Earlier this month, we launched the 2026 High Growth Study Executive Summary. We’ve already previewed some insights from the examine that present AI’s rising affect on {the marketplace}. On this concern, nonetheless, I need to discover a special pattern that we observed as we dig into the information.

Beneath are two charts. Each signify high-growth corporations, the elite phase of examine individuals that grew at a compound fee of 20% or extra for the previous three years. The primary chart exhibits the 5 advertising and marketing strategies that high-growth corporations use most frequently. The second exhibits the 5 strategies that ship the best influence (on a 0–10 scale, the place 10 is the very best degree of influence).


Conventional Advertising and marketing Makes a Comeback

If one theme emerges from this information, it’s the dominance of conventional advertising and marketing strategies. As an illustration, in-person networking has made an enormous comeback because the pandemic. In final 12 months’s examine, 45.6% of respondents recognized in-person networking as a way they use. That put it in a tie for third place. This 12 months it has jumped to the entrance, listed by 52.4% of respondents. That’s a 15% year-over-year enhance.

Let’s put this quantity in perspective. The 12 months earlier than the pandemic (2019), networking at stay occasions was listed by 56.5% of survey individuals—the most-used advertising and marketing approach that 12 months. As we speak, adoption of this system is approaching pre-Covid ranges.

However we observed different issues as effectively. As an illustration, networking at occasions will not be solely the most typical approach utilized by the top-performing organizations, it’s additionally tied for the best.

Once we requested which strategies produced the best influence, internet hosting a convention or occasion tied for the lead, the primary time this tactic has made the top-five—and even top-ten—checklist. Apparently, occasions are usually not solely standard, they’re producing leads and enterprise alternatives for in the present day’s most profitable corporations.

We additionally noticed that of the 5 simplest advertising and marketing strategies high-growth corporations use, solely two are digital (selling thought management on social media and advertising and marketing video). However what actually caught our eye was the center merchandise on the checklist. For a wide range of causes, conventional (non-digital) promoting isn’t used a lot as of late—it’s not even within the prime 25 strategies—however when it’s used, it apparently works very effectively. It’s in a tie for second place on the influence score checklist. We didn’t see that coming!

How the Pandemic Modified Skilled Companies Advertising and marketing

You bear in mind it effectively. The pandemic pressured virtually each agency to embrace digital advertising and marketing instruments and strategies. And sometimes, as soon as a company will get used to a brand new manner of doing issues, they keep it up. On the identical time, the way in which relationships have been developed and companies have been delivered modified. Even in the present day, many relationships that have been as soon as dealt with in particular person at the moment are achieved remotely.

What’s Occurring As we speak

So why this snap-back to conventional strategies?

Seemingly, this pattern is propelled by not less than two forces:

  • A robust want to construct relationships face-to-face once more. With the specter of the pandemic behind us, corporations crave a return to “normalcy.”
  • Digital advertising and marketing is in a interval of radical transformation. Conventional web optimization is stumbling, web site site visitors is in regular decline and the rise of AI produced a basket filled with partially baked new merchandise. Entrepreneurs are both cautiously testing these merchandise or ready for one thing they’ll belief to emerge.

However this isn’t the entire story.

Digital Advertising and marketing Is Alive and Properly

Digital advertising and marketing could also be a-changing, however it’s no much less essential. Once we look deeper into the information, we see that high-growth corporations are nonetheless utilizing a balanced mixture of conventional and digital strategies of their advertising and marketing applications. As an illustration, social media, search optimization (web optimization & GEO), internet marketing and e mail advertising and marketing are distinguished options of many corporations’ methods.

With out this digital advertising and marketing spine, these corporations’ face-to-face alternatives can be significantly restricted. Digital gives the attain and model consciousness that make interpersonal relationships simpler to domesticate and new enterprise sooner to shut.

What Do You Do with this Data?

So do you have to be doing extra in-person and on-line networking and fewer webinars? Not so quick. Each agency, shopper base and business is totally different. So what works for a typical high-growth agency is probably not best for you. However in case you are conscious of what these top-performers are doing, you’ll have a deeper understanding of {the marketplace}, so you may make higher selections.

Download the 2026 High Growth Study (it’s free!) and discover the information and recommendation, particularly what high-growth corporations are doing. Then evaluate what they do to your personal program. You might be prone to come away with not less than just a few thrilling concepts or initiatives for the approaching 12 months.


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