Nov 9, 2026 11:25am

By Melissa Rose

Under Marketing

19 min read

Ep. 329: Your Marketing Strategy for 2027 Starts with These Three Questions

LISTEN IN

What happens when you've built a successful business… but you don't LOVE it anymore?

Oof. That's a conversation more business owners are having than you might think.

The truth is, you've evolved. But has your business, and your marketing, evolved with you?

Maybe you've outgrown certain services. Maybe your ideal customers have changed. Or maybe you're realizing that the business you worked so hard to build isn't supporting the life you want anymore.

Before you start planning more social media posts, running more ads, or creating more AI-generated content for 2027, let's get intentional about what you actually want to grow.

In this solo episode of The Visibility Podcast, I'm sharing three things to consider before creating your 2027 marketing strategy:

Authenticity over automation: Why AI should help communicate your brand, not become your brand.
Know your numbers: How to identify your most popular and profitable services—and decide whether they're what you WANT to be known for.
Align your visibility: How to make your website, Google Business Profile, customer reviews, and messaging attract the clients you actually want.

I'm also sharing what's happening behind the scenes at The Dancing House, including our 250%+ summer enrollment growth and how we cut our October student dropouts in HALF.

Because getting more leads is wonderful. But getting the RIGHT leads? That's how we build businesses we actually love.

Ready to see what your marketing is communicating to potential customers?

My $197 Visibility Audit gives you a fresh set of eyes on your website, Google Business Profile, and social presence, along with personalized recommendations to help you move forward with clarity.

Get started at https://www.msmelissarose.com/deals

Remember, you don't necessarily need to build a new business. Sometimes you need to build a new version of the business you already have.

More clarity. Better decisions. A stronger business.

SHOW NOTES:

Hey, hey! Welcome back to The Visibility Podcast!

I'm Melissa Rose, and I am so glad you're here.

You guys, can you believe we're already in November?

I feel like we were JUST talking about our goals for 2026, and here we are, looking ahead to 2027.

And I want to talk about something today that I think is really important, especially for those of you who have been in business for a while.

Because here's what I've been thinking about.

The business you built isn't necessarily the business you want to grow.

Oof.

Let that one sink in.

When you first started your business, chances are you were willing to work with just about anybody.

And I get it!

You had bills to pay.

You needed customers.

You were figuring out what worked and what didn't.

So you said yes.

Yes to the customer who wasn't exactly your ideal fit.

Yes to the service you weren't particularly excited about.

Yes to the opportunity because, well, it was an opportunity!

And that's how many of us build our businesses.

But then something happens.

Five years go by.

Ten years.

Fifteen years.

And you start to realize something.

You don't love every service you offer.

Some customers are a much better fit than others.

Some parts of your business are far more profitable.

And some parts of your business are simply not where you want to spend your time anymore.

But here's where it gets interesting.

Your marketing might still be attracting the customers you wanted when you started your business.

And if that's the case, we have some work to do.

Now, I'm not talking about throwing out everything you've built.

Quite the opposite.

I'm talking about getting really intentional about what you want to build NEXT.

And with just over seven weeks left in 2026, this is a wonderful time to do that.

Today I'm giving you three things to think about as you prepare your marketing for 2027.

And the first one might surprise you.

Number one: Stop letting AI become your brand

Okay, you guys.

Can we talk about AI for a minute?

Because I LOVE technology.

I love tools that make our lives easier.

I love being able to work more efficiently.

And I use AI in my businesses.

But here's what I'm seeing.

Business owners are using AI to create their captions, their graphics, their marketing messages, and sometimes their entire online presence.

And everything is starting to sound the same.

Have you noticed that?

The same generic phrases.

The same graphics.

The same perfectly polished captions that don't actually sound like the person behind the business.

And I'm going to say something that might sting a little.

If someone could take your marketing, swap out your logo, and use it for the business down the street, your messaging probably isn't specific enough.

Ooh.

I know.

But think about it.

AI has made it incredibly easy to produce MORE marketing.

