Marketing in 2026: Be Real, Be Found

If you thought AI changed things in 2025… buckle up—because marketing in 2026 is moving fast, and the brands that win won’t be the most polished… they’ll be the most trusted.

I saw a story on the news this morning about people using AI to find the best recipes for their holiday menus. The photos look amazing, the recipes sound simple, and then reality hits: AI was pulling mismatched pieces from all over the internet—one top recipe’s ingredients, another recipe's bake time; the result: “AI slop.” 🤢

It was a Frankenstein mashup of ingredients and instructions - technically "a recipe," but not something you'd want to serve to people you like.

This lesson applies to marketing. AI can absolutely help brainstorm and create faster - but letting it fully "bake the recipe" for you is a recipe for disaster. For one, you don't always know where the ingredients are coming from. And two, everyone can do it now...including your competitors. Speed and polish aren't the differentiators anymore. Trust is what stands out.

In 2026, being real is the strategy—because it’s what people can feel in our increasingly inhuman world.

AI Is Your Sous-Chef, Not Your Head Chef

I use AI constantly. It helps me move faster, ideate quicker, and break through blank-page brain fog (the professional term is “staring at the cursor like it owes you money”).

But it still needs a human touch—because strategy, nuance, and “does this actually sound like us?” can’t be automated.

I have a framed picture in my office that says: “AI Generated. Marketer Elevated.” Because nothing I plug into AI comes out 100% fully baked. Most of the time, AI gets me to a strong starting point—but I’m still the one taste-testing, adjusting the seasoning, and making sure it sounds like a real human wrote it.

This lives in my office for a reason: AI makes things faster, but the human touch is what makes it right.

Here’s the real takeaway for 2026:

• AI assists creativity: humans lead strategy.

• AI can draft, remix, summarize, outline, and repurpose.

• You still have to decide what matters, what’s true, what’s on-brand, and what actually connects with real people.

The Secret Sauce Isn’t Actually a Secret

This part isn’t rocket science. There are no tricks. No magic hacks. No “one marketing tactic that prints money while you sleep.”

The secret sauce is painfully simple: deliver a great product or service, take care of your customers, and be real. Period. End of sentence.

Because in a world where people can find information on anything in two seconds, real connection is the premium product.

In 2026, trust is built less by what you claim and more by what people experience—how you communicate, how you follow through, and how you make people feel after they’ve paid you. It’s the basics, executed consistently.

And on the marketing side, the same idea applies: the most effective messaging is the kind you can stand behind. When the product is strong, the service is solid, and the story is honest, marketing becomes amplification—not smoke and mirrors.

That’s also why I run TMP the way I do: lean, efficient, and responsive, so we can stay close to the work and close to the client. Most of our growth comes through referrals, and that only happens when people feel genuinely taken care of.

Me in TMP HQ, aka my small home office—lean, efficient, and close to the work.

Marketing 101 Still Matters… But Trust Is the Recipe Upgrade

Do you need to show up online when people are searching? YES. YES. YES. That’s the baseline.

But Marketing is more than just search. You still have to clearly tell your brand story—who you help, what problem you solve, and why you’re the right choice. You have to show up where your customers actually are (online and in real life). You have to solve a real need. And you have to be priced properly for the value you deliver.

In 2026, the upgrade is that trust has to be baked into all of it—not sprinkled on at the end.

Trust looks like being the face of your brand (or putting real people forward), participating in community and industry events, showing your team in your content, and building real relationships—not just slapping your logo on a sponsorship and calling it a day.

Basically: do you… just maybe do it while wearing your company’s logo’d shirt. 😊

Participate in the types of community events and causes that matter to you. Get involved in your kid's school or sports. Become active in your local industry association or neighborhood. Just do it with a little branded swag.

People do business with people they know, like, and trust. Unless you’re selling a true commodity or widget… that includes you.

Search Isn’t Dead—But the Recipe is Different: SEO → AEO

Let’s talk about the big shift: search is increasingly becoming an answer experience, not a “ten blue links” experience. People are getting answers inside the search results without ever clicking a website.

So what does that mean?

It means evolving from SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)—optimizing your content to be the answer AI tools pull from.

