Digital marketing keeps changing, and the businesses that keep up usually find it easier to win new customers.
Each year a handful of themes stand out. Some fade quickly. Others become part of everyday marketing for businesses of every size.
This article looks at five trends we think matter most for Australian small and medium businesses in 2026. For each one, we explain what it is, why it matters and how to start without overspending.
Trend 1: Short-Form Video Is Now Standard
Short vertical video began as casual entertainment on TikTok. It is now a normal part of Instagram, Facebook and YouTube as well, and many businesses use it every week.
Why Short-Form Video Works
Short clips are easy to watch on a phone, and they show your business in a way text and photos cannot. People get a sense of who you are, how you work and what the finished result looks like.
They are also quick to make. A clip does not need to be polished to be useful.
How to Start
Ideas that suit most businesses include:
- Quick tips or answers to common customer questions.
- Behind-the-scenes footage of a job or a busy day.
- Short product demonstrations or before-and-after reveals (see the note on health services below).
- Introductions to team members.
Add captions, since many people watch with the sound off. Post consistently and look at which topics bring enquiries, not just views. Our guide to video marketing for small businesses has more detail.
Trend 2: Reviews and User-Generated Content
User-generated content (UGC) is content made by customers rather than the business. It includes Google reviews, social posts, photos and videos of your product in use.
People often trust what other customers say more than what a business says about itself. That makes genuine reviews and customer content valuable, and it usually costs little.
Getting More Customer Content
The simplest step is to ask. Send happy customers a short message with a direct link to leave a Google review. Invite people to tag you when they post about your product, and ask permission before you reshare.
Respond to every review, good or bad, in a calm and helpful way. Future customers read the replies as well as the reviews.
Rules to Keep in Mind
Reviews must be genuine. The ACCC treats fake reviews, and selectively hiding negative ones, as misleading conduct. Offering incentives for reviews can also cause problems on some platforms, so check their current rules first.
Health businesses face stricter rules. Ahpra’s advertising guidelines ban testimonials in advertising for regulated health services, and restrict incentives and the use of before-and-after images. If you run a dental, medical, allied health or cosmetic practice, check the current Ahpra guidance before using customer content.
Trend 3: AI Tools for Everyday Marketing Work
AI tools are now part of daily work at many businesses. They help with research, first drafts, summarising data, writing ad variations and reviewing website content.
Search is changing too. Google shows AI-generated overviews above many results, and more people are asking AI assistants for recommendations. Clear, accurate information on your website and your Google Business Profile helps you appear in these answers.
Using AI Sensibly
AI can save time, but it needs a person in charge. Generic text written by a tool tends to read like everyone else’s, and it can contain errors stated with confidence.
A few simple habits help:
- Use AI for drafts, ideas and analysis, then edit with your own knowledge and voice.
- Check every fact, price and claim before publishing.
- Keep customer and personal information out of tools unless you know how that data is handled.
- Be cautious with AI images of people, products or results that could mislead.
We cover the risks in more depth in our article on AI content pitfalls.
Trend 4: Micro-Influencers
Influencer marketing means working with people who have built a loyal audience on social media. Micro-influencers are creators with smaller, more focused followings, often in a particular niche or local area.
For most small businesses, they are a better fit than big names. They are usually more affordable, closer to their audience and more likely to use and genuinely like what they promote.
Working With Micro-Influencers
Look for creators whose followers match your customers, ideally people who already use your product or service. Check the quality of their engagement, not just the follower count.
Agree on what will be posted and when. Paid and gifted posts must be clearly disclosed, and both the ACCC and the advertising industry code expect this. The Ahpra testimonial rules mentioned above also apply to influencer content for regulated health services.
Trend 5: Personalisation That Respects Privacy
Customers respond better to marketing that reflects their interests and needs. Personalisation can be as simple as segmenting your email list, or as detailed as recommending products based on past purchases.
At the same time, people are more careful about their data, and several browsers limit third-party tracking. Australia’s privacy laws are also being updated, so the rules are worth watching.
Practical Ways to Personalise
The most reliable approach uses information customers have chosen to give you. Examples include:
- Email lists split by interest, location or purchase history.
- Follow-up messages after an enquiry or booking.
- Website content and landing pages written for specific services or suburbs.
- Ads shown to past website visitors, set up with proper consent.
Explain clearly what you collect and why, and make unsubscribing easy. Good email marketing is often the best place to start. Our article on marketing in a privacy-first 2026 covers the tracking side.
What to Do Next
You do not need to act on every trend at once. Choose one or two that suit your customers and your time, try them for a few months and measure the results in enquiries and sales.
SLINKY is a Perth digital agency, founded in 1998, offering digital marketing services including SEO, Google Ads, social media and email marketing. You deal directly with senior people, with no lock-in contracts.
If you would like to talk about what might work for your business, get in touch.