Number two: Look at your numbers. Are you selling what you WANT to sell?

Now, THIS is where I get excited.

Because this is where marketing and business strategy come together.

And you guys know I'm a Certified Pumpkin Plan Strategist.

One of the things I love about the Pumpkin Plan framework, created by Mike Michalowicz, is that it encourages us to get really clear about the customers and work that help our businesses thrive.

Not just more customers.

Not just more revenue.

But the RIGHT customers and the RIGHT revenue.

And that's what I want you thinking about.

Before you start creating your marketing plan for 2027, I want you to sit down and look at your actual business numbers from 2026.

Not what you THINK happened.

Not what felt busy.

Your numbers.

Your KPIs.

Your sales.

Your enrollment.

Your bookings.

Whatever makes sense for your business.

And I want you to answer three questions.

Question one: What was your most popular product or service in 2026?

What did people buy the most of?

What service did you book the most?

What brought in the most customers?

Question two: What was your most profitable product or service?

And this is different!

Because just because something is popular doesn't mean it's profitable.

Maybe you sold a whole lot of something that required an enormous amount of time, labor, or resources.

And maybe another service brought in fewer customers but generated significantly more profit.

You need to know the difference.

And then here's the big one.

Question three: Is that what you WANT to be known for in 2027?

Oh, I love this question.

Because sometimes all three answers line up beautifully.

Your most popular service is your most profitable service, and it's exactly what you want to grow.

Wonderful!

But sometimes they don't.

And that's where we have an opportunity.

Let me give you an example from my own business.

What happened at The Dancing House

I've owned The Dancing House for 18 years.

Eighteen years!

And over those years, we've offered a lot of different classes, programs, and experiences.

And as you can imagine, we've attracted all kinds of dancers and families.

But over the past year, I've gotten much more intentional about the people we really want to serve.

I've been using the Pumpkin Plan framework to dig deeper into our ideal customers.

Not just their ages.

Not just where they live.

But what they value.

Why they choose us.

What they love about their experience.

What they want for their children.

And what makes our studio the right fit for their family.

And you guys, that work has been SO valuable.

Because one of the things we've really leaned into is becoming a welcoming starting place for families.

Our beginner programs.

Our younger dancers.

Our six-week sessions.

Those first experiences with dance.

That's a huge part of what we want to be known for.

We want families to come to The Dancing House, have a wonderful first experience, and then grow with us.

That's the dream!

And that means our marketing needs to reflect that.

Our website.

Our photos.

Our class descriptions.

Our messaging.

Our Google Business Profile.

All of it.

Now, here's where it gets exciting.

This past summer, we experienced more than a 250% increase in summer enrollment compared with the previous year.

Two hundred and fifty percent!

And that was an incredible milestone for us.

But here's what I'm even MORE excited about.

Our retention.

Because it's one thing to get people in the door.

It's another thing to have them STAY.

And you guys, I just looked at our October numbers.

Last October, we had 16 students drop.

This October?

EIGHT.

We cut the number of students leaving our studio in HALF!

Now, I want to give you the full picture.

Last year at this time, we had 157 students.

This year, we're at 144.

So yes, our overall enrollment is a little smaller.

But we're seeing something really encouraging.

Fewer students are leaving.

And for me, that is a BIG deal.

Because I'm not just trying to bring more and more people through our doors.

I want families who love what we offer.

Families who value our approach.

Families who feel like The Dancing House is exactly where they belong.

And while I can't attribute all of that improvement to our messaging, I do believe the intentional work we've done to understand and attract our ideal customers is helping.

We're becoming clearer about who we serve, what we do best, and what makes our studio special.

And that's what I want you thinking about for your business.

Because sometimes the most important number isn't how many new customers you brought in.

It's how many of the right customers chose to STAY.

And THAT is the kind of business I want to keep building.

So as you look at your numbers, ask yourself:

Am I attracting the people I want to build my business around?

And if the answer is no, don't panic.

That's not a failure.

That's information.

