Why You Need an AI Usage Policy & How to Create One

ai usage

AI is everywhere these days. It has revolutionized how businesses operate, touching everything from coding and customer service to sales pitches and marketing planning. But for many small and mid-size businesses, it still feels a little like the wild west. Everyone’s using it, but nobody has a map.

When you lack clear guidelines, you risk everything from exposing sensitive client data to creating generic content that completely undermines your unique brand voice.

At Green Apple Strategy, we’ve been at the forefront of navigating AI and its impact on the marketing landscape. We’ve seen how AI can be used to dramatically improve marketing outcomes. We’ve also seen some of the AI myths and missteps that lead to confusion—or worse, public mistakes. That’s why we developed our own AI usage policy—and why we’ve been helping clients create policies for their teams, too.

Why Your Business Needs an AI Usage Policy

A formal AI usage policy isn’t about stifling innovation. It’s about protecting your business, your clients, and your brand integrity. It acts as the “marshal” in the Wild West, establishing rules everyone can follow. Your policy needs to address three critical areas:

  1. Data Security: What internal client data or proprietary information can your team input into public AI tools like ChatGPT? The answer is usually none. Public models learn from the data you input, meaning confidential details could end up in the public domain.
  2. Brand Integrity: AI is a powerful assistant. It is not your chief content officer. Unedited AI output often sounds generic. It lacks the unique perspective and voice that your clients rely on. Your policy must ensure a human editor is always responsible for the final product.
  3. Compliance and Ethics: Who owns the content created by AI? What tools are approved for use? Clear rules on copyright, plagiarism, and factual verification are essential to avoid future legal problems.

Practical Steps to Build Your AI Policy

You don’t need a massive legal document. You need a simple, clear framework that protects your assets and empowers your team to use AI wisely.

1. Clarify Your Purpose

Start your policy with a short statement defining its goal. Is the goal to enhance efficiency? Is it to accelerate research? Is it to protect proprietary data? Clarity here sets the right tone. For example: “The purpose of this policy is to maximize efficiency through AI tools while rigorously protecting client data, brand voice, and legal compliance.”

Bottom Line: Ensure everyone on your team has a clear understanding of why following the policy matters and how it applies to them. 

2. Establish Data Security

This is the most critical step. Create a list of internal information that is never allowed in external, public-facing AI tools. This section should state that client names, financial data, contract details, and unreleased product specs are forbidden in public AI prompts. These are your official “Do Not Enter” zones.

Bottom Line: Your team should only use public AI tools for general research, public-facing ideas, or synthesizing non-confidential information.

3. Define Guidelines for Responsible AI Usage

You need rules for ethical use. This section should cover transparency with clients and which tools are sanctioned, clarifying which platforms (like enterprise-level versus free public models) are approved. Also, it can be helpful to define rules for transparency. For instance, requiring internal disclosure when AI is used on a client project, or explicitly stating when AI is used to produce a video asset.

Bottom Line: Every approved tool must be vetted for security and usage terms. Your team must know that all AI-assisted content still requires human review.

4. Address Specific Issues 

This section ensures you are proactively addressing modern concerns beyond simple data leaks. Your policy should include sections on privacy, security, and bias. This ensures your final content is ethical and reflects your brand’s values. In some cases, it might be helpful to mandate that all team members must actively check AI output for factual errors and bias against protected groups before using any content written by AI. 

Bottom Line: The human in the loop is responsible for verifying all facts and ensuring the content aligns with your brand’s commitment to fairness and integrity.

5. Identify Your Plan for Training Employees on AI Usage

A policy is useless if no one reads it. You must dedicate time to training. Develop a plan for training employees on AI tools to ensure all new and current team members understand the policy, the risks, and the appropriate usage.

Bottom Line: Training builds confidence and reduces mistakes, which is critical for small teams with limited bandwidth. 

Additional Resources for Leveraging AI for Marketing

Want to dive deeper? Check out our other AI-focused blog posts:

Your Next Steps: From Policy to Partnership

AI is not a threat to your marketing strategy. It’s a tool that can allow your lean team to achieve more. The challenge is figuring out how to integrate these tools effectively without compromising your brand. You need clarity. You need a roadmap. You need a partner.

If you’re ready to move beyond the AI Wild West and build a marketing strategy that leverages the power of AI responsibly, we can help. Green Apple Strategy specializes in creating smart, actionable marketing plans for businesses just like yours.

Ready to gain clarity and confidence in your marketing? Contact our team today to discuss your strategic needs.

5 Steps to Build a Growth-Focused Marketing Plan for 2026

plant growing in someone's hand

Leading a small business or managing marketing efforts for a mid-size company can feel like a constant juggling act. You’re battling fires, chasing leads, and somehow trying to squeeze in time to plan for the future. Sound familiar?

You’re not alone. Many business owners and marketers feel overwhelmed by the pressure to “do it all.” It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and lose sight of the bigger picture: creating a marketing plan that actually drives growth.

We’ve helped countless small and mid-sized businesses navigate these challenges and turn chaos into clear, actionable growth strategies. So, how do you build a winning marketing plan when you’re short on time? Let’s walk through some best practices for growth-focused planning for 2026—even with limited resources. 

How to Build a Growth-Focused Marketing Plan

Creating a marketing plan that drives growth doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With the right approach, even small teams with tight budgets can focus on high-impact activities. Here are five best practices to guide your planning process:

1. Don’t Just “Do” Marketing, Understand Your Marketing

Often, when businesses say their “marketing isn’t working,” they’re really talking about their tactics (like social media ads or email campaigns). But the strategy is the big-picture roadmap that guides those tactics.

Take a step back and honestly evaluate what’s actually working and what’s falling flat. Dive into your analytics, talk to your customers, and ask yourself some tough questions:

  • Are your current tactics actually aligned with your business goals?
  • Are you spending your time and budget on the right things?

