4 Last-Minute Gifts Your Brand Will Thank You for in 2026

🎧 In this episode of the Trivera Deep Dive, Chip and Nova explore why the quiet days before the holidays may be the smartest time all year to invest in your brand’s future. Drawing from Tom Snyder’s latest blog, they break down four strategic “last-minute gifts” that give brands real leverage heading into 2026, from AI agents and AI-powered podcasts to retained marketing partnerships and modern websites built for AI discovery.

You’ll learn:
 ✅ Why a trained AI agent is leverage, not a novelty
 ✅ How AI podcasts turn existing expertise into always-on authority
 ✅ Why retained agency relationships outperform project-by-project marketing
 ✅ How modern websites unlock visibility in AI-driven search
 ✅ Why strategic investments beat flashy tactics every time

👉 Read the blog that inspired this episode:
Four Last-Minute Gifts Your Brand Will Thank You For in 2026

Transcript

[Chip]
It's the most wonderful time of the year. Offices closing, vacations beginning. Zoom calls replaced with holiday movies. A lot of people officially in holiday mode. 

[Nova]
But not everyone. Some marketers are using this moment to make a very deliberate decision about what or who deserves to be on their holiday gift list. 

[Chip]
And it's not the obvious stuff. It's not shiny, it's not loud, but it's the kind of move that quietly changes how things work all year long. 

[Nova]
If you're responsible for your company's digital marketing, this episode is about what smart people like you are doing right now, whether those moves land on the naughty list or the nice one, and why it matters once the calendar flips. 

[Chip]
Ho ho, hope you stick around [laughs]. 

[Narrator]
Welcome to Trivera's AI Deep Dive podcast, hosted by Chip and Nova, our AI co-hosts. Together, they transform top marketing insights from our blogs, articles, and events into actionable strategies you can use. Ready to dive in? Let's get started. 

[Chip]
Hi there, and welcome to a special holiday edition of Trivera's AI Deep Dive, for digital marketers. I'm Chip. 

[Nova]
And I'm Nova. 

[Chip]
'Twas the week before Christmas [laughs]. You know, that time of year when the digital world is, you know, winding down. 

[Nova]
It really is. Calendars are packed with parties, gift-wrapping. 

[Chip]
And marketing budgets are, uh, officially frozen solid until the new year. 

[Nova]
That's the typical view, Chip, but our founder, Tom Snyder, he reminds us that the best decision-makers see this quiet time a little differently. 

[Chip]
Right, not as a pause. 

[Nova]
Not at all. They see it as a perfect opportunity to make some last-minute strategic moves that give them a, a huge headstart on 2026. 

[Chip]
Exactly. Tom suggests putting your brand on your own gift list right now. 

[Nova]
And we're not talking about some fleeting holiday campaign here. 

[Chip]
No, these are foundational investments, the kind that keep paying you back long, long after the tinsel is put away. We're talking about securing real leverage for the new year. 

[Nova]
And that brings us to the source material for today's Deep Dive, Chip. 

[Chip]
Yeah. 

[Nova]
We are pulling out the actionable intelligence from Tom's blog post, and it's titled Four Last Minute Gifts Your Brand Will Thank You For In 2026. 

[Chip]
So, our mission is clear. We're going to extract the specific, uh, actionable insights from that post. 

[Nova]
Mm-hmm. 

[Chip]
We want to show you exactly how savvy decision-makers can position their brands now, not in January with everyone else, for, you know, maximum effectiveness and competitiveness all year long. 

[Nova]
And what's really foundational here, Chip, is the whole philosophy behind Tom's thinking. 

[Chip]
Right. 

[Nova]
The most valuable gifts, they're never the flashy short-term things. They are the strategic ones, the ones that provide long-term leverage and momentum that just keeps building. 

[Chip]
Okay, Nova, let's unpack this first item. It sounds a little futuristic, but it's actually immediately useful. 

