The CMO’s Social Media Planning Guide for 2026
All kinds of turbulence surround marketing leaders’ planning process, from misalignment with C-suite counterparts to tough economic conditions and never-ending negotiations about where your organization should fall on the brand v. demand spectrum. To boot, customers aren’t just harder to reach, they’re redefining what it takes to capture their attention and keep their loyalty.
Sprout Social and LinkedIn developed this guide to explore the top social-first considerations CMOs need to make as they plan for the year ahead—from where to invest and how to best set up your teams for success, to how to prove the business impact of your work.
Download the resource to chart a smoother course for the year ahead and meet your audience where they already are.
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How to use this guide
How to use this guide
Embrace a social-first mindset
Uncover the top priorities social-first brands will focus on in 2026—and go behind-the-scenes to learn how Sprout’s own team is tackling each internally.
Future-proof your budget
Explore insights from Sprout and LinkedIn research to ground your budgets around the channels, tools and team structure that drive the most impact.
Audit your tech stack
Reflect on whether your current tools work for or against your team, and what changes need to be made to connect the dots between effort and ROI.
Build and grow stronger relationships on social
Sprout Social helps you understand and reach your audience, engage your community and measure performance with the only all-in-one social media management platform built for connection.
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