Editor's Note: This post was originally published in 2015 and updated with the latest information in 2024.
The 2024 State of Marketing Report from HubSpot offers a comprehensive look at the latest digital marketing trends backed by data. As a certified HubSpot agency partner, we break down eight essential graphs from the report that provide key insights into the state of digital marketing.
These graphs will help you understand how you can leverage them to stay ahead of the game.
1. Time Saved with AI Means More Creative Work
Marketers spend about four hours daily on manual, administrative or operational tasks. But AI is changing that game. With AI tools, they’re saving an average of three hours per piece of content and 2.5 hours a day overall.
And here’s the kicker: the content they’re creating with AI is hitting the mark. Eighty-four percent of marketers using AI say they’re creating content more efficiently, 82% are producing a lot more content and 77% are getting more personalized in their messaging.
2. Data, Data, Data – The Power of a Single Source of Truth
In today’s landscape, having a single, unified source of truth for your data is crucial to delivering a stellar customer experience. Seventy-seven percent of marketers agree that having audience data is key — it helps them target effectively, see which strategies are working, plan media buys better, and create more compelling content.
However, about one in four marketers struggle to share data across teams and get the data they need from other departments. Only 59% feel their tools are interconnected. The challenge is clear: it's about solving data silos and building a cohesive strategy guided by a unified data source.
3. The Best Content Feels Personal
Embrace the power of personalities — whether it's individual creators or thought leaders within your organization. Try out fresh formats like podcasts and videos.
With the search landscape getting more competitive, your content strategy should focus on what your audience really needs, not just what’s easiest to produce. Google’s recent updates have been all about “helpful content” and elevating the “experience” factor in E-E-A-T. Content that’s personal, showcases real expertise and addresses genuine needs is what wins.
HubSpot’s report shows that the biggest struggle for marketers is finding great content ideas and driving high engagement.
4. Decision Makers Are All Over Social
If you're not investing in Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, now’s the time. Make it super easy for people to buy from your brand directly on social. With more digital natives stepping into decision-making roles, the game is changing fast.
Seventy-four percent of marketers are targeting Millennials, and 67% are going after Gen X, compared to just 27% focusing on Baby Boomers. As these digital-savvy audiences grow, they’re using social channels to research, engage and even buy.
5. Lean Into Personalized and Interactive Experiences
It’s all about making it personal and interactive. Consider using chatbots on your website to engage visitors and conversational tools for daily tasks. Channels like chat, messaging and video are becoming essential globally. Think beyond the basics and integrate channels like SMS and TikTok into your marketing mix.
The report found that the top ways marketers are trying interactive content include live streaming videos, selling directly on social media and creating interactive content on their websites and social channels.
6. Email Still Delivers – But Flexibility is Key
Email might be one of the oldest marketing tools, but it’s still one of the most powerful. In fact, email marketing – like sending a regular enewsletter – ranks second for channels with the highest ROI. One in three marketers is actively using email, and 87% plan to either maintain or ramp up their investment in 2024.
However, today's email marketers need to stay nimble. HubSpot's research shows that 27% of marketers worldwide believe the biggest shift in the past year has been the need to quickly pivot in response to unexpected events.
7. Third-Party Cookies Are Yesterday’s News
Google addressed privacy concerns with an initiative to help reduce individual tracking online by phasing out third-party cookies. In response, businesses are turning to first-party data that users provide themselves. Get to know your audience by collecting data through emails and other direct methods. This is your golden ticket to better personalization. The report found that 25 percent of marketers plan to collect first-party data from their customers.
8. Short-Form Video Steals the Spotlight
Video marketing isn’t just popular; it’s dominating the ROI charts. Short-form videos on platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram are where younger audiences are spending their time — often more than on search engines. This format offers the highest ROI and is set to see the most growth in 2024
A quarter of marketers are planning to pump more resources into video than any other content type next year. And over half of those who are already leveraging it plan to invest even more.
As we move into 2025, it’s clear that marketers must embrace both technology and agility to remain competitive. AI is streamlining workflows, having a single source of truth for data is more crucial than ever and the most effective marketing strategies will be personalized and interactive. By staying nimble, data-driven and focused on the customer, you can achieve growth and success not only in 2025 but in the years to come.
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