And information helps us make better decisions.

Which brings us to number three.

Number three: Make your marketing reflect where you're GOING

Okay.

So you've looked at your numbers.

You've thought about what you want to be known for.

You've identified the services and customers you want more of in 2027.

Now what?

Well, now we need to make sure your marketing is actually communicating that.

Because here's something I say all the time.

Your next customer probably isn't searching for your business name. They're searching for the exact thing they need.

Think about that.

They're not necessarily searching for Your Business Name or Industry - like dance studio.

They're searching for:

"Ballet classes for three-year-olds near me."

"Adult beginner ballet classes."

"Tap classes for seniors."

"Dance classes for toddlers between 4-6pm."

"Short commitment for dance classes for preschoolers."

Those are very specific searches.

And they represent very specific needs.

And the question is:

Does my online presence answer those questions?

Because if it doesn't, we have an opportunity to make it better.

Now, here's where this gets interesting.

You might offer ten different services.

But that doesn't mean all ten deserve equal attention in your marketing.

If there's one service you want to become known for, I want that service to be incredibly easy to find.

Front and center.

On your website.

In your messaging.

In your Google Business Profile, where appropriate.

In the content you're creating.

And in the customer stories you're sharing.

Let me give you another example.

Let's talk about CPAs

Imagine you're a CPA.

You've been in business for fifteen years.

You've done individual tax returns.

You've worked with families.

You've helped small businesses.

You've offered bookkeeping, tax preparation, and maybe some advisory services.

You've done a little bit of everything.

But now you're realizing something.

You LOVE working with small business owners.

You love helping them plan ahead.

You love helping them understand their numbers.

You want to be more proactive and strategic.

And in 2027, you want to grow your small business tax-planning services.

Wonderful!

But let's look at your website.

Your homepage says:

"We provide comprehensive accounting and tax services for individuals and businesses."

Okay.

That's accurate.

But it's not particularly compelling to the small business owner who's looking for proactive tax planning.

Now imagine your website says something more like:

"Proactive Tax Planning for Small Business Owners Who Want Fewer Surprises and Better Decisions."

Ooh.

Now we're speaking to somebody.

We're not trying to be everything to everybody.

We're speaking to the person we actually want to work with.

And here's what I would do next.

Build a dedicated page for the service you want to grow

I want that CPA to have a dedicated page on their website for small business tax planning.

Not just one sentence buried in a list of twenty services.

A real page.

A useful page.

A page that answers the questions their ideal customers are asking.

What is small business tax planning?

How is it different from tax preparation?

When should a business owner start planning?

Who is this service for?

What does the process look like?

What can someone expect when they work with you?

And what should they do next?

Now, let's make that page even better.

Add relevant testimonials from small business owners you've helped.

Explain your process.

Include a picture of the actual person they'll be working with.

Answer frequently asked questions.

Link to a helpful blog post if you have one.

And make it incredibly easy to schedule a consultation.

Now THAT is a useful page.

It's useful for the customer.

And it gives search engines clearer information about the service you offer.

But don't stop there.

Make sure your Google Business Profile accurately reflects that service.

Make sure your social media messaging reinforces it.

Make sure your professional bio speaks to that specialty.

And make sure your customer reviews and testimonials support the kind of work you want more of.

We're connecting the dots.

Because here's the thing.

You can't keep marketing the business you USED to be and expect to attract the customers you want for the business you're becoming.

And that applies to every industry.

If you're a realtor who wants to specialize in lake homes, your marketing should reflect that.

If you're a photographer who wants more personal branding clients, your website shouldn't be dominated by family portraits.

If you're a chiropractor who wants to focus on a particular type of patient or service, make sure that specialty is clearly communicated.

And if you're a dance studio owner who wants to become known for beginner family programs, make sure families can easily find those programs.

Now, does that mean you have to stop offering everything else?

No!

Not at all.

You can serve different kinds of customers.

But your marketing needs a clear priority.

Your main thing needs to be your main thing.

