Trend Analysis | HubSpot 2025 State of Marketing Report Released
For professionals frequently engaged in digital marketing, we often hope for more time and resources in our daily work—to efficiently complete tasks, spark industry-changing ideas, and stay up-to-date with the latest developments in digital marketing, ultimately creating unique and memorable brand experiences for target audiences.
To this end, HubSpot surveyed over 1,700 B2B and B2C marketers worldwide and compiled this 2025 State of Marketing Report. It aims to present the key trends, commonly used tools, and major challenges currently capturing the marketing world’s attention, while also sharing some of the most insightful perspectives. Additionally, you’ll gain in-depth insights from leaders at renowned companies such as OpenAI, Asana, Adobe, and Bitly.
Without further ado, let’s dive in and explore the marketing opportunities of 2025 together!
01 AI Empowers Marketers to Meet Growing Content Demands
In 2024, the use of AI among marketers grew at an astonishing pace. Although countless AI tools are available to meet various marketing needs, today’s marketers report that they are particularly focused on leveraging AI tools to create content and address the ever-expanding content demands.
Interestingly, marketers use AI for content creation in diverse ways. Some start from scratch with AI to write full drafts, while others prefer to transform existing content into different formats.
For example, some marketers use AI tools to turn blog posts into video scripts or convert video clips into social media posts. With AI, many marketing teams can significantly increase content output without hiring additional staff.
Based on in-depth research, HubSpot summarized the most common AI use cases as follows:
- Content creation (writing copy, generating images, inspiring ideas, etc.) — 43%
- Market research (conducting market research, finding datasets, summarizing articles, etc.) — 34%
- Brainstorming (generating content ideas) — 27%
- Learning new skills (learning Excel functions, debugging SQL code, etc.) — 40%
- Data analysis/reports (analyzing or processing marketing data) — 35%
- Note-taking or meeting summaries — 27%
Regarding the types of content generated with AI, marketers most commonly produce social media posts, emails, blog articles, topic ideas, images, and product descriptions.
Additionally, many marketers use tools like HubSpot Content Hub to quickly repurpose existing blog posts into social media content, newsletters, audio files, and other formats in just minutes.
Interested in using AI for content creation? HubSpot’s free AI content creation tools are an excellent starting point.
It’s worth noting that although many respondents primarily focus on AI-generated content today, AI applications will expand to more areas in the future.
As OpenAI’s Director of Strategic Marketing Dane Vahey said, “Marketers’ exploration of AI has only scratched the surface so far, primarily in content generation. By 2025, HubSpot expects marketers to advance to using AI for creative ideation, data-driven decision-making, workflow automation, and strategic brainstorming.”
02 Many Marketers Face Challenges Integrating AI into Workflows
Although AI content generation tools are increasingly popular, HubSpot’s survey found that many marketers are still learning how to use these tools efficiently and integrate them into daily workflows.
As Miro VP of Marketing Briana Rogers stated, “Marketers must learn how to incorporate AI into their work.”
She added, “This field is evolving so fast that HubSpot needs to experiment with various applications… whether it’s mature use cases, like leveraging machine learning to optimize ad buying or building predictive customer value models, or emerging areas, like identifying patterns from user research and data, assisting creative development, and creating fully AI-driven campaigns.”
HubSpot’s survey shows that although marketers are investing more in AI, confidence in using these tools remains limited. Specifically, only 47% of respondents say they have a clear understanding of how to use AI in marketing strategy, and 48% understand how to measure AI’s impact in marketing.
Even among marketers familiar with basic AI implementation, integrating these tools ethically remains a major challenge.
As Dr. Rebecca Hinds, Head of Work Innovation Lab at Asana, pointed out, “Gen Z has raised the alarm—they are more concerned than any other group about whether companies can trust generative AI vendors to adhere to responsible AI practices.” She further emphasized, “To gain Gen Z support in 2025, vendors must prioritize transparency, establish clear AI principles, and commit to ethical innovation.” For many marketers, this is no small task.
03 AI Is Having a Major Impact but Should Not Replace Humans
While many content marketers once worried that AI tools might replace human creators, the latest HubSpot data suggests this is unlikely.
Previous HubSpot surveys show that most marketers still edit AI-generated content, indicating that AI tools serve more as assistants rather than fully independent human content developers.