In plain English, AEO means:

• Content must answer specific, conversational queries

• Schema + structured data matter more than ever

• Expertise + verifiable sources are rewarded

• AI-ready formatting becomes essential (clear headings, short sections, FAQs, step-by-step answers)

  
  

And yes, this brings us right back to trust.

Trust Marketing: Transparency, Proof, and “Show Me, Don’t Tell Me”

We’ve always been a little skeptical of casual claims. And now, more than ever, we’re not alone.

Consumers in 2026 are more skeptical, better informed, and quicker to compare brands than any generation before them. But they’re also more loyal once they trust you.

This is where Trust Marketing comes in.

Brands are winning with:

• Unfiltered behind-the-scenes content

• Radically clear pricing and packages

• Proof-of-performance content (real numbers, real outcomes, real examples)

• Case studies + customer stories that show results instead of claiming them

• Strong Google reviews (recent, consistent, and replied to—because reviews are today’s word-of-mouth, and people absolutely read them before they call)

This isn’t about being “less professional.” It’s about being more believable.

Social Media in 2026: Post Less Like a Billboard, More Like a Person

Yes, keep creating content that gets engagement—hooky, snackable, scroll-stopping stuff still matters. Distribution is largely driven by recommendation engines, creators, and watch time signals.

P.S. Don’t look at my social media content for this—I’m like the hairdresser with bad hair. ☹

But beyond posting, the brands that win are the ones that engage. Join groups and niche communities (and actually participate). Like other people’s content. Comment like a human. Tag others in relevant posts. Respond to your audience instead of “posting and ghosting.”

Your page doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Just like in life, it thrives best when it has influence from others.

Authenticity Still Wins

If this sounds familiar, it’s because it is.

In my last post, “Authentic Marketing: Why Human Connection Beats Generic Every Time,” I talked about the real advantage most businesses are sitting on: your story, your people, your personality, your values.

And in 2026, that matters even more—because AI has made “generic content” cheaper than free.

The irony is that the more automated the world feels, the more people crave signals of humanity: a real voice, real specifics, real accountability. That’s why the brands that feel honest and present keep winning attention—and keeping customers.

So if you’re deciding where to invest next year, here’s a very non-sexy, very effective plan:

1. Get your baseline right: clear positioning, a solid website, search presence, reviews, social profiles

2. Build trust on purpose: proof, transparency, customer stories, reviews, real humans

3. Show up consistently: online and in the places your community already gathers

4. Use AI to scale the work—without outsourcing the soul

Closing Thoughts: 2026 Rewards the Real Ones

Marketing in 2026 is not about outsmarting an algorithm. It’s about out-humaning the noise.

Use AI like a power tool. Build trust like it’s your job (because it kind of is). And show up like a real person behind a real business.

At Thompson Marketing Partners, we help businesses find their voice, share their story, and connect with the people who matter most. No gimmicks. No shortcuts. Just real, strategic marketing that works—backed by follow-through and responsiveness.

FAQ

In 2026, the biggest marketing shift is that AI-driven discovery is reshaping search and social, so brands win by pairing strong SEO with AEO-ready content and building real trust. Use AI to move faster, but stand out by adding your human voice, clear answers, and proof—like reviews, customer stories, and behind-the-scenes content.

What's the biggest marketing shift heading into 2026?

Search and social are both leaning harder into AI-driven discovery, which makes trust, credibility, and real connection more important than ever.

What is AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)?

AEO is optimizing your content so AI-powered search tools can pull your business as the answer, not just a link.

Does SEO still matter?

Yes—but you’re optimizing for inclusion in AI answers and traditional rankings. Strong structure, schema, and clear answers help with both.

How do I use AI without sounding like everyone else?

Use AI for drafts and ideas, then add your real stories, opinions, examples, and voice. If it reads like it could belong to any business, it’s not done yet.

What content builds trust fastest?

Customer stories, behind-the-scenes content, clear pricing/packages, and proof that shows outcomes (not just claims).

Do small businesses really need to put people on camera?

If you’re not selling a commodity, it helps—a lot. People connect with people, and “real” beats “perfect” in 2026.