5 High-ROI Marketing Strategies for Today’s Evolving Landscape

In today’s evolving business landscape, the most effective marketing strategies are shifting, with more companies relying on personal connections in addition to digital platforms and AI. Recently, Inc. Editor-in-Chief Mike Hofman queried Inc. 5000 Community members on their best marketing channels. Generally speaking, founders said the highest-ROI now comes from methods that prioritize authenticity, personal recommendations, and partnerships over flashy ad campaigns. For some, platforms like LinkedIn have proved to be key drivers of business growth, while others are leaning into content marketing, podcasts, or even the boost of being featured in Inc. Honorees also reported that relationships and credibility outweigh traditional advertising in a crowded marketplace. For many Inc. 5000 honorees, referrals, whether from personal connections or online networks, have become indispensable marketing strategies. Below, a few of our business leaders share insights on what’s working for them: “Relationships are the heartbeat of trust, communication, and execution.” — Jennifer (Takenaka) Schielke, CEO, Summit Group Solutions “Referrals haven’t been a sustainable effort for me. Leveraging my Inc. Masters articles with my podcast has led to speaking invitations.” — Gina Anderson, Co-Fonder, Luma “Combined partnerships offer full lifecycle solutions, so that potential clients do not have to shop each piece independently. Our partners in two such efforts are transparent with each other. We realize that by giving potential clients an a la carte approach, full lifecycle services have a much better ROI.” — Beth Maser, CEO, History Associates Incorporated “Referral, and our experiential marketing events.” — Natasha Miller, Founder, Entire Productions “For me, it’s been leveraging my Inc. Masters articles with my podcast to get invites to speaking events.” — Gina Anderson, Co-Founder, Luma “Our highest return has come from formatting done by a proposal writing service, LinkedIn strategy engagement, and Inc. Masters features. Additionally, partnerships that offer full lifecycle solutions have a much better ROI than marketing campaigns or social media.” — Paul L. Gunn Jr., CEO, KUOG “LinkedIn organic networking and account-based engagement is our highest ROI channel right now.” — Lisa Larson-Kelley, CEO, Quantious BY MARLI GUZZETTA