[Nova]
Let's do it. 

[Chip]
Gift number one is an AI agent. And this is, this is so much more than just a simple pop-up chat box, isn't it? 

[Nova]
It really is, Chip. Tom's blog makes a really key distinction here. We are not talking about some, you know, generic, off-the-shelf chatbot. 

[Chip]
The kind that gives you those vague answers, or even gives you the only questions it is able to answer. 

[Nova]
Exactly. An AI agent, as Tom describes it, is a trained, brand-aware assistant that lives right there on your website. 

[Chip]
So, the key question is, how is it different? A savvy listener might be thinking, "Couldn't I just paste my FAQ into some generic AI tool?" 

[Nova]
And that's really the difference between a real tool and, well, a toy. The secret is the training data. 

[Chip]
Okay. 

[Nova]
This agent is built using something called Retrieval Augmented Generation, which means it's fact-checked only against your internal library. 

[Chip]
Your content, your specs, your pricing rules. 

[Nova]
All of it. It simply cannot hallucinate or guess answers from the general internet. It only knows your business. 

[Chip]
That's so critical, Nova, because the result is an agent that really understands what the company does, who it serves, and how to guide people. The gift here is pure leverage. 

[Nova]
And you see the value proposition right away- 

[Chip]
Uh. 

[Nova]
And it just continues all through 2026. First, visitors get immediate precise answers. 

[Chip]
So, less friction, less drop-off. 

[Nova]
Exactly. Second, your internal team spends way less time fielding the same old questions, which frees them up for more strategic work. 

[Chip]
And third, the leads that actually come through are already more informed, better qualified. 

[Nova]
Right, because the AI agent handled all that initial info gathering. It works quietly 24/7, nights, weekends, holidays. 

[Chip]
Continuously improving the brand experience every single day of the year. 

[Nova]
And Chip, our founder, Tom, couldn't resist dropping in a reference here. 

[Chip]
Of course not. 

[Nova]
He notes that if this is done right, the agent sounds like a real experienced team member providing actual value, not some triple dog dare with his tongue stuck to a flagpole. 

[Chip]
[laughs] A classic. And it really does nail the difference, doesn't it, between a high-quality agent that helps and a generic bot that just, you know, frustrates people? 

[Nova]
Absolutely. Now, let's move on to gift number two, which is an AI podcast. 

[Chip]
Now, Nova, you and I, being Trivera's own AI hosts- 

[Nova]
Yeah 

[Chip]
... we might be a little biased here on the power of audio. 

[Nova]
Just a little, but Tom makes a really powerful point about the traditional challenge of doing this. 

[Chip]
And that traditional challenge is consistency. It's always consistency. 

[Nova]
Always. 

[Chip]
Podcasting is an incredible tool for authority, but the burden is just enormous. There's scripting, recording, editing, publishing. 

[Nova]
On top of everything else your team is already doing, it's so hard to sustain. And an inconsistent podcast, well, it actually hurts your authority. 

[Chip]
It does. 

[Nova]
And that's where the AI podcast just changes the entire equation for 2026. It leverages what you already have. 

[Chip]
Your existing blogs, white papers, all that expertise. 

[Nova]
And it turns it all into professionally produced audio content. 

[Chip]
So, you're generating new episodes and maintaining a schedule without adding another huge commitment to the team's calendar. 

[Nova]
Right. It's all about maximizing the return on your existing intellectual property. 

[Chip]
And the why for 2026 is critical here, Nova. 

[Nova]
Right. 

[Chip]
This isn't just about making things accessible. 

[Nova]
No, it's about discovery.... Tom suggests that as voice-driven search and AI assistance grow next year, having your expertise in audio form, it's not a novelty anymore. 

[Chip]
It's becoming a necessity. 

[Nova]
It is. It's how you ensure your brand shows up in those new discovery environments. 

[Chip]
It's a smart way to guarantee your brand shows up where people are listening instead of reading- 

[Nova]
Hmm 

[Chip]
... in the car, at the gym. 

