Annual plans are being made right now across the Caribbean. As a digital marketing agency, we see the same thing every year: the businesses that grow aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets. They’re the ones that choose wisely where the money goes.
The best place to start is your goals, not last year’s budget. Copying last year’s plan and adding a percentage lock in whatever wasn’t working. Instead, pick two or three measurable goals for 2027 and look honestly at which channels actually brought in leads, bookings, and sales in 2026.
Split your budget into three buckets
With your goals clear, divide your budget into three parts. The exact split depends on your business, but this is a solid starting point:
- Always-on (around 60%): SEO, website content, social media, your Google Business Profile, and email. This is the work that keeps you visible every week of the year. It builds trust that compounds over time and makes every campaign work harder, because a great ad sending people to a weak website wastes money.
- Seasonal campaigns (around 30%): High season, Carnival, back-to-school, Black Friday, and the holidays. Caribbean businesses run on strong seasonal rhythms, so map your calendar first and put money where demand already exists. Book creative and media early: last-minute campaigns cost more and deliver less.
- Test and learn (around 10%): A new platform, format, audience or offer, with a clear question and a fixed budget. This is often the first bucket to be cut, and the one businesses regret cutting most. What works moves into next year’s plan.
Plan for AI search and zero-click results
Search has changed. More people now get their answer from an AI summary on Google or an assistant like ChatGPT without ever clicking through to a website. That changes where your money pays off:
- Measure what matters. Track enquiries, calls and bookings, not just website traffic. You can be visible and influential even when fewer people click.
- Be the source. Create content that clearly answers your customers’ real questions, with up-to-date details and a local focus, so AI tools use and mention it.
- Own your local presence. Keep your Google Business Profile complete and collect genuine reviews. For local searches, the decision often happens right on the results page.
- Get mentioned elsewhere. Local news, partner websites and directories all help AI tools recognise your business as a trusted name.
Ask these questions before committing to a channel
Before putting serious money into a new channel, run it through these five questions:
- Are our customers actually there, on this island and in this season?
- Which 2027 goal does it serve?
- How will we measure success?
- Do we have the time, content and skills to do it well?
- What will we stop doing to make room?
Your 2027 checklist
- ☐ Two or three measurable goals for 2027
- ☐ A clear view of what delivered results in 2026
- ☐ Budget split across always-on, seasonal and testing
- ☐ Seasonal campaigns mapped and booked early
- ☐ Content built for AI search, results tracked beyond clicks
- ☐ A quarterly review to move money to what works
A bigger budget can help, but a smarter one helps more. Want a second pair of eyes on your 2027 plan? Get in touch with our team, and we’ll help you make every marketing dollar count.