Understanding the “why” behind your results is key to focusing your efforts where they’ll have the biggest impact.

2. Find the Sweet Spot Between Strategy and Agility

Successful marketing planning isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Some initiatives require a comprehensive, long-term strategy, while others demand quick, targeted campaigns to address specific needs.

For example, at Green Apple, we often create annual marketing plans for our clients while also building room for agility. Whether it’s launching a product or addressing a sudden market shift, short-term campaigns should also align with your overarching business objectives. This approach to marketing planning helps you stay proactive rather than reactive.

3. Create a “Marketing Sandbox” for Experimentation

Wouldn’t it be awesome to have a safe space to test new ideas without risking your entire marketing budget? That’s the idea behind a “marketing sandbox.”

Think of it as a dedicated space for experimentation, You could:

The key is to dedicate a small portion of your resources to these experiments. You might be surprised at what you discover!

4. Plan for What Happens When Growth Takes Off

A growth-focused marketing plan isn’t just about generating leads or increasing visibility—it’s about preparing your business for what happens when growth becomes reality. What will you do when the demand surges, your customer base expands, or your products and services are in higher demand?

One of the most critical aspects of planning for growth is ensuring that your marketing efforts align with your operations. At Green Apple, we’ve seen firsthand how businesses can thrive when their marketing and operations are in sync. By incorporating this alignment into your plan from the start, you’ll set yourself up for sustainable success—not just a temporary spike in business.

5. Conquer the Daily Grind with Creative Efficiency

Building a growth-focused plan requires you to rise above the daily grind—but that doesn’t mean ignoring it. Balancing big-picture planning with day-to-day execution is key.

Carve out time for strategic thinking and brainstorming. Delegate or automate routine tasks whenever possible. Tools like project management software, social media scheduling platforms, and customer relationship management systems can help you stay focused on what matters most.

By finding creative ways to manage your workload, you’ll have the bandwidth to focus on activities that drive growth.

Ready to Build a Roadmap for Growth?

Crafting a winning marketing plan doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By following these tips and focusing on what truly matters, you can set your business up for success in the year ahead.

Green Apple Strategy specializes in helping small and mid-sized businesses like yours create clear, actionable growth strategies. We’ll work with you to understand your unique challenges and develop a plan that’s tailored to your specific needs.

Ready to get started? Contact us today for a free consultation. Let’s make 2026 a pivotal growth year for your business. 

AI Prompts: Your Secret Weapon for More Effective Marketing Meetings 

artificial intelligence for marketing

We’ve all been there. You walk into a marketing meeting ready to drive results, but the discussion gets bogged down. You dive into the details. You spend too much time on data analysis. At Green Apple Strategy, we know these meetings are key opportunities. They should be used to make a real impact and drive meaningful results for our clients. With the right tools, even the most routine discussions can spark creativity and encourage collaboration. This brings everyone together around clear goals. 

Meeting productivity is one way AI can help small and mid-size businesses improve the effectiveness of their marketing. It can create space for your team to focus on what truly matters: strategy, creativity, and connection. At Green Apple, we’re constantly exploring new ways to use AI to improve our clients’ marketing efforts. In this blog, we’re unpacking seven practical ways to use AI to transform your marketing meetings:

How to Use AI for More Effective Marketing Meetings

1. Automate Pre-Meeting Prep

Preparing for a meeting often takes as much time as the meeting itself. AI tools can automate routine tasks by summarizing reports and organizing marketing campaign data. These tools can even generate quick performance snapshots. Instead of spending hours piecing together information, your team can start meetings with everything they need at their fingertips.

Prompt to try:  “Summarize the key performance trends from this marketing report. Include major wins, areas that declined, and any patterns worth noting.”

Green Apple Insight: AI can summarize data, but it can’t explain why numbers moved or what to do next. Strategy comes from understanding industry context, current trends, buyer behavior, and seasonal patterns. That’s where our team steps in—to interpret the story behind the data and recommend actions that move the needle.

2. Kickstart Brainstorms Without the Blank-Page Panic

AI can jumpstart the creative process by generating fresh ideas, taglines, or campaign angles, but it doesn’t replace human creativity. It can provide inspiration to help your team think outside the box. 

Prompt to try: “Generate five creative campaign concepts to promote [product/service] to [target audience]. Include messaging themes and suggested channels.”

Green Apple Insight: AI can generate ideas, but it doesn’t know your business goals, internal limitations, or brand voice. Humans can translate five ideas into one strategic approach that aligns with the big picture. That’s the part AI can’t do, and that’s the part we do every day.

3. Strengthen Marketing and Sales Alignment

Creating alignment between sales and marketing is critical if you want to accelerate business development. AI can quickly generate specific, structured questions to foster collaboration and help marketing and sales teams understand each other. 

Prompt to Try: “Suggest three questions marketing can ask sales to better align on [specific goal, e.g., lead generation, customer retention].”

Green Apple Insight: While AI can provide the questions, human leadership must drive the implementation. We ensure the answers gathered lead to real operational alignment (e.g., updating the Sales Playbook or refining the lead hand-off process). The questions are useless without the strategic follow-through.

4. Identify Potential Solutions to Underperforming Tactics

AI can significantly accelerate the process of diagnosing underperforming tactics by quickly analyzing vast datasets. It can identify hidden patterns and correlations that human marketers might miss, pinpointing exactly where a channel—like email or social media—is breaking down and new ideas to consider. 

Prompt to Try: “What are some strategies to increase engagement for our [specific marketing channel, e.g., email, social media] based on current trends?”

Green Apple Insight: AI can give generic best practices, but strategic thinking is required to apply ideas for each client’s context. We can take an AI-generated idea (e.g., “Use more video”) and tailor it to the client’s industry, audience history, and capacity. We can then execute that strategy with precision, ensuring your marketing tactics actually support the bigger business objective.