Furthermore, neither customers nor search engines are likely to favor overreliance on AI-generated content. For example, HubSpot Senior Marketing Manager Curtis del Principe recently cited a case where an organization faced severe penalties for generating thousands of AI articles—a situation dubbed the “SEO theft incident.”
Other studies highlight the potential plagiarism risk of AI-generated content. Google Gemini (formerly Bard) mitigates this by providing source links, allowing users to double-check outputs and improve content credibility.
In short, AI is undoubtedly reshaping content generation, but it is unlikely to fully replace human marketers.
04 Social Media Remains the Highest ROI Marketing Channel
In 2025, marketers report that their organizations primarily hire for content-related roles, particularly focusing on creating and distributing social content. This trend spans all management levels—from frontline creators drafting posts to managers and directors overseeing content strategy—demonstrating increasing investment in social media.
When HubSpot asked marketers to select the top three priority roles to hire in 2025, the positions were:
- Content Creator (15%)
- Social Media Coordinator (13%)
- Social Media Strategist (13%)
- Creative Assistant (13%)
- Creative Director (12%)
Clearly, social media remains a key focus for marketers.
HubSpot’s 2024 consumer trends survey shows that for Gen Z and Millennials, social media is their preferred product discovery channel, and Gen X and Baby Boomers are quickly adopting the trend. Specifically, 64% of Gen Z, 59% of Millennials, and 47% of Gen X respondents reported discovering products on social media in the past three months.
The survey also found that 17% of social media users made in-app purchases in the past three months, one-quarter bought based on influencer recommendations, and 19% sought customer service via direct messages.
On platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, marketers can set up in-app stores, allowing users to complete purchases without leaving the app. From brand discovery and influencer recommendations to in-app purchases and DM-based support, social media is becoming a one-stop platform covering the entire customer journey.
It’s no surprise that marketers are embracing social selling: HubSpot’s latest survey shows 87% find it highly effective, and 59% report generating more sales through social channels than before.
05 Facebook Remains an Important Platform for Marketers
Social media has become a core battlefield for marketing campaigns. Which platforms truly create the most value?
Despite claims that “Facebook is outdated,” surveys show it remains a favorite among marketers, with 58% incorporating Facebook into their marketing strategies.
Moreover, marketers reported that over the past year, Facebook delivered the highest ROI among all social platforms, with 40% citing it as one of the top three ROI drivers.
Consequently, it’s unsurprising that over two-thirds plan to maintain or increase Facebook marketing efforts in 2025.
06 The Competition Between Threads and X Continues
While Facebook remains the leader in overseas social media marketing, its Threads platform competes fiercely with X (formerly Twitter).
HubSpot’s latest survey indicates that in 2025, 68% of marketers plan to continue or expand their investment in X, while 59% plan to continue or increase investment in Threads.
Additionally, 8% of marketers plan to try Threads for the first time in 2025, and only 18% rank X among their top three platforms for ROI.
07 Visual Storytelling Gains Momentum
A successful content strategy often requires leveraging multiple platforms. HubSpot’s survey shows that short videos, images, and live video are particularly popular forms of visual content.
In 2024, these visual storytelling formats were among the most frequently used content types, and in 2025, marketers plan to increase investment in these three formats at higher rates than any other content type.
This trend is unsurprising, as these visually focused formats were ranked highest for ROI in 2024. Social platforms centered on visual content—like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok—are seeing faster investment growth in 2025 compared to other channels.
Since TikTok’s rise during the pandemic, HubSpot’s blog team has predicted a short-form video resurgence. Today, short videos are the top choice for content marketing, with most marketers believing they generate higher ROI than other formats.
When asked about the most frequently used content formats, marketers listed: short videos (29%), images (29%), interviews (22%), blog posts (19%), live video (19%).
For highest ROI, their choices were: short videos (21%), images (19%), live video (16%), interviews (15%), blog posts (15%).
Importantly, this reflects not just last year’s marketing budget allocation but also future investment trends. When asked where they plan to increase investment in 2025, respondents mentioned: short videos (17%), images (15%), UGC (14%), live streaming (14%), podcasts or other audio content (13%).
Regarding social channels, respondents plan to invest more in 2025 in: YouTube (30%), Instagram (29%), TikTok (28%), LinkedIn (26%), Facebook (26%).
Priya Gill, VP and Head of Global Marketing at SurveyMonkey, confirmed the success of visual marketing: “Short videos, images, and user-generated content are impactful because they align with today’s audiences’ fast, visual, and authentic consumption and interaction habits. These formats capture attention within seconds and help brands tell compelling stories.”
