High Advertising Channels in 2025 — Right here’s What Your Crew Must Grasp [Data]


From short-form movies to search engine optimization to influencer advertising and marketing, at present’s entrepreneurs have extra advertising and marketing channels to select from than ever earlier than.

On the subject of figuring out which channels to concentrate on, all of it comes right down to your particular firm, product, and goal market. However I do know firsthand how useful it’s to see how your fellow entrepreneurs are navigating the evolving panorama.

That’s why I’m excited that the HubSpot group surveyed over 1,700 B2B and B2C entrepreneurs to discover essentially the most used advertising and marketing channels.

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Under, I’ll share the highest advertising and marketing channels recognized in that survey. I’ll additionally focus on how these channels will help amplify your attain and the way actual entrepreneurs are planning to implement them into their 2025 methods.

Desk of Contents

High B2B Advertising Channels

Earlier than I dive into the channels entrepreneurs are specializing in, I wish to spotlight who they’re advertising and marketing to.

Over 70% of B2B and B2C entrepreneurs plan to focus on Millennials in 2025, adopted by Gen Z at over 30%. In the meantime, entrepreneurs’ curiosity in reaching Gen X and Child Boomer audiences is down 30%.

marketing channels, over 70% of b2b and b2c marketers plan to target millennials in 2025, followed by gen z at over 30%. meanwhile, marketers’ interest in reaching gen x and baby boomer audiences is down 30%.

On the subject of how entrepreneurs plan to succeed in these decision-makers, our survey discovered that the channels seeing elevated funding in 2025 are:

  • Model consciousness.
  • Web site/weblog/search engine optimization.
  • Paid social media content material.
  • Natural social media content material.
  • Video advertising and marketing.

Of entrepreneurs, 92% plan to take care of or improve investments in model consciousness in 2025, making it the highest advertising and marketing channel throughout the board. Moreover, 13% of entrepreneurs plan to spend money on model consciousness for the primary time in 2025.

Model-led advertising and marketing campaigns have gotten a high precedence as shoppers search authenticity. Entrepreneurs plan to make use of brand-led campaigns to speak their model values, resembling social duty.

I’m not stunned by this response, on condition that 65% of entrepreneurs reported that addressing social points in advertising and marketing campaigns in 2024 was efficient for his or her model.

The highest B2B advertising and marketing channels that resulted in the most effective ROI in 2024 had been:

  • Web site, weblog, and search engine optimization.
  • Paid social media content material.
  • Social media buying instruments.

In my view, one of the vital attention-grabbing findings from the HubSpot survey is that each B2B and B2C entrepreneurs are leveraging visible content material over text-heavy content material.

As a B2B marketer and author, I’m personally drawn to textual content content material like weblog posts. However I can’t deny the influence of visible storytelling. Consideration lately is restricted, so it is smart for each business-facing and consumer-facing companies to make use of sturdy visuals to seize their viewers’s consideration.

The content material codecs that B2B entrepreneurs are utilizing most are short-form video (30%) and pictures (29%), adopted by interviews (24%) and weblog posts (23%).

marketing channels, what content b2b marketers use most

With growing content material wants, particularly on the visible facet, entrepreneurs are turning to AI instruments to assist them generate extra content material. One in 4 entrepreneurs plan to leverage utilizing AI to show textual content into multimedia campaigns.

Furthermore, the survey discovered that there’s nonetheless a studying curve that comes with AI for B2B and B2C entrepreneurs alike. Entrepreneurs are reporting that they really feel overwhelmed by the thought of incorporating AI into their advertising and marketing methods and workflows, with lower than half saying they’ve a transparent understanding of use AI of their advertising and marketing technique.

On the subject of social media channels, the info reveals that LinkedIn is a extra vital platform for B2B manufacturers than B2C, with B2B entrepreneurs considerably extra prone to report investing on this platform.

Lastly, the highest advertising and marketing methods that B2B entrepreneurs are turning to in 2025 are:

  • Utilizing AI to show textual content into multimedia campaigns.
  • Utilizing AI-powered reporting instruments to judge the ROI of campaigns.
  • Automating advertising and marketing technique and execution with AI.
  • Creating content material that displays your model’s values.
  • Character-led content material, creators, and genuine engagement.

High B2C Advertising Channels

Many B2C entrepreneurs use platforms much like their B2B counterparts however with a number of key variations. For B2C manufacturers, the highest advertising and marketing channels with the most effective ROI in 2024 had been:

  • E-mail advertising and marketing
  • Paid social media content material
  • Content material advertising and marketing

Like B2B, the highest content material format for B2C advertising and marketing was short-form video. Of B2C entrepreneurs, 30% say they use short-form video as a part of their content material technique. In comparison with B2B entrepreneurs, B2C entrepreneurs included extra user-generated content material (UGC) and reside streaming of their content material.

