20 Unscalable Marketing Moves That Scale Trust

We’ve all automated too much. Funnels, cadences, lead scoring; all useful, until they start replacing the human part of marketing.

This playbook is a reminder, and a field manual, for what actually moves the needle in 2026: small, human gestures that build trust and make brands unforgettable.

These are tactics we’ve tested ourselves (and a few we’re still planning to try). Each one includes time, cost, and expected impact so you can adapt them to your own motion.

Here’s a taste:

• The Pre-Meeting Research Gift: Before a big call, spend 30 minutes researching your prospect’s interests. Send a book or article tied to something they’ve said. It costs $30 and gets remembered more than any deck.

• The 8-Person Dinner Rule: Replace 100-person events with curated dinners for 8 people who share a challenge. No swag, just real conversations , and 50% of them turn into qualified pipeline.

• The “We Messed Up” Post: Share a failure publicly, what you learned, and how you fixed it. Real beats polished every time. Expect 10× engagement versus your average post.

• The LinkedIn Voice Note: Send a 15-second audio message instead of a typed connection request. It takes 30 seconds, costs nothing, and triples your acceptance rate.

• The “Thank You” Video: Record a 30-second video thanking someone behind the scenes , not the buyer, but the doer. They’ll share it, their manager will notice, and you’ll win a fan.

That’s five of eighteen.

‍
The rest cover storytelling, relationship-building, and experience design moves that convert quietly but consistently.

If you’re tired of automation fatigue and want to build a brand people actually feel, get your copy of the playbook.

It’s short, practical, and tested in the wild.

Download: 18 Unscalable Marketing Moves That Scale Trust

‍