WSI Smart Marketing

Planning Your 2027 Marketing Budget: Where Your Next Customers Are Waiting

Budget season is here, and it’s the perfect moment to think bigger. Where could your business be showing up that it isn’t yet? Which customers are finding your competitors first? Where do you want to grow next year?

Your 2027 marketing budget is the plan that answers those questions. Search, AI, and local discovery have shifted fast, and every shift opens new places to reach customers. By the end of this post, you’ll know where to look for growth, where competitors may be reaching customers you aren’t, and how to plan your 2027 strategy with your WSI team.

Key Takeaways

What Should Your 2027 Growth Plan Cover?

A growth-focused marketing budget puts your dollars where your next customers are searching. In 2027, that means planning for every place customers look before they call, from Google and Maps to AI answer engines, video, and social media.

Where Your 2027 Growth Can Come From

AI answers:

Getting cited when customers ask ChatGPT, Gemini, or Google’s AI for a recommendation

New service areas:

Reaching customers in the towns and cities you want to grow into

High-intent searches:

Capturing customers who are ready to hire right now through paid search

Video and social:

Earning trust on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram before the first call

Authority and press:

Building credibility through digital PR that search engines and AI tools trust

Reputation:

Growing reviews that make your business the obvious choice

Growth comes from showing up where your competitors already are, and where they haven’t arrived yet. Gartner’s 2026 CMO Spend Survey puts the average marketing budget at 7.8% of company revenue, nearly flat from the year before, which means the businesses that grow fastest are the ones that put their dollars in the right places.

That makes smart planning your biggest advantage.

The opportunity for 2027: customers are searching in more places than ever, and every new platform is a chance to reach someone your competitors haven’t.

Why 2027 Is a Growth Year for Search

Search has spread out. Customers still use Google, and many now ask ChatGPT or Gemini for recommendations, read Google’s AI Overviews before scrolling, and check YouTube and social profiles before they call. Each of those moments is a chance to be the business they choose.

As WSI Smart Marketing’s CEO Ryan Kelly puts it in his AI on the Fly video series:

“Search everywhere optimization is about getting found or cited as the authoritative source on answer engines or artificial intelligence… it still includes search engines, but now also asks: how do you get cited in Google AI Overviews? How do you get mentioned on ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and other third party answer engines?”

New Opportunities Heading Into 2027

A few shifts that open the door to new customers:

AI answers now sit above many search results, and the businesses cited there get seen first (learn more)
Google is testing AI-powered messaging on Business Profiles, giving local businesses a new way to connect with customers from Search and Maps
Customers research across more platforms, moving between Google, AI tools, YouTube, social media, and reviews before they call
Video keeps growing as a search destination, and YouTube results also appear in Google
Smaller businesses can compete in AI answers, because AI tools look for the clearest, most trusted answer to a question

Five Questions to Ask About Your 2027 Growth

Where Are You Invisible?

Ask ChatGPT or Gemini who the best provider in your area is, and see who appears

Where Are Competitors Winning?

Look at who shows up in the Map Pack, AI answers, and ads for your top services

Where Do You Want to Grow?

Name the new towns, services, or customer types you want to reach in 2027

When Is Your Peak Season?

Plan visibility ahead of your busiest months so you’re found when demand spikes

What Is a New Customer Worth?

Knowing the value of one new job shows how much growth is worth investing in

Growth Opportunities and Solutions: Side by Side

GROWTH OPPORTUNITY	WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE	POTENTIAL SOLUTION
Show up in AI answers	Competitors get named when customers ask AI tools for a recommendation	AI Optimization (AIO)
Expand into new areas	You want customers in towns where you don’t rank yet	SEO and Paid Search
Win more local searches	Competitors hold the top Map Pack spots for your services	Google Maps Optimization
Build trust before the call	Customers check YouTube and social before choosing	Social Media Management
Strengthen authority	Competitors get press mentions and backlinks you don’t	Digital Public Relations
Stand out on reviews	Competitors have more recent, stronger reviews	Reputation Management
Reach customers everywhere	You want all of the above working together	Search Everywhere Optimization (SEvO)

The Main Takeaway

Your next customers are already searching. The question for 2027 is whether they find you or a competitor first.

