Q3 Check-in: What You Need to Do for Your Marketing Before the End of the Year

September marks the end of summer. As kids head back to school and vacations wind down, routines shift back toward productivity. This shift brings the reality that the new year is just around the corner. Now is the ideal time to check in on your 2026 goals, assess your marketing, and get organized before the holiday chaos ensues. In this article, you will find helpful tips to evaluate your content marketing and a free resource to help you capitalize on this season.

Why Now? The Countdown is On!

The holidays and the end of the year are approaching quickly. Along with the season comes the need for performance analysis. If you aren’t already preparing for the year-end rush, you may feel behind, but this article will help you catch up.

The fourth quarter is one of the most profitable times of year for both retail and service-based businesses. A report by Constant Contact reveals that a striking 50% of small businesses attribute up to half of their yearly sales to this crucial period. We hope this information encourages you to kick your holiday strategic planning into high gear. Success begins with reviewing your goals and auditing your marketing efforts.

Review Your Goals

Now is the time to dust off your marketing plan. Look at the goals you set at the beginning of the year and measure your progress. It is also important to review your tactics to see if they are moving you toward those objectives. If they are not, it is time to adjust them. Many businesses launch new campaigns for the holiday season to capitalize on increased consumer spending. If you need a new strategy, we can help you!

Audit Your Sales Funnel

If you haven’t reached your goals, your marketing may not be the only issue. Challenges could be caused by logistics or customer friction within your sales funnel. The best way to assess this is to ask a friend to go through your sales process and note any points of resistance. While you can do this yourself, we are often too close to our own marketing to notice the small obstacles that might stop a customer. Here is how to begin the process.

Audit Each Channel

List all the channels in your content marketing and take a few minutes to audit the performance of each one. Look at discoverability, engagement, and conversion rates. This is also a good time to check for broken links, outdated lead magnets, or issues with audio and video. You are looking for anything that could cause a lead to stop engaging with your content, starting with your discovery channels.

Discovery Channel: Social Media

Social media is one of the most effective discovery channels, with almost all small businesses using it to market their products and services. Constant Contact reported that social media marketing is perceived as the most impactful channel for holiday success by 40% of small businesses, significantly outpacing email marketing at 18%. However, results like these only come from a solid social media strategy.

We have watched social media change the market by adjusting how consumers discover products and services. It has transformed from a place to post pictures into a digital storefront for every brand. Because of this, paying special attention to your social media presence is vital this season. Download our free Social Media Audit and Self-Assessment to evaluate your current presence. With this downloadable PDF, you will answer a few questions, tally your scores, and receive a custom solution based on your results.

Social Media + Interest Channel = Success

Over our 11+ years as a content marketing agency, we have seen successful conversions when clients pair social media marketing with an interest channel such as social media ads or email marketing. When used correctly, these channels combine to create an unstoppable campaign that adds interested leads to your owned audience. We offer bundle discounts because we know that by combining these channels, you will see a higher return on investment than by investing in just one. Ask us about our bundle discounts so we can turn your sales funnel into a cohesive campaign that capitalizes on the holiday market.