[Nova]
It takes your existing brand trust and gives it new wings. 

[Chip]
A whole new audience. 

[Nova]
And Chip, Tom uses us, team Trivera's own AI hosts as the ideal example. 

[Chip]
I was waiting for this. 

[Nova]
He says, "The resulting hosts will speak with authority, not a couple of bystanders wondering how the carpet got wet." 

[Chip]
Well, rest assured, Nova, we are much more focused on synthesizing deep insights for our listeners. 

[Nova]
Agreed. We'll take a short break and when we come back, we'll dig into the last two gifts your brand will thank you for in 2026, and wrap it up with a special gift that Trivera is offering to give you. [upbeat music] 

[Chip]
Hard to believe, Nova, 2025 is almost over. Marketers and business owners need a solid digital marketing plan in place now for 2026. 

[Nova]
Absolutely, Chip. The digital landscape is moving fast. Websites, SEO, GEO targeting, content, analytics, AI. 

[Chip]
Since 1996, smart marketers have partnered with Trivera for high-performance websites and ROI-driven digital strategy using the latest proven tools. And now, 30 years of expertise. 

[Webster]
And I should know. I'm Webster, Trivera's AI assistant and agent, just one of the AI tools that power our work. AI-assisted content, fully trained AI agents, predictive analytics and 24/7 optimization, and one of the tools we use to drive client performance. 

[Nova]
And it all starts with smart strategy and rock-solid website development, built for results, not noise. 

[Chip]
For a smarter digital ecosystem, stronger engagement and measurable ROI, visit trivera.com. 

[Webster]
Achieve your potential in 2026 with digital marketing that converts. [upbeat music] 

[Narrator]
Welcome back to Trivera's AI Deep Dive. Now back to our conversation with Chip and Nova. 

[Chip]
Welcome back to the Deep Dive. We're now onto gift number three, a retained services agency relationship. 

[Nova]
Right. This isn't something you can physically wrap, but Tom argues it might just be the most valuable investment on the list. 

[Chip]
Because it's the gift of continuity. 

[Nova]
And crucial momentum. If we connect this to the bigger picture, a retained relationship immediately moves a business away from just reacting. 

[Chip]
The digital equivalent of constantly putting out fires. 

[Nova]
Yes. Instead, you get a dedicated team that deeply understands your business, your goals, your priorities for 2026 before the year even starts. 

[Chip]
Okay, but wait, Nova. That sounds like a significant consistent cost. If someone is used to paying project by project, how do you convince them that a steady retained cost actually leads to better ROI? 

[Nova]
That is a great question, and it's precisely why Tom focuses on the unity of strategy and execution. 

[Chip]
Okay. 

[Nova]
With a fragmented approach, you know, one team does SEO, another does content, you miss things. With a retained partnership, strategy and execution live together. They inform each other. 

[Chip]
And that integration leads to a compounding effect that's, well, it's impossible with one-off projects. 

[Nova]
Exactly. Insights build on insights. Small improvements start to stack up. 

[Chip]
And because the team knows your landscape, adjustments happen faster and smarter. It gives the brand stability in an environment that never stands still. 

[Nova]
It turns marketing from a cost center into a real investment driver. 

[Chip]
And that momentum is measurable. Tom says this relationship provides clear performance reports, meaningful KPIs, and guaranteed forward momentum every month and not- 

[Nova]
No, don't say it 

[Chip]
... just another jelly of the month. 

[Nova]
Huh. That consistent measurable value is exactly why this kind of partnership is the gift that keeps on giving all year. It's an investment in continuous improvement. 

[Chip]
And finally, Nova, we arrive at gift number four, a new website. 

[Nova]
This one might seem obvious, but Tom makes the case that if your current website is more than a few years old... 

[Chip]
It was built for a very different digital reality, a pre-generative AI reality. 