And if you're not sure what that main thing should be, that's where we need to do some deeper work.

This isn't a five-minute fix

Now, I want to be really clear about something.

If you're listening to this and realizing that your marketing isn't attracting the customers you want, please don't think you need to rewrite your entire website tonight.

Because this work takes time.

And it should.

When I work one-on-one with clients on their messaging, we don't just sit down and come up with a clever tagline.

We go deeper.

We look at the business.

We look at the numbers.

We talk about the customers they love working with.

We identify what makes those customers a great fit.

We look at what they value.

What they're searching for.

What questions they're asking.

What makes them choose one business over another.

And then we start building the messaging around that.

Sometimes that work takes four to six months.

Because we're not just changing words.

We're getting clear about the business we're intentionally building.

And then we're making sure the marketing reflects it.

That's one of my absolute favorite things to do.

Because when you get that clarity, so many other decisions become easier.

What should I post?

What should I highlight on my website?

What services should I promote?

What photos should I use?

What should I talk about in my newsletter?

Who am I trying to reach?

Suddenly, you have a much clearer direction.

And THAT is what I want for you in 2027.

Your end-of-year assignment

Okay, you guys.

I promised you something practical.

And I don't want you to leave this episode with twenty-seven new things on your to-do list.

So here's your assignment.

Before December 31, I want you to sit down with your 2026 business numbers.

And answer three questions.

Number one: What was my most popular product or service?

Number two: What was my most profitable product or service?

Number three: Is that what I want to be known for in 2027?

And then I want you to take one more step.

Open your website.

Look at it through the eyes of someone who has never met you.

Can they tell what you want to be known for?

Is that service easy to find?

Are you answering their questions?

Do you have relevant testimonials?

Is there a clear next step?

And does the language sound like YOUR business?

Not some generic AI-generated version of your business.

YOU.

Because here's what I want you to remember.

The business you built isn't necessarily the business you want to grow.

And you have the opportunity to change that.

You don't have to wait until January 1.

You can start now.

Want another set of eyes on your business?

Now, if you're listening to this and thinking:

"Melissa, I know something isn't connecting, but I can't quite figure out what it is."

This is exactly why I offer my Visibility Audit.

For $197, I take a fresh look at your digital footprint.

Your website.

Your Google Business Profile.

Your social media presence.

And how your business is represented in search.

I look for inconsistencies, missing information, confusing messaging, and opportunities to make your business easier to find and understand.

Then I send you a personalized video walkthrough and clear recommendations for what to work on next.

Because sometimes, when you've been looking at your own business for years, you simply can't see what someone else sees.

And that's where a fresh set of eyes can be so valuable.

Now, if your audit reveals that you need help optimizing your online presence, we can talk about my Local Visibility Optimization service.

And if what you really need is to get clear about your ideal customers and reposition your messaging for the business you want to grow, that's something I love working on with clients over a longer period of time.

But you don't have to figure all of that out today.

Start with understanding where you are.

And then decide where you want to go.

You can learn more and grab your $197 Visibility Audit at MsMelissaRose.com/deals.

Closing

All right, you guys.

As we head into these final weeks of 2026, I want to encourage you to be intentional.

Don't just create more marketing because you think you should.

Don't just post more because everyone says you need to.

And please don't let AI turn your business into something that doesn't even sound like you.

Take some time to look at what you've built.

Celebrate what's working.

Learn from what isn't.

And get really clear about what you want to grow next.

Because the goal isn't simply to have a bigger business.

The goal is to build a business that serves the people you WANT to serve, doing work you LOVE, in a way that actually supports the life you want to live.

And you guys, that's worth being intentional about.

If you enjoyed today's episode, would you do me a favor?

Follow The Visibility Podcast.

And if you haven't already, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

Those reviews mean the world to me, and they help more business owners find these conversations.

And remember:

Every week, every month, and every year you've been in business is proof that your community wants, needs, and values the work you do.

So keep going.

Keep making those intentional decisions.

And let's make sure your marketing is working for the business you want to build in 2027.