5. Find New Content Angles

Every content marketer knows what it is like to ask the question, “What should we write next?” AI can significantly boost content creation by acting as a tireless research assistant. It quickly synthesizes massive amounts of data from the web, identifying emerging trends, common audience pain points, and competitor blind spots in a fraction of the time a human requires. 

Prompt to try: “Generate 10 content topics for a B2B audience in the [industry] space. Make them strategic, not generic.”

Green Apple Insight: Ideas are easy. Relevance is hard. Strategy determines what your audience actually needs from you.

6. Streamline Next Steps and Action Items

A productive discussion can easily lose its momentum, and action items get lost in translation. AI can help summarize key takeaways and assign the next steps in real time. It ensures nothing slips through the cracks so that everyone leaves the meeting with clarity and purpose.

Prompt to try: After recording an online meeting, you could ask a meeting tool like Otter.ai to “Summarize the key decisions, action items, and deadlines from this conversation. List them by owner.”

Green Apple Insight: Summaries are helpful, but AI can’t manage accountability, scope, priorities, or capacity. That takes real project management for your marketing—and that’s why our team places such a high value on strong internal systems and clear workflow.

7. Support Long-Term Strategic Planning 

As AI use increases, these tools can quickly identify potential industry shifts, risks such as privacy changes or platform instability, and emerging opportunities. This gives leadership teams a clearer foundation for forward-looking SWOT analyses.

Prompt to try: “Give me a list of opportunities or potential risks based on the marketing trends expected in 2026.” 

Green Apple Insight: Trends matter, but prioritizing them matters more. AI provides data, but we help clients decide what’s realistic, what’s worthwhile, and what actually fits their budget and goals. We turn that raw list of potential risks into a concrete, action-oriented plan to address them.

AI + Strategic Insights = More Effective Marketing

By incorporating AI-powered tools and smart prompts into your marketing meetings, you can unlock a new level of productivity and collaboration. You’ll have more time for strategic discussions, uncover innovative ideas, and make data-driven decisions that drive real results.

At Green Apple Strategy, we believe in eliminating the guesswork from marketing. We leverage the power of AI and our expert interpretation to develop and implement strategic marketing campaigns that help our clients achieve their goals.

Contact us today or explore our approach to strategic planning to discover how we can help your business grow.

The Marketing Sandbox: How to Discover Your Next Best Marketing Tactic for 2026

The beginning of the year is always an exciting time to dream about future possibilities. It seems like the marketing world is buzzing with the latest trends and promising strategies this time of year. However, the flurry of new marketing trends can often be overwhelming, making it challenging for businesses to decide where to invest their resources. With a constant influx of new tools and ideas, it’s easy to feel paralyzed by the decision of which new tactics to implement. 

But what if there was a space where you could experiment, innovate, and stumble without jeopardizing your entire marketing campaign for the year? At Green Apple Strategy, we’ve started referring to this as the “marketing sandbox.”

What is a Marketing Sandbox?

Remember the childhood joy of building sand castles and digging for buried treasure in a sandbox on the playground? Children enjoy a sense of endless possibilities and the freedom to experiment and create without fear of consequences—that’s the essence of the marketing sandbox.

Just like the childhood toy, a marketing sandbox provides a controlled environment to test new ideas, explore emerging trends, and discover what truly resonates with your audience. It’s not about reinventing your entire marketing strategy; it’s about calculated exploration within a defined framework to find your next great marketing idea.

Tips for Incorporating the Marketing Sandbox Concept

At Green Apple, this is a concept we’ve incorporated numerous times over the year—for our own marketing efforts and our clients. In order to introduce a specific marketing strategy or test a new social media platform, we incorporate one or two new ideas each year to stretch our thinking and enhance our marketing efforts. 

So, how do you build your marketing sandbox? Here are a few tips to get you started:

Explore Emerging Trends in Marketing

The first step to finding your next great marketing tactic is to be aware of the latest trends and technologies shaping the marketing landscape. Whether you’re learning about user-generated content, social commerce, or social listening, staying informed will equip your team with the insights needed to innovate effectively.

Allocate a Portion of the Budget for Experimentation

One benefit of this approach is that it doesn’t require a massive investment. We often encourage businesses to set aside a dedicated budget for sandbox initiatives as they think strategically about their marketing budget for the year. Companies can mitigate risks by earmarking funds specifically for experimentation while fostering a culture that encourages innovation.

Encourage Cross-Collaboration Across Departments 

To ensure your marketing tactics are aligned with your overall business objectives, you’ll want to break down silos and encourage collaboration across different departments. By fostering an environment where teams can share ideas, you can leverage diverse perspectives to drive innovation and create cohesive marketing strategies.

Fire Bullets, Not Cannonballs

This is a principle from popular leadership author Jim Collins. Instead of investing significant time, energy, and resources into large-scale initiatives, start by launching smaller, low-risk experiments within the marketing sandbox. By firing “bullets” (targeted, low-cost tests), businesses can gauge the effectiveness of new tactics, gather valuable insights, and refine strategies based on real-world feedback before they invest in sweeping changes.

Marketing Sandbox Ideas for Various Industries

Now that you have an understanding of the best practices, let’s see how the sandbox can work in action across different industries:

Affiliate Marketing for E-Commerce:

By leveraging the trusted voices of affiliates, e-commerce businesses can unlock exponential reach, ignite audience passion, and fuel a sales engine that hums long after traditional campaigns fade. As you look at the year ahead, consider how to partner with influencers or niche websites to promote your products. 

Educational Content Marketing for Healthcare Brands:

Empowering patients with educational content marketing builds trust, fosters brand loyalty, and positions healthcare brands as valuable partners in proactive health journeys. As an expert, put your knowledge to good use by creating informative content that addresses common health concerns or topics relevant to your specialty. Share this content on your website and social media platforms to position your practice as a trusted source of valuable information.

