Written by: Vickie Sullivan  |  January 20, 2026

Closing the Marketing Confidence Gap: How to Know What Works

Have you ever felt like you’re rolling a marketing rock up a hill? You’re constantly churning out your favorite tactics, yet it feels like nothing is working.

A recent Small Business Now report from Constant Contact has a name for that dynamic: the marketing confidence gap. It’s defined as a lot of marketing activity paired with little certainty about what’s effective. The report sums it up perfectly: “The gap isn’t ambition; it’s in insight and direction.”

Yep. Many of us are willing to work hard and persevere. But in crazy-crowded markets, that’s not enough. We must know what works, and that can feel impossible when volatile conditions keep changing the game.

So, here’s the big question: How do we determine what’s working? Based on many conversations and observations, here are two blind spots I keep seeing:

• Expecting too little. When the sales pipeline dries up, we lower our expectations to avoid disappointment. That’s how small successes start to look bigger than they really are. The result? We commit to tactics that bring in so little that we tread water instead of growing.

• Telling a false-positive story.  In tough times, any opportunity can feel like a bonanza. Based on one situation, we assume a particular tactic is the secret. It isn’t. Instead, take a wide-angle view. Look at where all your opportunities came from and find the patterns.

Nothing is certain anymore—including what works. That uncertainty is at the heart of the marketing confidence gap. So maybe the best we can do is know what’s working right now and be willing to pivot on a dime when necessary.

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