[Nova]
Precisely. In 2026, a modern website is about so much more than a fresh design. It's about performance, clarity, speed, and critically, how well it supports both human visitors- 

[Chip]
And AI-driven discovery. 

[Nova]
Yes, and that distinction is the real opportunity you're buying. A new website is a chance to fundamentally rethink messaging and simplify conversion paths. 

[Chip]
And to structurally integrate the AI tools we talked about earlier. 

[Nova]
And let's get a little technical for a moment, Chip, because this is a core Deep Dive nugget. A modern site uses structured data or schema markup. 

[Chip]
Right. That's the code that tells Google and the LLMs what your content actually means. 

[Nova]
Which makes it easy for them to accurately summarize your expertise and credit your brand as the source in automated answers. 

[Chip]
That is the difference between being visible and being invisible to tomorrow's search engine. 

[Nova]
It becomes the foundation everything else builds on. When the foundation is strong, campaigns just perform better. 

[Chip]
Prospects arrive more informed and more confident. 

[Nova]
Brands truly can't afford to be held back by tech decisions that made sense five years ago. 

[Chip]
And our founder has one last perfect holiday classic reference for this one. 

[Nova]
Oh, I'm ready. 

[Chip]
Tom says your brand will wake up transformed. No longer haunted by the ghosts of website technologies past. 

[Nova]
A perfect analogy, Chip. That gift ensures your brand's future is bright and, uh, unburdened. 

[Chip]
And it provides the perfect platform for those other gifts to perform their best. 

[Nova]
It does. And Chip, as Tom wraps up his blog, he transitions to Trivera's gift to you, the listener. He notes that the best gifts quietly fix what's broken. 

[Chip]
These are gifts that don't come from a store. They are gifts that perhaps mean a little bit more. 

[Nova]
That is such a powerful way to frame this. The real value is in the strategic investments that generate ROI long after the holidays are over. 

[Chip]
And to help decision makers find those truly meaningful investments, Tom is offering a free marketing consult.And we wanna be very clear about this. This is not a high-pressure sales pitch. 

[Nova]
No. The purpose is simple. It's a focused conversation about where your brand is today, where it absolutely needs to be in 2026. 

[Chip]
And which of these four investments, or maybe a different one entirely, would make the biggest, most measurable impact? 

[Nova]
It's all about creating a personalized roadmap. 

[Chip]
If we connect this to the bigger picture, the most valuable gift you can give your brand right now isn't the tactic itself. 

[Nova]
Right. 

[Chip]
It's taking that first strategic step to discover what will truly give your brand its wings for 2026, and that momentum starts with a focused conversation. 

[Nova]
We encourage you, our listener, to contact Trivera today to discuss how we can help your business succeed and make 2026 your strongest year yet. 

[Chip]
Please do. 

[Nova]
Download this deep dive, subscribe to the show for more actionable insights, and of course, share this with any colleague who's ready to give their brand the gift of a real head start. 

[Chip]
And from all of us at Trivera, including our founder, Tom Snyder, and your AI co-hosts, Nova and myself, Chip, Margie, Jamie, Jeff, Katy, Joe, Jen, the other Jen, Steph, Kristy, Jonah, Sue, Matt, and Webster, we wish you a truly happy holiday season and a prosperous, successful new year. 

[Nova]
May 2026 be the year your marketing works smarter, your brand grows stronger, and the gift you give your business truly keep on giving. 

[Chip]
We'll talk to you again in January as the Trivera Deep Dive begins season four and Trivera begins its 31st year. 

[Narrator]
Thanks for joining us on Trivera's AI Deep Dive with Chip and Nova. If you enjoyed this episode, you can find more and stay up to date with new episodes wherever you listen to podcasts, or find them on our website and our social media channels. And don't forget to visit us at Trivera.com to learn how we can help take your marketing to the next level. Ready to talk? Reach out. We'd love to hear from you. See you next time. [upbeat music]