Where Competitors May Be Reaching Your Customers

AI answers name only a few businesses. When a customer asks ChatGPT for the best roofer or HVAC company in your area, the answer usually lists two or three names. If a competitor is cited and you aren’t, they get the first call.

New service areas reward early movers. The businesses that build visibility in a new town first are the ones customers find when they start searching there.

Video and social build trust before the first conversation. A competitor with helpful YouTube videos and active social profiles earns credibility with customers before they ever visit a website.

Authority compounds. Press coverage, quality backlinks, and strong reviews tell both Google and AI tools which businesses to recommend, and that advantage grows every month.

Let’s Map Your 2027 Growth Together

Your WSI team knows your business, your market, and your competitors, which puts us in the perfect position to help you plan your next stage of growth.

Reach out to schedule a 2027 strategy conversation, and we’ll show you where your next customers are searching and which solutions can get you in front of them.

Call us at (707) 843-3714 or explore our digital marketing services.

Where Should New 2027 Dollars Go?

If you want to reach new customers:

Add AI Optimization so your business gets cited when customers ask AI tools for a recommendation
Expand into new service areas with location-focused SEO and targeted paid search
Launch a new service line with dedicated pages and campaigns that capture its demand from day one
Build a video presence that answers the questions customers ask before they hire

If you want to defend your market:

Strengthen your Map Pack position so nearby customers see you first
Grow your reviews to stay ahead of competitors on reputation
Earn press and authority through digital PR that keeps you top of mind for search engines and AI tools
Get ahead of your peak season with paid search ready to capture demand the moment it spikes

How WSI Smart Marketing Approaches 2027 Planning

Every WSI Smart Marketing strategy starts with your goals: your services, your margins, and when your business is most profitable. From there, we build a plan around how your customers search, combining SEO, AI Optimization, paid search, social media, and digital PR through Search Everywhere Optimization (SEvO). Every plan ties back to the growth goals you set, so your budget has a clear job from day one.

SEvO Case Studies

Holly Construction saw a 77% increase in tracked phone calls and called it the best year in company history after moving to a full SEvO strategy. Amy’s Roofing & Solar in Petaluma saw a 570% increase in tracked calls and grew digital-attributed closed deals from 20% to 37% of total business.

Both grew when their strategy expanded to the platforms where their customers were making decisions.

Ready to Plan Your Biggest Year Yet?

Thinking about new markets, new services, or how to get ahead of competitors in 2027? That’s exactly what a 2027 strategy conversation is for.

Reach out to WSI Smart Marketing today, and we’ll walk through your goals, your market, and where your best growth opportunities are.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much should my business invest in marketing in 2027?

It depends on your growth goals. Gartner’s 2026 survey puts the average at 7.8% of company revenue, mostly among large companies. The right figure for your business comes from how fast you want to grow and what each new customer is worth to you.

Where should I start if I want to grow in 2027?

Start with where you’re not showing up yet. Check whether AI tools mention your business, who holds the top Map Pack spots for your services, and which competitors appear in the areas you want to grow into.

Do I still need SEO if AI tools answer questions?

Yes. AI answer engines draw heavily on the same signals SEO builds, like clear content, technical health, and authority. Every WSI AIO plan includes foundational SEO support for that reason.

How can I find out if competitors show up in AI answers?

Ask ChatGPT or Gemini who the best provider of your service is in your city, and note which businesses appear. Your WSI team can run a deeper AI visibility review as part of your 2027 planning.

When should I plan my 2027 marketing budget?

Before January, when new budgets typically take effect. Planning now leaves time to launch new campaigns ahead of your busy season.

How can my WSI team help with 2027 planning?

Your team can map where your next customers are searching, show where competitors are reaching them, and recommend the solutions that fit your goals. Call (707) 843-3714 to schedule a conversation.