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2026 State of Marketing Report – by HubSpot

Marketing Trends 2026 by HubSpot: AI, Personalization, Omnichannel Strategy & Growth Tactics Explore the most important marketing trends in 2026, including AI integration, content personalization, omnichannel marketing, and brand positioning, and how they are reshaping growth in an increasingly competitive, AI-driven market. As highlighted in the State of Marketing 2026, artificial intelligence and automation are no longer optional—they are foundational. Marketers are using AI tools to automate workflows, generate content, analyze customer data, and improve campaign performance across channels. This shift is enabling faster execution while reducing operational costs. A key trend is the rise of personalized marketing at scale. AI-powered systems allow businesses to tailor messaging, offers, and experiences based on user behavior, preferences, and intent—driving higher engagement and conversion rates. At the same time, brand point of view (POV) is becoming a competitive differentiator, as audiences increasingly respond to clear, opinionated positioning rather than generic messaging. Omnichannel marketing strategies are also evolving, with brands integrating social media, email, paid ads, and owned platforms into a unified customer journey. Social media continues to play a critical role in brand awareness and demand generation, while also acting as a distribution engine for content. Marketers in 2026 are prioritizing: • Budget optimization and ROI measurement using AI-driven insights • Content that aligns with user intent, not just volume • Experiential marketing to create memorable brand interactions • Stronger customer relationships through continuous engagement and personalization Ultimately, success in 2026 depends on how effectively businesses combine AI capabilities with human insight—leveraging automation for efficiency while maintaining authentic, customer-centric communication.

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2 0 2 6 R E P O R T The State of Marketing The secret to success in an AI-driven world is a strong brand POV and humans in the loop. ✦ Point of view Taste Intent Trust Insights HubSpot Compilation by: CRMAutomate.com
F O R E W O R D When AI is everywhere, brands in the loop will rise to the top AI isn't a zero-sum competition between humans and the machine — it's a positive-sum collaboration. While everyone has access to powerful AI tools, the companies most successful are the ones that have: A strong brand and point of view A unified data foundation Good taste "Channels have multiplied while attention shrinks. Today's buyers trust people, communities, and AI results more than ads. More important than AI is good taste." K I P P B O D N A R CMO, HubSpot
K E Y F I N D I N G S Marketing in 2026: The Numbers 75% Omnichannel marketing of marketers use 5+ distinct marketing channels. 85% Brand drives demand of marketers revisit brand identity quarterly or annually. 93% Personalization gets action of marketers report personalization improves leads or purchases. 59% Optimization engine of marketers review performance on a daily or weekly basis. 80% AI in workflows of marketers use AI for content creation; 75% for media production. 41% Search strategy shift of marketers say updating SEO strategy is their top trend.
I N T R O D U C T I O N + K E Y F I N D I N G S Marketing Goals & Challenges in 2026 ✓ Marketing Goals 01 Increasing revenue / sales 02 Driving traffic to your website 03 Increasing engagement 04 Improving the customer experience 05 Closing more deals ⚠ Marketing Challenges 01 Generating traffic 02 Generating leads 03 Hiring top talent 04 Driving purchases 05 Securing the budget you need
S T R A T E G Y + B R A N D T R E N D S Expressing your brand's POV is a competitive advantage 93% higher-quality leads 74% more leads Year-over-year lead performance on marketing teams Marketing trends teams are exploring: 1 Using AI to create personalized content 2 Leveraging automation for efficiency 3 Creating content that reflects brand values 4 Updating SEO strategy for algorithm changes 5 Repurposing content across channels 40% of teams have NOT clearly defined their brand's UVP
S T R A T E G Y + B R A N D T R E N D S Omnichannel: The New Standard 25% use 3–4 channels 52% use 5–8 channels 17% use 8+ channels Most-leveraged marketing channels (% using) Website / Blog / SEO 45 % Organic social media 40 % Email marketing 40 % Paid social media 39 % Brand awareness 36 % Top marketing channels by ROI 1 Website / Blog / SEO 27 % 2 Paid social media 26 % 3 Organic social media 24 % 4 Social shopping tools 23 % 5 Email marketing 22 %