User-Generated Content for B2C Businesses:

User-generated content empowers B2C businesses to foster authentic connections and drive engagement by showcasing real-life experiences and testimonials from satisfied customers. Encourage customers to share their experiences and use this content on your platforms to showcase authentic testimonials and attract potential customers.

Text Marketing for Local Restaurants: 

Customer loyalty is the lifeblood of many local restaurants. With an impressive open rate and the ability to deliver timely, targeted messages, text marketing offers a low-cost yet impactful solution for hospitality businesses looking to connect with their guests.

By exploring these low-cost marketing tactics, businesses can effectively engage their target audience, drive growth, and achieve their marketing objectives without breaking the bank.

Unlocking Potential: Harnessing the Power of Innovation and Creativity

The “marketing sandbox” offers a refreshing approach to innovation and experimentation in a complex marketing landscape. By embracing this concept, businesses can foster a culture that values creativity, rewards innovation and drives meaningful results. As we venture into 2025, let’s encourage businesses to step out of their comfort zones, embrace the potential of the marketing sandbox, and discover their next best marketing tactic. 

Let Green Apple Strategy be your partner in turning your marketing ideas into reality! You can learn more about our approach to building a marketing strategy or contact us today.

Tips for Navigating the Changing SEO Landscape in 2026

In the dynamic realm of SEO and digital marketing, small businesses often feel behind the eight ball. You may recognize the paramount importance of search while grappling with the relentless pace of its evolution. The challenge has only increased in recent years as the influence of artificial intelligence on search algorithms increases, making the SEO landscape a complex terrain to navigate. 

At Green Apple Strategy, we understand the unique struggles small businesses face in this ever-evolving digital environment. As an agency passionate about empowering companies with the best possible marketing talent in the industry, we have the privilege of working with several SEO specialists to support our clients’ needs. For this post, we’ve asked them to share insights on the profound shifts shaping the SEO landscape this year, along with actionable tips tailored for small businesses who want to increase their SEO clout.

Biggest Trends Shaping SEO in 2026

Here are the most significant trends shaping search engine optimization in 2026:

1. Google Search Generative Experience (SGE)

Remember the days when keyword stuffing was an essential SEO tactic? Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) marks a pivotal shift in this effort. Keywords are no longer the sole path to higher rankings. Instead, small businesses must focus on crafting content that speaks naturally to their audience’s questions, concerns, and desires. Think less robot, more friend sharing valuable insights.

2. Search Continues to Get Smarter 

With AI and machine learning taking center stage, search engines are getting even better at knowing what searchers are looking for. Search tools now analyze user behavior, search history, and contextual clues to predict what someone wants. Businesses can stay relevant by creating content that anticipates user needs and provides solutions for their audience.

3. E-E-A-T: Trust Is the New Currency of Ranking

Google wants you to trust the websites you land on. That’s why they’re emphasizing Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) like never before. To create content that EEAT will find, focus on quality over quantity, showcasing your expertise through well-researched content, transparent authorship, and building backlinks from credible sources. In 2026, being a trustworthy voice in your field is SEO gold. 

4. ChatGPT Whispers: SEO Gets Conversational

AI language learning models like ChatGPT are showing us how search is becoming more conversational. People are asking questions like they’re chatting with a knowledgeable buddy, not typing robotic keywords with Boolean operators. That’s why it’s essential to start thinking of your content as a helpful guide, a knowledgeable friend offering clear answers, and addressing user pain points effectively.

Tips for Navigating a Changing SEO Landscape

Here are a few best practices that every business can implement when it comes to navigating SEO in 2026:

1. Cultivate Conversational Thought Leadership

Google prioritizes trustworthy sources, and blending thought leadership with a conversational tone strengthens your E-E-A-T (expertise, authority, and trustworthiness). Businesses can take advantage of this by regularly publishing insightful content that leverages their knowledge or by collaborating with industry experts. For example, consider FAQ-driven content to address user queries directly, and keep a conversational tone to address popular search terms.

2. Build Topical Authority Through Content Depth

Strategic content creation is more crucial than ever before. As you plan your content calendar for 2026, it’s essential to establish topical authority by building a comprehensive content library on your chosen themes. Explore subtopics thoroughly, offering valuable information and insights from subject matter experts.

3. Leverage Video Content for Double the SEO Impact

Search engines have noticed that people are consuming video content like never before, and visual content is now indexable and searchable. If you’re not investing in video, this year might be the ideal time to begin filming insightful videos or webinars.  As you post your videos online, follow SEO best practices for YouTube, such as using relevant keywords in your video titles, descriptions, and tags for increased discoverability on both Google and YouTube.

4. Embrace the Shift to Alternative Platforms

With users flocking to platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Reddit for information, search marketing is continually expanding, with social media being used as a search engine. As a small business, it can be valuable to adapt your strategy and leverage data from these diverse sources to stay relevant in the evolving SEO landscape.

5. Refresh Existing Content for Continued Relevance

In a crowded, fast-paced content landscape, refreshing existing content is crucial for maintaining ranking and search engine visibility. One simple way to extend the life of your content is to repurpose outdated content to ensure it still aligns with user intent, adheres to best practices, and competes effectively with newer material.

6. UX: The Constant in SEO Change

Amidst ongoing SEO evolution, user experience remains a constant priority. Google continues to prioritize smooth UX. If you understand that SEO is structured around making the user experience as frictionless as possible, then you have the right mindset to build your SEO strategy. 

7. Embrace Adaptability for Long-term Success

Change is the only constant in the future of SEO. The integration of AI and evolving content standards necessitate an adaptable and evolving strategy. As a small business, it’s essential to embrace continuous learning and recognize the importance of making strategic adjustments to thrive as your audience changes the way they search.

