A new financial year always feels like a reset button. Fresh budgets are approved, new targets are set, and everyone’s asking the same question: “Where should our marketing dollars actually go this year?”
But 2026 isn’t a normal year to be asking that question. The way people find businesses has changed more in the last twelve months than in the previous five combined — and if your FY27 marketing plan looks the same as last year’s, you’re already behind.
Here’s what we’re telling our clients as they lock in their marketing plans for the year ahead.
1. Search isn’t what it used to be and your budget needs to catch up
If you’ve noticed your organic traffic dipping even though you’re still ranking well, you’re not imagining it. AI Overviews and AI-powered search modes are now front and centre on Google, answering questions directly on the results page before anyone clicks through to a website. Google itself has been telling advertisers this is the new normal, not a passing phase.
What this means for you: visibility now depends less on a single blue link and more on whether your business shows up inside the AI-generated answer. That means:
- Clear, well-structured content that directly answers common customer questions
- Strong first-party data (your own customer and enquiry data) feeding into Google’s systems
- A Google Business Profile that’s fully optimised — reviews, photos, offers, the lot
If your last SEO health check was more than six months ago, FY27 is the year to book a new one.
2. Google Ads is going all-in on AI — so your campaign structure should too
Performance Max, AI Max, and value-based bidding aren’t “extra” features anymore — they’re becoming the default way Google recommends running campaigns. The businesses getting the best return right now are the ones feeding Google’s AI clean, high-quality data (like linking your CRM so Google knows which leads actually turned into paying customers), not just handing over a budget and hoping.
A simple FY27 action: before you increase ad spend, tighten up your conversion tracking. More budget on messy data just means faster, more expensive mistakes.
3. Social media is being trusted for research, not just scrolling
Sydney’s social culture has always been online — but the shift now is that people are using social platforms the way they used to use search engines: to research, compare, and shortlist before they buy. A well-timed Reel or carousel post showcasing real results does more heavy lifting for consideration than a generic sales post ever will.
FY27 tip: audit your content calendar for the mix of awareness content vs proof content (case studies, testimonials, before/afters). Most businesses lean too heavily on one or the other.
4. Budget planning: treat it as Attract, Convert, Retain — not just “ads”
New financial year budget conversations tend to default to “how much do we spend on ads?” That’s the wrong first question. The right one is: where is the biggest leak in our current customer journey?
- Attracting new audiences who don’t know you yet? → SEO, Google Ads, brand-building content
- Converting the traffic and leads you’re already getting? → Website experience, messaging, offers
- Retaining the customers you’ve already won? → Email, SMS, and social — the cheapest growth channel you already own
A quick, honest look at all three before you finalise your FY27 budget will tell you far more than another round of “let’s just boost the ad spend.”
The bottom line
FY27 rewards businesses that treat marketing as a connected system — search, ads, social, and retention all feeding into each other — rather than a list of separate line items. The good news: none of this requires a complete rebuild. It requires a proper audit, clean data, and a plan that reflects how customers are actually behaving in 2026, not how they behaved in 2023.
Want a second set of eyes on your FY27 marketing plan? Our team at Your Business Live can run a free strategy session to show you exactly where your budget will work hardest this year. Get in touch to book yours.