B2C entrepreneurs are additionally prioritizing authenticity of their advertising and marketing in 2025 and can doubtless use social media channels to take action.

HubSpot’s survey supplied additional help for the significance of social media, discovering that B2C manufacturers are planning to spend money on Fb, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok in 2025.

Lastly, the highest B2C advertising and marketing methods for 2025 are:

  • Person-generated content material.
  • Creating content material that displays your model’s values.
  • Leveraging AI to show textual content into multimedia campaigns.
  • Utilizing social media DMs (direct messages) for customer support.
  • Utilizing AI-powered reporting instruments to judge the ROI of campaigns.

What are the biggest ways the marketing industry has changed in the past year?

Social Media Advertising

In 2025, I anticipate to see the rise of visible social media content material pushed by compelling storytelling.

The HubSpot survey discovered that buyers are on the lookout for much more authenticity than ever earlier than, and I feel entrepreneurs will meet that expectation with brand-led social content material and elevated partnerships with content material creators.

In truth, advertising and marketing leaders are prioritizing hiring for social media, inventive, and content material roles in 2025.

The highest advertising and marketing function that leaders are making a recruiting precedence in 2025 is a social media coordinator. Different top-priority roles embody a content material creator and social media strategist.

In keeping with HubSpot’s survey of promoting professionals, the highest performing content material format in 2024 was short-form video. This factors to the influence of social media — one that can proceed to develop in 2025.

The highest social channels for 2025 are YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. These channels make sense to me on condition that all of them supply alternatives for short-form video.

Video Advertising

Now could be the time when you’ve but to spend money on video advertising and marketing.

Throughout industries and markets, I’ve discovered that video might be an effective way to spice up conversions, enhance ROI, attain new audiences, and assist you construct relationships with present prospects.

That could be why entrepreneurs report that video is the highest media format they leverage at present.

That being stated, there are lots of completely different sorts of movies. Concerning advertising and marketing, short-form content material takes the cake for each B2B and B2C entrepreneurs.

21% of entrepreneurs say that short-form video delivers the very best ROI in comparison with different visible content material codecs.

Curiously, the advertising and marketing channels seeing elevated funding in 2025 are YouTube (30%), adopted by Instagram (29%), and TikTok (28%). All three channels permit entrepreneurs to train their short-form video expertise, so it is smart that they’re focusing their time and assets there within the yr to return.

I used to be curious why entrepreneurs consider short-form video is efficient, and Jay Kallman, Founding father of Revvy Advertising, describes it like this:

“Let’s be sincere, consideration spans are brief, and shoppers reply to the sort of stimulus that feels private and relatable,” she says. “Folks wish to really feel seen and understood, and short-form video is partaking, actual, and confirmed to work.”

Going into 2025, Kallman plans to lean additional into short-form video to construct consciousness, belief, and genuine connections.

“You’ll see us displaying up on platforms like LinkedIn in ways in which really feel approachable and actual,” she says. “We’re additionally encouraging our shoppers to ditch overly polished movies — shoppers don’t want ‘excellent,’ they want genuine.”

Influencer Advertising

Each B2B and B2C entrepreneurs discovered success with influencer advertising and marketing in 2024, telling me that this can proceed to be a high advertising and marketing channel in 2025.

Entrepreneurs report seeing the very best ROI from influencers on the next social channels:

  • Fb (28%).
  • Instagram (22%).
  • YouTube (12%).

So far as spending goes, manufacturers spent anyplace from 50-74% of their advertising and marketing finances on influencers or content material creators.

Our survey additionally discovered that entrepreneurs discovered essentially the most success with micro-influencers — these with audiences within the vary of 10K-100K followers.

In my expertise, micro and even nano influencers have essentially the most influence on their audiences. Area of interest influencers and content material creators have constructed lots of belief inside their tight-knit neighborhood, so any model they accomplice with mechanically positive aspects extra credibility.

That is particularly vital as analysis has proven that buyers at present gravitate in the direction of authenticity. This implies they have a tendency to shrink back from conventional lead-generating content material, as an alternative turning to influencers for product suggestions.

I requested Nicole Ponce Sanchez, Influencer Advertising Crew Lead at Semrush, how influencer advertising and marketing is affecting the B2B area.

“The Martech influencer area is altering, and the truth of the panorama is that each shoppers and types are getting smarter,” she says. “Manufacturers at the moment are on the lookout for influencers who create partaking, significant content material that drives actual outcomes — not simply leisure for the sake of it.”

