MARKETING
Sixty days into 2026, and I’ve already seen it all. Brands are panicking. Businesses are falling apart.
Not because they’ve run out of marketing budget, but because algorithms have wiped out 80% of successful brands.
First, Google redefined SEO and content marketing entirely.
And this year, LinkedIn and Instagram have played the worst cards imaginable for businesses, brands, and marketers.
Algorithm changes. The introduction of more paid features. Subscription models. Pay to gain reach …. and the list goes on and on. I could talk about this all day, and it would never end.
And I know you’re facing it too. Because we’re all “suffering” through it.
At first, as marketers, all we had to do was collect traffic organically and convert it into customers, monetise it, or make sales in any other way. Now, the script has completely flipped.
The workload is 10X greater, and businesses have limited budgets.
Honestly, though, I don’t see the problem in it. If I were you, I wouldn’t pay a single penny to get traffic that won’t even convert, or worse, offers little to no ROI.
That’s why I’ve written this blog post: so you can understand what experts are predicting for your brand’s future and how you can stay ahead in 2026. And trust me when I say this, I’m writing it at 3:00 AM. So you’d better learn from it!
1. The Decline of Organic Reach
If you’re a business on Instagram or LinkedIn, you’ve likely noticed the shift in your organic reach. Social media platforms that once succeed on organic content are now choking on algorithm changes.
Remember when you used to post freely and see your content reach thousands of potential customers? Well, that’s gone.
Creators and businesses with hundreds of thousands of followers are reporting a dramatic drop in engagement. For example, some Instagram users are seeing their reach drop by nearly 80%. (Reddit) People are posting the same content, but the algorithm simply doesn’t care anymore.
That sense of unpredictability is causing frustration. Algorithms are changing so often that it feels like you’re chasing a moving target. One month your post goes viral; the next, it barely gets noticed. To make matters worse, platform algorithms now favour “hot takes” and controversial posts rather than educational or value-driven content. This leaves businesses in a bind: Do you sacrifice your brand’s voice to create viral content, or do you stick to your guns and risk being drowned out?
2. Burnout and Content Overload
The pressure to constantly churn out content across multiple platforms is wearing down businesses. While large enterprises have whole teams dedicated to social media, smaller businesses often have just one or two people managing everything: creating content, posting, responding to comments, and tracking analytics. It’s exhausting.
A social media manager recently shared their daily routine on Reddit: “research, strategy, content creation, graphics, videos, scheduling, and then analytics.” And after all that work, they were hoping for some kind of result. But all too often, the effort-to-reward ratio is severely out of whack. Businesses are posting content that isn’t resonating with their audience, leading to burnout. The cycle of “create more, post more” without seeing any results is a surefire way to drain a marketing team’s morale.
The challenge here is about doing it consistently. Small businesses often struggle with the constant demand to be “present” across all platforms. And when they fall behind, they risk losing engagement and visibility altogether.
3. Paid Ads: Rising Costs and Lower ROI
Social media advertising used to be the golden ticket for businesses looking to expand their reach. But, as ad costs climb and competition increases, the ROI isn’t what it used to be. Remember when you could put $1 into Facebook ads and get $100 back? Well, those days are long gone, too.
Today, businesses are seeing their ad spend disappear with minimal results. Campaigns that were once successful now barely break even. The rise of privacy restrictions ,like Apple’s iOS 14 update, has made it harder to track ad performance, leaving businesses in the dark about where their marketing dollars are actually going.
If you’re experiencing this, you’re not alone. The pressure to adapt to new ad strategies is mounting, and many businesses are shifting their focus to other channels such as LinkedIn, Google, Reddit ads , or leaning more heavily into first-party content. But when a company’s ad account gets banned or suspended, it’s a whole other level of frustration. Automated bans and poor support from platforms like Facebook can leave businesses scrambling for solutions.
4. Skill Gaps and Uncertainty
One of the most frustrating aspects of social media marketing is the lack of clear strategy. Many businesses are flying blind without a solid plan, unsure of what to post, which platform to prioritise, or how to measure success. They end up posting random content with the belief that “consistency is key” — but without a focused strategy, that consistency won’t get them very far.
The struggle is real, especially for service-based businesses. Take a B2B tech firm, for example. They posted consistently on Instagram, but it wasn’t yielding any leads. So, they wondered: “Should we abandon Instagram and go all-in on LinkedIn instead?” It’s this kind of uncertainty that leads to fragmented efforts. Posting across every platform without a clear focus or strategy is a recipe for disappointment.
The biggest challenge? A skills gap. Many medium-sized businesses don’t have the resources to hire an experienced social media team. Instead, they rely on junior marketers — or even business owners — who are often undertrained and overwhelmed. And this can lead to major mistakes or stagnation in social media growth.
How to Overcome These Challenges
Now that we know what’s not working, let’s talk solutions. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, but businesses can still take action to stay ahead of the curve.
- Adapt Your Content Strategy: Use formats like short-form videos and Stories, which algorithms are more likely to promote. Encourage engagement from your audience (comments, shares) to signal to the platform that your content is valuable.
- Prioritise Platforms: Don’t spread yourself too thin. Focus on the platforms that are most relevant to your target audience, and double down on those. If you’re a B2B business, LinkedIn might yield better results than Instagram. If you’re a creator, YT, IG, and TikTok are good options.
- Build an Owned Audience: Relying on social media algorithms is a gamble. Start building your own audience outside the platforms ,whether through email marketing or a blog. You can also launch a paid community etc.
- Streamline Content Creation: Use tools like scheduling software (e.g. Buffer, Hootsuite) and batch-produce content to save time. Repurpose your best-performing content into multiple formats (e.g. turn a blog post into social media snippets, graphics, etc.)
- Get Expert Help: If the learning curve feels steep, invest in hiring a social media consultant or manager who can guide your strategy and manage your campaigns.
Social media marketing has evolved, and it’s no longer just about posting random content. To succeed in 2026 and beyond, you need a clear strategy, smart use of paid ads, and the ability to stay adaptable in the face of constant platform changes.
With the right strategy, expertise, and tools, even these frustrating trends can be overcome, turning social media back into a tool that drives customer engagement and, ultimately, business success.
What’s your social media struggle right now?
If you’re facing any of these challenges, drop me a comment below, and I’ll help 🙂