HubSpot’s blog team also experiments with short videos to promote content, as video-centric social platforms provide both efficiency and the best ROI.
08 Niche Content Creators Are Becoming Key Channels
While influencer marketing has long been important, HubSpot’s survey highlights the growing role of niche content creators.
In 2024, marketers reported benefiting more from smaller creators with under 100K followers rather than mid-tier or superstar creators. Although their audiences are smaller, these creators reach highly loyal and trusting communities, making them particularly valuable.
Parimal Deshpande, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Adobe Express, emphasized the value of collaborating with creators who resonate with target audiences: “Successful marketing relies on building authenticity and trust. Personalized content delivered by creators aligned with the audience is crucial to achieving this.”
Nearly a quarter of respondents ranked content creator marketing as a top trend in 2024, with 68% collaborating with niche creators. In contrast, only a quarter worked with creators having 100K–1M followers, and 7% with creators exceeding 1M followers.
HubSpot interviewed Bitly CMO Tara Robertson to learn about real-world experiences collaborating with creators.
She shared, “In H2 2024, HubSpot launched a content creator pilot on Instagram to understand how creators with some recognition could amplify content, spark discussions, and increase brand awareness beyond Bitly’s owned channels.”
Results?
Robertson reported, “Compared to Instagram averages, HubSpot’s reach and video views increased 5x, engagement grew 6x, and follower growth reached 82%. Collaborating with creators is becoming a key part of HubSpot’s overall strategy, extending reach, connecting with audiences effectively, and achieving measurable results while maintaining trust and authenticity.”
Survey findings indicate the top reasons for working with small creators: they enjoy higher trust from followers and subscribers. Respondents also noted small creators help access niche, tight-knit communities at a lower cost than larger creators.
In other words, follower count is not the sole measure of value. HubSpot’s latest Social Media Trends Report shows most marketers prioritize content quality over sheer audience size when selecting collaborators.
Aaron Cort, Head of Marketing, Growth, and GTM at Craft Ventures, noted, “Today, both businesses and consumers have high standards for decision-making. Content creators who cultivate a positive brand image help bridge trust gaps.”
09 Data Privacy Policy Changes Continue to Pose Challenges
From iOS updates and GDPR to Google’s gradual phase-out of third-party cookies, strict data privacy regulations have hindered marketing growth.
Marketers know these policy shifts can be frustrating. HubSpot’s latest consumer trends survey shows 84% consider data privacy a fundamental right, indicating rising public demand for personal data protection.
Consequently, 88% of marketers reported that changes like GDPR, iOS updates, and Google’s cookie phase-out impacted their overall marketing strategies in the past year.
The good news: many companies are exploring tools and strategies to ensure user data protection while maintaining marketing efficiency.
10 Personalization Is Crucial
HubSpot’s latest survey shows 86% of marketers provide some level of personalized experience for their customers. Impressively, 94% believe personalized customer experiences significantly impact sales.
In other words, offering highly personalized experiences is more critical than ever.
However, research shows most marketers lack sufficient information about their audience: only 65% report having high-quality data on their target groups. Less than half know which platforms their audience uses, demographic info, interests, preferred products, or shopping habits.
To address these challenges, HubSpot’s marketing analytics tools offer deep insights into customer behavior, preferences, and interactions, helping marketers create more personalized and effective campaigns.
Learn more about personalization at HubSpot Marketing Hub.
11 Marketers Still Struggle with Data Fragmentation and Silos
Personalized marketing requires a unified data source. Unfortunately, HubSpot data shows this remains challenging. Many marketers report difficulty addressing fragmented data, departmental silos, and lack of centralized, easily accessible customer information.
Only 20% say their marketing data is fully integrated with tools, and 30% note some lack of cohesion between tools.
Additionally, 28% report difficulty obtaining data from other teams, and 34% face challenges sharing data internally. These issues create an “information disconnect,” reducing data quality and obstructing a holistic marketing perspective.
Anna James, Head of Work Innovation Data Analysis at Asana, explained: “Using disparate tools and systems, marketers face extreme digital fatigue.”
She adds, “In 2025, success won’t come from adding more technology but optimizing and simplifying existing technology so marketers can focus on creativity and higher-value work.”
This sentiment is widespread: 82% agree establishing a unified data source benefits companies. Unified data addresses core collaboration issues