Digital Marketing Trends: 8 Graphs That'll Help You Understand [Updated]

Editor's Note: This post was originally published in 2015 and updated with the latest information in 2022.

As a certified HubSpot agency partner, we are highlighting the key takeaways and graphs from HubSpot’s 2022 State of Inbound Marketing Trends. The report collected data from 1,600+ B2B and B2C marketers around the world and in various industries.

Here is a quick summary of some of the major findings:

• Videos are the top content marketing media format for the third year in a row.
• Instagram, YouTube and Facebook are the top three social media platforms marketers are using.
• 83% of marketers believe it’s more effective to create higher quality content less often.
• Facebook has the best ROI for social media ads versus other platforms.

Let’s dive into 8 top digital marketing graphs to learn more:

Top 5 Marketing Trends 2022

The top trend marketers are leveraging in 2022 is influencer marketing, which is a collaboration between a brand and an individual, aka influencer, to help promote products or services. There are two types of influencers - mega and micro. 

In 2022, more brands are leveraging micro-influencers, who are seen as trustworthy experts in the industry and help show a brand’s personality. (Mega-influencers often have celebrity status). 

Companies also are investing more in short-form video content and redesigning websites to be mobile-friendly as more and more traffic comes from mobile devices.

Top Media Formats Marketers Use 2022

Video for marketing is again predicted to be a top media format for the third year in a row. And more specifically, short-form video platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels are growing the fastest.

B2B vs B2C Marketing Campaigns

B2B companies have historically been way behind B2C companies in creating marketing campaigns. But not so anymore as more and more B2B brands are adopting digital strategies, such associal media marketing and video marketing.

Biggest ROI on Social Media Platforms

Facebook continues to be the best value for B2B and B2C organizations in terms of ROI. One of the top challenges in 2022 for internal marketing teams is creating and publishing content consistently. 

Most Effective Content on Social Media

Social media continues to evolve from a platform that was only for socialization to a platform where brands and their audiences share information, education and inspiration. Funny and interactive content tops the charts for the most effective type of content on social media in 2022.

Paid Digital Advertising Use and ROI

Paid digital advertising continues to grow with 80% of companies using the strategy in 2022. The best direct ROI from ads is being found on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. The 2022 report also found that highly-targeted ads, such as to niche audiences, tend to have better engagement and conversion rates than less targeted ads.

Video Marketing Presents Big Opportunities in 2022

Surprisingly, only 6 in 10 marketers claim to be using video in content marketing when video is the top content marketing format in 2022. In fact, 76% of respondents agreed that video helps them reach their marketing goals more than other media types, the report found. For brands not yet creating business videos, this is an opportunity to act on now! 

How Can We Help Advance Your Digital Marketing Efforts?

Marketing Essentials is a full-service digital marketing and sales agency based in Ohio. Whether you’re looking for a one-time project or a vendor partnership, our team will work with your team to set up a strategic digital marketing program that achieves your goals and drives revenue.

Request a free consultation with our experts today.