Stay Ahead of the Curve

At Green Apple, we’re committed to always staying one step ahead of the latest trends and equipped with the tools and expertise to guide you to the top of the SEO mountain. In The Core, our monthly newsletter, we highlight the latest trends and timely marketing tactics small businesses should know. Click here to subscribe to The Core and gain insights you need to achieve your goals in 2026.

How to Activate Your Marketing Strategy: A Checklist for the First 90 Days

marketing planning session

From Strategy to Execution (Part One of Two-Part Series)

Creating a marketing strategy is a lot of work. After hours of research, brainstorms, and approvals, you finally have a blueprint for your brand’s future. Then comes the real test: getting it off the page and into motion.

For small to mid-size businesses, especially those with lean marketing teams, this is a very real problem. A strategy that doesn’t translate into real-world action and impact your bottom line is just a pretty document.

At Green Apple Strategy, we believe the true test of a marketing plan isn’t in its creation. It’s in its activation. We’ve helped dozens of small and mid-size businesses create marketing strategies that stick. We’ve put together this practical checklist of must-do activities to set your strategy in motion during the first three months. 

Your Marketing Strategy Activation Checklist 

Our 90-day checklist is a list of 10 essential activities to help you activate your marketing strategy:  

1. Host a Strategy Kickoff with Key Stakeholders

Don’t just email your plan out and hope everyone reads it. Bring people together. Walk through your goals, highlight the “why” behind your approach, and confirm how your marketing strategy will support broader business priorities.
Pro tip: keep it collaborative. Ask sales, operations, or leadership where they see marketing having the biggest impact this quarter.

2. Clarify Roles and Responsibilities

Nothing derails execution faster than the “who’s doing what?” question. Before you launch anything, make sure every task has a clear owner to prevent confusion and inaction. Even if your marketing team is just one or two people, clarify where outside partners, freelancers, or leadership will need to be brought in.

3. Establish Your Execution Engine

Don’t let the details derail you. Set up a project management system for your marketing campaigns. You can use a tool like Airtable, Basecamp, Asana, or Trello to track tasks, assign deadlines, and manage communication. A solid system for the daily grind ensures your plan keeps moving forward.

4. Create a 90-day Roadmap

Annual plans can feel overwhelming, so separate yours into bite-sized quarterly milestones. What needs to happen this quarter to set you up for long-term success? Breaking your plan into 90-day sprints will make it more achievable and keep your team motivated.

5. Launch Your First Campaign

Early wins build confidence and buy-in. Identify one initiative that can generate noticeable results quickly and allow you to present meaningful marketing results to your leadership team. It could be a customer re-engagement email series or a social campaign tied to an upcoming event. When leadership sees progress fast, it builds trust in the bigger plan.

6. Align Content with the Buyer’s Journey

Don’t just churn out random blogs. Map your content calendar to the actual questions prospects ask at each stage of the buying cycle. That way, your first wave of content can support sales conversations directly.

7. Sync Marketing with Sales and Operations

Marketing doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Building alignment between sales and marketing upfront saves frustration and ensures your efforts translate into measurable business results. 

The best campaigns only succeed when they align with the people responsible for selling your products and delivering your services. Use the first 90 days to check in with sales and operations. Does your sales team have updated collateral and messaging? Can operations deliver on the promises marketing is making? 

8. Set Up Measurement Systems 

You can’t prove impact without tracking results. First, determine what metrics matter most to your C-level leaders (hint: leadership cares about revenue, retention, and reputation). Next, make sure you have dashboards and reports in place so you can measure progress and adjust quickly.

9. Refine and Optimize Your Plan 

Based on the data and feedback you’ve gathered, make a few key adjustments. Maybe a specific channel is over-performing and deserves more budget. Maybe a certain type of content is working better than you thought. By refining your plan, you ensure you’re making smart, data-driven decisions that will help your business grow.

10. Plan for Your Next Pivot 

Markets shift. New ideas emerge. A new product might get fast-tracked. Your plan needs to be flexible. Hold a strategy session to review your progress and plan to pivot if needed. Flexibility ensures you can adapt without a complete derailment.

Still in the Marketing Planning Phase? We’ve Got Your Back.

If you’re still in the process of building your marketing strategy, don’t worry—we’ve got a few resources that can help you lay the groundwork. These guides are perfect for getting your plan in shape before you move into the activation phase.

Wrapping It Up: From Strategy to Momentum

A strong marketing strategy is the foundation for growth, but it only changes things if you put it into motion. The first 90 days set the tone for how your plan will perform for the rest of the year. By focusing on alignment, clarity, and consistent execution, you’ll create the momentum needed to see real results.

At Green Apple, we believe the first 90 days are a critical window for turning plans into action. If you’d like a partner to help you build a roadmap for growth and activate your strategy, our team is here to guide you every step of the way. 

Contact us today to learn more about our strategic planning services. 

How to Present Marketing Wins to Your Leadership Team

woman presenting marketing wins to team

Every marketer knows that presenting marketing wins to their leadership team can be a complex task. You’ve been busy. You’ve launched campaigns, created amazing content, and boosted engagement. You know the work you’re doing is moving the needle, but not every win is easy to quantify. 

Still, presenting marketing outcomes (and lessons learned) to your leadership team is essential. It’s how you secure buy-in, prove the value of your work, and strengthen collaboration between marketing and other departments. 

At Green Apple Strategy, we’ve spent decades helping businesses translate marketing results into stories that matter to executives. And while every company has its own priorities, there are some universal principles for reporting wins in a way that resonates with leadership.

What Leaders Are Really Looking For

Let’s be honest. Your CEO isn’t typically diving into the nitty-gritty details of your Instagram engagement rate. They aren’t usually asking about your average email open rates. Instead, they’re focused on high-level organizational metrics. 