She provides, “In 2025, entrepreneurs will concentrate on genuine storytelling and constructing communities. We’re seeing an enormous rise in nano-influencers, which is smart as they’re usually extra inexpensive and have deeper connections with their audiences.”

Kallman supplied an analogous sentiment once I requested about utilizing influencer advertising and marketing as a channel:

“For 2025, I’d say lean into area of interest and native influencers who align along with your model values,” she says. “They will help construct belief, foster connections, and expose your model to the best folks. On the finish of the day, belief goes to be what wins in 2025, and micro-influencers are the proper bridge to get there.”

Search Engine Optimization

One other important part of any fashionable marketer’s technique is Search Engine Optimization or search engine optimization advertising and marketing.

In the event you efficiently optimize your net content material, it would place your model as an authority in your area, finally serving to you improve natural visitors and your conversion price.

It’s vital to notice that search engine optimization isn’t nearly your web site. All your net content material must be search engine optimized.

That features your YouTube channels, Google enterprise profile, and podcast episodes, which ought to be optimized utilizing goal key phrases.

And I’ll go forward and level out what you’re most likely considering: sure, AI is altering the best way folks seek for content material on-line — nevertheless it’s not but a foul factor for entrepreneurs.

Almost half of each B2B and B2C entrepreneurs report their net visitors has elevated because of shoppers utilizing AI for search.

Moreover, HubSpot’s survey discovered that 15% of entrepreneurs are growing their funding in search engine optimization in 2025, and 19% plan to construct an search engine optimization technique for generative AI in search.

Working example: Ksenia Busheva, Co-Founder and CMO at Pronounce AI, shared with me that in 2025, her group plans on investing in creating high-quality web site and weblog content material to drive natural visitors — a method that’s confirmed to work nicely for the startup.

“In 2025, our natural visitors technique is changing into much more attention-grabbing,” says Busheva. “Now, we’re not simply competing with different web sites for Google search rankings, however we additionally must optimize for AI search outcomes.”

She provides, “We’re optimizing our web site and weblog for the Bing search engine, as this will help us seem as a supply on ChatGPT. To successfully rank in AI search outcomes, we’re updating previous articles, implementing higher knowledge markups, and including FAQ/QA blocks. The search engine optimization sport is altering, and now is a superb time to implement new methods.”

Podcast Advertising

In 2024, podcast listening reached an all-time excessive. Analysis by Edison discovered that 100 million Individuals take heed to podcasts weekly.

Audio content material is in excessive demand, so for a lot of manufacturers, podcasts generally is a nice platform to succeed in bigger audiences.

The HubSpot survey discovered that 91% of entrepreneurs plan to take care of or improve their investments in podcasts and audio content material in 2025.

It’s simple to see the attraction of podcasts, particularly for a enterprise. Podcast hosts assist reveal the human facet of what you are promoting whereas additionally serving as brand-specific influencers.

As well as, as a result of folks can take heed to podcasts passively whereas doing different issues, this may be a superb channel for reaching folks throughout their morning commutes, strolling their canines, or cleansing the home.

Featured Useful resource: How To Begin a Podcast For Your Enterprise

Podcasts may also be compelling as a result of the human mind is programmed to crave, search out, and reply to a well-crafted story.

The audio medium might be a superb alternative to inform a compelling story, capturing your viewers’s consideration whereas making your model extra personable.

My Takeaways on the High Advertising Channels

Based mostly on what labored for entrepreneurs in 2024, I anticipate the 2025 traits to construct naturally on these methods.

The extra shoppers are uncovered to advertising and marketing, the much less they belief it. It is smart to me why authenticity has been changing into extra of a precedence in recent times. In 2025, I feel genuine, creator content material will drive advertising and marketing methods throughout B2B and B2C industries.

One other takeaway is that visible content material is right here to remain. Brief-form movies exploded in 2024, with TikTok and Reels main the best way and YouTube Shorts falling shut behind.

There’s no scarcity of video content material, which implies entrepreneurs should now concentrate on getting consideration from their viewers. In my expertise, that is no small feat. However with the assistance of influencers, a robust model POV, and the usage of AI instruments, entrepreneurs can discover success.

Totally different advertising and marketing channels include completely different advantages, however most companies can discover a approach to make use of completely different channels of their advertising and marketing methods to fulfill their distinctive enterprise targets.

Utilizing a variety of various advertising and marketing channels might be an effective way to create these a number of factors of contact, nurture your leads over time, improve conversions, and assist you obtain your advertising and marketing targets.

Editor’s Observe: This submit was initially printed in April 2019 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.

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