C O N T E N T T R E N D S Content by humans, for humans converts Differentiation is tough in a saturated content market 52% of marketers believe AI makes content so easy to create that it's less effective overall 53% of marketers struggle to differentiate their content in an AI- saturated market Top content marketing challenges 1 Creating high-engagement content 35 % 2 Finding ideas for new content 28 % 3 Consistent content schedule 27 % 4 Measuring ROI 25 % 5 Choosing right distribution channels 23 % Today, more content is generated by AI than by humans. But it's mostly average. Consumers seek human-created content and will tune out AI- generated content. KIERAN FLANAGAN | SVP Marketing, AI & GTM, HubSpot
C O N T E N T T R E N D S Short-form video sees the most returns — by a long shot 60% use short-form video 104% more marketers named short-form video their most valuable channel compared to 2024. Where content teams plan to invest in 2026: 30% Short-form video 13% Live streaming video 12% Long-form video Short-form video Long-form video Blog posts Live streaming Images User-gen content 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 60 38 38 37 36 35 Highest ROI formats 2026 Short-form video 49%→29% Long-form video 14%→25% Live streaming 19%→25% Blog posts 16%→24%
C O N T E N T T R E N D S Social Media & Influencer Marketing Instagram Facebook YouTube TikTok 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 70 70 69 57 71 77 71 58 Social media platforms used for marketing (%) 2025 2026 TikTok usage grew 62% — the most of any social media channel YoY Influencer Marketing is a Community Game 77% plan to invest more in influencer marketing in 2026 Most success with: Micro (10K–100K) 45 % Macro (100K–1M) 34 % Mega (1M+) 15 %
C O N T E N T T R E N D S Personalization works, but it's hard to operationalize 93% say personalization improves leads or purchases Yet only 13% of teams hyper-personalize their marketing based on data or lookalike audiences. Basic personalization (e.g. name in email): 53% Audience segmentation: 47% Advanced/hyper-personalization: 13% Access to key audience data points: 44% Shopping habits 39% Demographics (name, gender, location) 31% Purchase history 27% Products interested in buying 17% Experience preferences 16% Pain points & challenges
G R O W T H T R E N D S High-intent buyers from AI search are changing the web game 49% agree AI has decreased web traffic from search 58% say AI referral traffic has much HIGHER intent 60% say visitors need seamless purchase experiences 62% say campaigns now operate in interactive cycles AEO vs SEO Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) requires: 1. Volume — influence AI tools with maximum mind share 2. Flipped funnel — prioritize bottom-funnel and middle- funnel content 3. Content bifurcation — one version for machines (tables, semantic triples, JSON-LD); one for humans (story, POV, brand voice) AJA FROST | Sr. Director Global Growth, HubSpot
G R O W T H T R E N D S Optimization Benchmarks & KPIs Weekly Monthly Daily Quarterly After campaign 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 44 27 15 8 3 How frequently teams analyze campaign data Lead quality/MQLs Lead-to-customer conversion Return on marketing invest. Customer acquisition cost Lead generation volume 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 39 34 31 30 29 The KPIs that matter to marketers Top optimization techniques: 51 % Audience segmentation refinement 50 % Conversion rate optimization 40 % Message timing optimization
F U T U R E Where Marketing is Headed (at the speed of AI) Marketing is evolving faster than ever. AI didn't just change how we market, it changed where buyers decide. 01 Express who you are Define brand POV + taste as competitive differentiator. Create authoritative, expert-informed content visible in AI search. 02 Tailor your approach Use behavioral and CRM data to identify which channels resonate. Implement seamless purchase experiences for high-intent visitors. 03 Amplify your reach Strategically repurpose content across 5–8 channels. Optimize for AEO to maintain visibility as search evolves. 04 Evolve in real-time Track brand awareness campaigns. Adopt daily/weekly performance analysis with AI-powered analytics. "Marketing is a compounding loop built for the AI era." -- KIPP BODNAR, CMO HubSpot
HubSpot State of Marketing Report 2026 Strong brand & point of view Unified data foundation Good taste Survey of 1,505 marketers across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia · September 2025