When it comes down to it, executives care about three things:

  • Revenue – Is marketing helping bring in more business?
  • Reputation – Is our brand stronger and more credible?
  • Retention – Are we keeping the customers and employees we already have?

If your report connects marketing activity to one (or all) of those pillars, you’ll have their attention. If it doesn’t, you’ll lose them.

Beyond the Numbers: How to Tell a Story with Your Marketing Wins

Here’s a step-by-step framework you can use to organize and present your marketing wins in a way leadership will actually care about:

1. Know the Big Picture

    It’s critical for marketing teams to know the company’s major focuses. This helps you connect your marketing plans to the big picture. It also guides how you present your marketing wins by giving you a clear framework for reporting. 

    2. Measure What Matters

      Don’t drown your report in vanity metrics. Track the marketing KPIs that tie back to the company’s goals. For example, instead of saying “Our email open rate increased,” frame it as: “Our email campaigns drove 200 demo requests this quarter, contributing to $X in pipeline.”

      Even if results fell short, you can highlight what you learned and showcase how you plan to pivot your marketing strategy. This shows you are strategic and adaptable.

      3. Format it for Leaders

        Executives don’t need (or want) a 30-slide deck of charts. Boil it down to the highlights:

        • What you set out to do
        • What happened
        • Why it matters to the business

        When possible, use metrics that allow data to be the diplomat for making strategic decisions. If you don’t have specific data, highlight specific examples of how your marketing supported larger business objectives. Maybe a new content series helped close a big client. Or a specific campaign reduced customer churn. Focus on the impact, not just the activity.

        4. Spotlight One Big Win

          If you only had five minutes with your CEO, what’s the one win you’d highlight? Every quarter, find a headline result to put front and center. Maybe it’s a successful campaign, a milestone in pipeline contribution, or a PR placement that elevated your brand.

          Framing your report around one “big win” gives your leadership team something memorable to latch onto.

          5. Share Key Learnings

            Marketing is experimentation. Some things work. Some don’t. Leaders know this. What they want to hear is how you’re learning and evolving. Highlight 1–2 takeaways per report. For example:

            • “Our paid ads worked better on LinkedIn than Facebook, so we’re reallocating budget.”
            • “Long-form blog posts outperformed short ones, so we’re focusing on quality over quantity.”

            This shows you’re paying attention and making smart decisions with marketing resources.

            6. Share What’s Next 

              Leaders want to know you’re always looking forward. Briefly outline your upcoming plans. How will you build on current successes? What new initiatives are you planning? How will your new marketing tactics tie back to growth? This shows you have a clear vision. It proves you are proactively contributing to the company’s future.

              7. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Feedback 

                Your presentation is a two-way street. Use it as a chance to gather insights. Ask questions like:

                • “Are there new priorities we should know about?”
                • “Is this the kind of reporting most useful for you?”
                • “What should we be keeping an eye on as we plan next quarter?”

                This ensures your marketing efforts stay aligned with the company’s evolving direction. It also positions you as a strategic partner.

                Presentation Protocol: Your Marketing Report Checklist

                Ready to nail that next leadership meeting? Use this quick checklist to gather, organize, and present your marketing wins with confidence.

                • uncheckedDefine Your Report’s Goal: What’s the main message you want leadership to take away?
                • uncheckedConnect to the “3 Rs”: Are my metrics tied to revenue, reputation, or retention?
                • uncheckedFocus on Key Metrics:  Are you highlighting what truly matters to leadership?
                • uncheckedCraft a High-Level Overview: Did I cut the fluff and keep it high-level?
                • uncheckedInclude Your One Big Win. What’s one thing you can spotlight as a win?
                • uncheckedUse Clear Visuals: Are there ways to visually highlight your success?
                • uncheckedHighlight Specific Success Stories: Do I have 1–2 stories or examples that bring the data to life?
                • uncheckedShare Learnings & Future Plans: What did you discover, and what’s next?
                • uncheckedPrepare Questions for Feedback: Am I ready with a few questions for leadership?
                • uncheckedPractice Your Delivery: Confidence is key!

                Connect Your Marketing to the Big Picture

                Presenting marketing wins doesn’t have to be stressful. It’s an opportunity. It’s your chance to shine and show the real value of your work. If you’re a CMO looking for help communicating those wins, our team at Green Apple Strategy is here for you. We specialize in connecting marketing activity to big-picture business results.

                Contact the Green Apple Strategy team today. We’re here to help you turn your marketing activities into impactful business conversations.

                What is AEO and Why Should It Be Part of Your SEO Strategy?

                ChatGPT on a laptop screen

                Remember when search was all about keywords? You’d type a phrase into Google, and it would give you a list of links. You had to click on a few to find the right answer. That model is changing. AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) are transforming how we find information. Search engines are now becoming “answer engines.” They give you a direct, summarized answer at the top of the search page. While this may seem overwhelming at first, the reality is that it can be a game-changer for small and mid-sized businesses.

                At Green Apple, we’ve been keeping a close eye on these changes. Our team has already started adjusting strategies for clients to make sure they show up in this new kind of search. In this post, we’ll explain what Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is, why it matters, and how you can prepare your content for the future. We’ve asked SEO specialist and Orchard Member Kelsey Malkowski to offer some insights for this article. 

                What is AEO and Why Does It Matter?

                AEO stands for Answer Engine Optimization. It’s the process of making your content more visible and more useful to AI-powered search tools. Instead of just optimizing for Google’s traditional search results, you’re now optimizing for AI models that generate direct answers to user questions.

                Why does this matter? Because the way people consume content has shifted. LLMs like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot summarize, cite, and prioritize content from sources they see as credible. To win in this new era, you have to show up where these tools are pulling their data.

