American Marketer

Frank Vella By Frank Stella When times get tough, the old playbook says to tighten your belt and cut costs wherever you can. But small businesses in 2026 are flipping the script. For Constant Contact's latest Small Business Now report, we surveyed more than 1,500 small business owners to understand their concerns and strategies around marketing for 2026. While they see the current economic hurdles loud and clear, the vast majority are refusing to hit the brakes.

The answer isn't scrapping the way you do TV media buying. It's augmenting it. Image credit: Shutterstock, Stock-Asso By Cory Treffiletti I was having a conversation with a media planner last week, and it started with a familiar complaint: "We're spending more on TV than ever, but it feels like we're shouting into the void." Does that sound familiar?

The most important thing you need to know to successfully set up your CRM is what business needs it should fulfill. Image credit: Shutterstock, Wright Studio By Patricia Rollins The importance of a customer relationship management (CRM) software is something you may already know about as a small business owner. If trying to manage your business with spreadsheets is too overwhelming, a CRM probably sounds like salvation to you.

India's Taj Mahal in Agra is one of the most visited tourist sites in the world By Abhay Gupta For decades, we have spoken of the "Incredible Indian Luxury Bazaar" as a paradox - a land of deep-pocketed maharajas, nawabs and modern-day tech-titans, yet one guarded by some of the most formidable tariff walls in the world. But as we stand in February 2026, the walls have not just been breached - they have been re-engineered into a gateway.

Founded by OpenAI, ChatGPT is a conversational artificial intelligence that can chat with users, answer follow-up questions and challenge incorrect assumptions. Image credit: OpenAI By Mike Ford In traditional SEO, the playbook was clear: write for humans, optimize for Google. You chased rankings with keywords, backlinks and clean technical setup. If you landed on search page one, you'd get the clicks. AI search doesn't work that way.

For creative teams to get what they need from AI, they need to collaborate much more closely with their analytics teams. Image credit: Shutterstock By Lee James Marketing is arguably one of the largest and most scrutinized investments in any business, but for too long, marketers have had to rely on lagging indicators, dashboards and attribution models that tell them what happened, but not why.

Craftsman working on a chair. Image credit: Gorodenkoff, Shutterstock By Smita Wadhawan As we close out 2025, one message from small businesses is clear: marketing has never been more competitive, more dynamic or more essential to growth. The latest findings from Constant Contact's latest Small Business Now report, along with new data from a December 2025 follow-up study, reveal not only how much the marketing landscape has shifted this year, but where small businesses are headed next.

Finding the right point-of-sale partner is key to effective retail expansion. Image credit: Communis VOX By Lynne Laba A marketing strategy must evolve along with a business. As retailers expand, they often find their in-house marketing capabilities no longer cut it, so they will bring in an advertising agency to amplify their messaging. However, a lot of retailers' work and related costs are wasted when products at the point-of-sale (PoS) fail to engage the consumer.

Smart use of marketing and tech helps boost retail sales By Dave Charest The world of small business is always evolving, but in 2025, the latest wave of new entrepreneurs is navigating a particularly tough landscape with a mix of optimism and resilience. The latest report from Constant Contact, Small Business Now: Growth in Motion, reveals insights from more than 1,600 small business owners across the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

The holiday season is key for many retailers to go into the black By Dave Charest The holiday season is a critical time for small businesses (SMBs). For many, it is a major revenue driver, helping to meet year-end goals and set the stage for the new year. However, it is also one of the most stressful and busy times of the year, especially if you are an entrepreneur in the retail or ecommerce sectors.