights from over 300 small companies!
If you wish to see the complete report, jump on over to LocaliQ or download it here. And maintain studying for 10 key takeaways from the report that you must know to tell your 2026 planning.
10 largest takeaways from LocaliQ’s 2026 Small Enterprise Advertising and marketing Tendencies Report
We rounded up 10 quick info from the report that will help you perceive the small enterprise advertising and marketing panorama and profit from your 2026 planning.
1. Most SMBs nonetheless aren’t investing in paid search
In accordance with the report, solely 45% of SMBs are investing in search advertising—up from 40% final 12 months, which suggests the vast majority of small companies are nonetheless not working adverts on high search engines like google and yahoo like Google and Bing.
However, extra SMBs are investing in search engine optimisation than final 12 months—53% in comparison with 39% in 2024, which suggests small companies are primed to seize high-intent, native searchers.
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2. However SMBs working paid search are glad with outcomes
With regards to how glad small companies are with their advertising and marketing investments, search promoting was one of many high techniques they have been happy with—behind video advertising and marketing and promoting and reputation management.
Search promoting is efficient at driving leads and might be fairly straightforward to measure and tie again to ROI, so it’s not a shock to see it so excessive on the listing.
3. Low-cost methods have grown in significance
Final 12 months, low-cost advertising and marketing methods like listings, fame administration, and content material advertising and marketing have been pretty low on the listing of channels small companies have been investing in. However, in 2025, extra SMBs are investing right here.
As extra small companies reel in spending whereas maintaining a tally of the financial system (extra on this later), it is smart that low-cost or principally free methods would change into extra necessary. Small companies are in search of methods to stretch their budgets, and listings, fame administration, and content marketing—together with search engine optimisation—will help them get in entrance of native searchers seeking to make a purchase order.
One low-cost technique small companies nonetheless aren’t investing in, although, is web site chat. This may very well be a possibility for small companies to supply a contact methodology that most consumers actually prefer.
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4. Fb continues to be the most well-liked social platform SMBs are utilizing for advertising and marketing
Social media advertising and marketing and promoting are, unsurprisingly, nonetheless massive hits for companies, with 66% investing in social media advertising and marketing and 56% investing in social adverts.
Fb was the most well-liked social platform for SMBs to make use of for advertising and marketing for the second 12 months in a row.
Of these companies investing in social media advertising and marketing or social adverts, a whopping 91% (up from 80% final 12 months) have been doing so on Fb, adopted by Instagram and LinkedIn.
Social media marketing and promoting continues to be a profitable technique for small companies—it’s an amazing place to interact and develop an viewers whereas adverts make it straightforward to increase and discover related prospects.
5. Smaller companies have small budgets (unsurprisingly)
I imply, that is type of apparent. However understanding the everyday marketing budget in your SMB opponents is de facto helpful. LocaliQ discovered that lower than 10% of SMBs had no funds and 52% (up from 38% in 2024) had month-to-month budgets below $2,500.
And since the report was capable of break down advertising and marketing budgets by enterprise measurement, we have been capable of see a transparent correlation between enterprise measurement and funds. Which, once more, isn’t essentially a shock, nevertheless it needs to be validating to small companies who’re doing a lot with not lots.
This simply exhibits the significance of adopting these low-cost methods we talked about earlier and profiting from inventive advertising and marketing concepts to get in entrance of potential clients.
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6. They’re additionally much less prone to have devoted advertising and marketing help
The smaller the enterprise, the much less possible they’re to have employees devoted to advertising and marketing. Which does make mastering advertising and marketing methods a problem—these usually take some type of time dedication.
What’s additionally fascinating is that this 12 months’s report discovered that fewer SMBs have been working with a advertising and marketing accomplice (solely 34% in 2025 in comparison with 60% in 2024!)—that means these companies are taking over the vast majority of the advertising and marketing work themselves, even when they don’t have any or few workers devoted to advertising and marketing.
This will likely clarify why low-cost methods like listings and fame administration have been so well-represented; they’re usually faster to get off the bottom (even when they could require extra back-end work later) and don’t require numerous time or funds to start out driving outcomes.
7. Most SMBs are utilizing AI
Most small companies are absolutely on board the AI practice. 56% of SMBs are utilizing AI for some part of their marketing! Most are utilizing it to save lots of time and generate concepts for actions like content material creation, design, social media administration, and extra.
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8. The financial system continues to be a priority
66% of SMBs famous that financial uncertainty will likely be their largest problem in 2026, up from 48% in 2025.
This isn’t stunning because the financial system has remained unstable over the previous couple of years and the introduction of tariffs in 2025 has had many SMBs hesitant to make modifications to their budgets or spending behaviors.
Not solely was the financial system the largest problem SMBs famous, nevertheless it was additionally the primary motive they have been planning to lower their budgets in 2026.
9. However small companies aren’t planning to chop budgets in 2026
Whereas the financial system is the primary issue behind SMBs lowering budgets in 2026, solely 8% are planning to take action. 54% of SMBs are planning to maintain their budgets the identical and 39% plan to extend in 2026.
That is promising, regardless of financial issues—with SMBs planning to both keep or improve budgets, they’ve a greater probability at driving outcomes and investing in the correct advertising and marketing methods to develop their companies.
10. Buyer referrals stays the best supply for brand new leads (however getting new leads continues to be difficult)
Getting new customers continues to be a high problem for small companies, with 59% saying it is going to be one among their high challenges for 2026, up from 45% in 2025. That is one thing we hear time and time once more—producing leads and getting new clients is difficult, particularly with restricted funds and sources.
However on the subject of getting new clients, referrals continues to guide the pack, adopted by natural and direct web site visitors, and digital advertising and marketing and internet advertising.
This speaks to the significance of investing in the correct technique to proceed bringing in loyal clients and reaching new audiences the place they’re spending time on-line.
Create the correct advertising and marketing technique for giant ends in 2026
Small companies have massive plans for 2026, and this round-up covers just some of them. To see all the info and insights we gathered from over 300 SMBs, download the full report. And reach out to talk in the event you need assistance crafting the correct advertising and marketing technique to face out from the competitors.
Right here’s a recap of the highest takeaways from The Small Enterprise Advertising and marketing Tendencies Report for 2026:
- Most SMBs nonetheless aren’t investing in paid search
- However SMBs working paid search are glad with outcomes
- Low-cost methods grew in significance
- Fb continues to be the most well-liked social platform SMBs are utilizing for advertising and marketing
- Smaller companies have small budgets (unsurprisingly)
- They’re additionally much less prone to have devoted advertising and marketing help
- Most SMBs are utilizing AI
- The financial system continues to be a priority
- Small companies aren’t planning to chop budgets in 2026
- Buyer referrals stays the best supply for brand new leads