                It also means search has moved beyond keywords. AI is looking for context, relationships, and signals of authority. That’s where AEO comes in. It helps your brand become part of the answers your audience is looking for.

                The AEO Toolkit: 5 Tactics to Get Found in AI Search

                Shifting to AEO doesn’t mean throwing away your old SEO playbook. It means expanding it and focusing on strategies that align with how AI tools evaluate and present content. While most businesses are seeing less than 1% of traffic originate from LLMs, that’s likely to increase in the future. Here are a few of the approaches we’re helping clients implement to keep their AEO-ready:

                1. Create Larger, More Helpful Resources

                Short, repetitive blogs won’t cut it anymore. It’s not about the quantity of posts you write, but how well they answer user questions. AI tools want content that is comprehensive and genuinely helpful. That means building guides, how-tos, and detailed resources that answer real questions in depth. Instead of ten surface-level posts, you may be better off creating one strong content piece that fully covers a topic. This makes your content more likely to be cited by AI as the definitive answer.

                Action to try: Look at your most common customer questions. Can you create a resource that answers one of them better than anyone else in your industry?

                2. Format Content for AI Crawlers

                AI engines don’t just read your words; they scan your structure. Using entity recognition, structured author bios, linked references, and clear formatting makes it easier for AI to understand and trust your content. For example, using a very clear question and answer structure is one way to make it easy for AI to use your answers as a source for those topics. Think of it as giving the AI a roadmap so it knows who you are, why you’re credible, and what your content is about.

                Action to try: Format your blog posts to stand out by adding author bios that highlight experience and expertise. Link to reputable sources to back up your claims.

                3. Refresh Old Content

                AI doesn’t just look at new posts. It also evaluates existing content. If your blogs or web pages are outdated, they lose credibility. By refreshing old content with new data, updated insights, and current references, you keep your resources relevant and useful. While this supports traditional SEO, it can also signal to AI engines that your site is trustworthy and up-to-date.

                Action to try: Choose three of your most visited blog posts and update them this quarter with new stats or examples.

                4. Invest in Data-Driven Digital PR

                Getting featured in the right publications matters more than ever. High-authority mentions help LLMs recognize your brand as credible. That’s why we focus on digital PR strategies that land content in relevant, respected outlets. 

                Action to try: Identify one trade publication or industry blog your customers trust. Pitch them a guest article or expert insight.

                5. Keep the Human Element

                AI is powerful, but people still connect with people. Content that feels robotic or generic won’t inspire trust. That’s why we emphasize keeping a human voice, brand personality, and expert perspective in the content we create for clients. AEO may be about optimizing for AI, but credibility still comes from the human element.

                Action to try: Add personal stories, team insights, or customer perspectives to your next blog or social post.

                Ready to Get Found by LLMs?

                How users search is changing. They will come to expect faster and more in-depth responses to their queries as LLMs become more robust. It’s important that businesses shift their SEO strategy to consider not only traditional search engine tactics, but AEO ones as well. It’s a great opportunity to reset and reestablish your content strategy for the current era. By focusing on quality content, strategic authority building, and a human-centered approach, you can ensure your brand shows up where it matters most.

                Green Apple Strategy can help you map your content to AI search engines. Contact our team to get started.

                Stop Guessing. Start Planning: 5 Questions for Your 2026 Marketing Strategy

                If you lead marketing for a small or mid-size business, you know how easy it is to jump straight into tactics when planning for a new year. But without a disciplined approach, you risk creating a marketing plan that looks busy on paper but doesn’t actually move the needle.

                If you want to build a great marketing plan, you have to look back before you can look forward. You need to learn from past successes and failures and assess the changing market landscape. This approach will help you align your marketing strategies with your overall business objectives.

                Build Your Marketing Plan With Five Simple Questions

                We use five core questions to guide marketing conversations with our clients. These aren’t theoretical questions. Each one has helped our clients uncover opportunities, solve challenges, and build stronger marketing strategies. As you start planning for 2026, you can use them as a checklist to guide your own process.

                1. What lessons were learned from this year’s marketing efforts?

                Every marketing team has wins and misses. The key is taking time to dig into both. What campaigns drove the most engagement? What channels fell flat? Which experiments are worth repeating? Looking at your successes and failures side by side gives you clarity on what to carry forward and what to leave behind.

                Client Example: As a long-time marketing partner of The Gardner School during their nationwide expansion, we hosted annual collaborative brainstorms to review wins and challenges. These sessions help us identify what worked and build on that momentum in the next year’s plan.

                2. What are the overall business goals and objectives for the upcoming year?

                Marketing goals only matter if they’re connected to company-wide objectives. If leadership is prioritizing growth in one division, entering a new market, or even focusing on employee retention, your marketing should be designed to support those goals. This is where collaboration with stakeholders across the business is crucial.

                Client Example: When working with First Acceptance Auto Insurance, we learned that one of their key objectives was boosting employee engagement and recruitment. That insight helped us create an innovative internal engagement campaign that strengthened company culture while supporting long-term growth.

                3. What are the main challenges and opportunities in the market?

                Markets shift quickly. New technologies emerge, competitors pivot, and customer expectations evolve. Before you set your 2026 plan, take stock of what’s changing in your industry. Understanding both the threats and opportunities in your space helps you position your marketing efforts more strategically. 

                Client Example: During Urban Sweat’s merger and acquisition process, this question helped us identify the unique challenges of onboarding new franchisee owners. By addressing those needs with targeted marketing support materials, we created a smoother transition and stronger growth trajectory.

                4. How can you improve and ensure alignment between marketing and other departments?

                Even the smartest marketing plan will stall if it’s out of sync with sales, operations, or customer service. Use the planning season to check in. Are your sales teams equipped with updated materials? Do operations have the capacity to deliver on what you’re promoting? Is everyone clear on your target audience, messaging, and priorities? Alignment drives efficiency and impact.

                Client Example: With Maxwell Roofing, this question led to a complete overhaul of their sales playbook. The new playbook streamlined proposal processes and ensured consistent messaging across teams.

                5. How will you evaluate your efforts and pivot if needed?

                No plan survives the year untouched. That’s why building in evaluation points—and knowing how you’ll pivot if needed—is essential. Set milestones to review results quarterly. If a campaign underperforms, plan in advance what you’ll try instead. If a new opportunity arises, decide how you’ll shift resources. Planning for flexibility gives you confidence to adapt without scrambling.

                Client Example: During the pandemic, ATECH needed a new path forward. By asking this question, we quickly shifted from a brand awareness campaign to helping them launch a new service model, a switch that kept them resilient in a time of uncertainty.

                Let Green Apple Strategy Help You Plan

                The best marketing plans are built on a foundation of honest evaluation and strategic foresight. If you need help getting started on next year’s marketing plan, our team is here.

                We can help you build an effective strategy to help your brand achieve its business goals. Get a behind-the-scenes look at our process or connect with our team to start a conversation.

                Crisis Communication Dos and Don’ts: How to Protect Your Brand in a PR Crisis

                woman speaking during press conference

                Almost every business leader recognizes the danger of the unforeseeable PR firestorm. But the truth is, it can happen to anyone. Whether it’s a construction accident that makes the news, a data breach that compromises customer trust, or a social media mishap that goes viral, small and mid-size businesses aren’t immune to the public scrutiny that follows. In the heat of the moment, with phones ringing and comments piling up online, knowing what to do and what to avoid can feel like a monumental challenge. 

                The good news is that a PR crisis doesn’t have to destroy your reputation. In fact, how you respond can actually strengthen your credibility and deepen trust with your stakeholders. At Green Apple, we’ve helped businesses of all sizes navigate tricky PR situations. Based on what we’ve seen, here are a few of the biggest dos and don’ts of crisis communication. We want to offer practical advice to help you avoid common pitfalls and protect your brand’s reputation when it matters most.

                The Don’ts: Common Mistakes That Can Worsen a Crisis

                When a crisis strikes, the pressure to act can lead to panic. Here are some of the most common mistakes we see companies make:

                1. Don’t Delay. Your Silence is Loud. 

                One of the most dangerous things a company can do in a crisis is to say nothing at all. The moment an issue becomes public, an information vacuum is created. If you don’t fill it with your own narrative, others will do it for you. This often leads to speculation, misinformation, and the loss of precious credibility. A delayed response suggests you are unaware, unprepared, or hiding something.

                2. Don’t Lie or Minimize the Issue. 

                In a well-intentioned effort to control the narrative, some companies try to deflect blame or downplay the severity of the problem. This is a critical error. The truth has a way of coming out. When it does, it will shatter any trust you had left. Your audience can tolerate a mistake, but they will not forgive deception. Minimizing the issue can make you appear self-serving and tone-deaf to the very real concerns of your clients and partners.

                3. Don’t Blame Others. 

                In the heat of the moment, the temptation to point fingers is strong. Blaming an employee, a supplier, or a third party might seem like a quick way to shift responsibility, but it almost always backfires. It undermines your authority, shows a lack of leadership, and prevents you from taking the necessary steps to fix the problem. Taking a defensive posture positions you as an adversary to the public rather than a cooperative force in confronting a common challenge.

                4. Don’t Wait for the “Perfect” Statement. 

                You may want to have all the answers and a perfectly crafted message before you speak, but a crisis doesn’t wait. The need for a swift response often outweighs the need for a perfectly polished one. The goal is to acknowledge the situation and assure your stakeholders that you are actively investigating and will communicate further as soon as possible. Perfection can be the enemy of progress.

                The Do’s: Your Protocol for a Swift and Strategic Response

                Now that we’ve covered what not to do, let’s focus on the proactive steps you should take to protect your brand when a crisis strikes.

                1. Do Acknowledge the Issue Immediately. 

                The very first thing you should do is acknowledge what has happened. This doesn’t mean you need to have all the answers right away. It means you must confirm that you know what your stakeholders know. A brief statement on your social channels or website can be as simple as: “We are aware of the situation and are actively investigating. We will provide an update as soon as we have more information.” This simple step demonstrates transparency and a sense of urgency, and it can buy you precious time to gather facts and plan your next move.

                2. Do Take Ownership. 

                The fastest way to regain control and build trust is to take ownership of the situation. This means accepting responsibility for your role in the crisis, openly acknowledging any mistakes, and avoiding the urge to deflect. When you say, “We made a mistake,” you signal to your audience that you are a responsible and credible organization. This single action can dramatically shift the public’s perception of a crisis from an adversarial one to a shared effort in confronting a common challenge.

                3. Do Prioritize Your Stakeholders. 

                Every action you take should be guided by a single question: “What do people expect us to do now?” By understanding the expectations of your audience—your clients, your employees, your partners—the path forward becomes clear. A crisis isn’t about protecting your company’s image; it’s about protecting your relationships. A client who feels cared for and informed during a difficult time will be a client for life.

                4. Do Have a Plan in Place. 

                The best time to prepare for a crisis is before it happens. Having a designated crisis communications team, pre-approved messaging templates, and a clear chain of command can be the difference between a minor setback and a full-blown disaster. This preparation empowers you to execute steps in the moment with confidence and speed.

                Be Ready Before You Need to Be

                Here’s the bottom line: a PR crisis isn’t a matter of if—it’s a matter of when. The businesses that protect their reputation are the ones that take the time to prepare.

                To help, we’ve put together a free resource: Three Steps to Successful Crisis Communications. It walks you through a simple, proven framework to respond effectively when the unexpected happens.

                Download the guide here to make sure you’re prepared to respond the right way when your business faces its next challenge.