HubSpot has just unveiled the results of its annual study “ The State of Inbound Marketing 2022 “, which highlights the latest global trends in the sector and highlights interesting French specificities.
In general, while consumers value transparency more than ever, marketers must now adapt to economic and political circumstances, but also to new ways of buying and working.
Among the key figures to remember from this study:
- Social media has become the #1 marketing channel in 2022 for 44% of marketers;
- short videos as on TikTok are the most effective type of content on social networks – 70% of French BtoB marketers plan to increase their investments on this network, compared to 58% in the rest of the world;
- 53% of French marketers publish content every day ;
- Influencer marketing is the most popular strategy in 2022 ;
- Instagram, YouTube and Twitter, and no longer Facebook, are the top three social media platforms used by marketers in 2022.
Data: always more quantity but also regulations
If inspiration and customer engagement are daily challenges for marketers, another major challenge is gradually taking hold.
The amount of data that companies collect poses a a serious privacy issue.
The players in the sector are therefore acting accordingly, and many changes are taking place, such as the launch of regulations Apple MPP (Mail Privacy Protection) last year, which certainly protects consumers, but deprives marketers of valuable information that was previously available.
Its entry into force hides IP addresses and prevents knowing if the email has been opened and if so, how many times.
Traditional indicators such as opening rates thus lose reliability.
Additionally, many browsers have deleted third-party cookies and Chrome is next on the list.
Content and platforms: short videos with B2B development potential
More than half (53%) of French marketers publish content every day and lhe video remains the No. 1 format favored by 70% of respondents at the World level.
Whether it’s videos generated by the brand or by its customers and re-shared, these remain the most effective format for the third year in a row.
Shorter videos, such as TikTok or Instagram Real, are even experiencing the fastest growth. Among the privileged subjects are interviews and case studies.
If we look at the platforms that generate the most turnover, instagram takes the lead, and proves to be the most profitable platform for marketers of B2B and B2C companies.
We also note the rise of Youtube in the ranking, from fourth to second place, even if still timidly used in France.
Snapchat creates a surprise because the platform does not appear in the top 3 worldwide.
If we look more specifically at TikTok, the study reveals that 52% of French marketers plan to use the platform for the first time in 2022, particularly in a B2B context where competition is still low, which leaves a wide space of expression to conquer.
70% of French BtoB marketers also plan to increase their investments in this network, compared to 58% in the rest of the world.
BtoB is therefore gaining ground on this channel, which is currently mainly used for BtoC.
Influence and advertising: more opportunities on social networks
Influencer marketing is changing rapidly. In 2022, marketers are stepping up their efforts in this area on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and decreasing their investments on Snapchat and Twitch.
In 2022, 41% of marketers work with influencers and 75% of them have a dedicated influencer marketing budget.
In France, however, brands are much more cautious: while in the world, most of them spend between €50,000 and €500,000 each year on influence marketing, only 9% of French brands invest more than €50,000.
On the advertising side, 80% of brands now use paid formats on social networks.
Facebook and YouTube are the most popular platforms to spend their budget.
And while a growing number of businesses are investing in paid campaigns on TikTok, Tumblr, Reddit, Twitch, and Pinterest, brands are still getting better ROI from ads on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
SEO: the SEO channel is always the one that brings the most customers
SEO is only in eighth place among the channels used, yet it is one of those that bring in the most customers. SEO even represents a third of visitors to all websites!
However, this channel is one of the most technical to master and long to set up. The regular evolution of algorithms is also cited as one of the major SEO challenges by marketers.
The mobile optimization of their content also remains the main challenge.
While the number of leads and customers generated remains the ultimate indicator, marketers also use keyword rankings to track the performance of their strategy.
Methodology
HubSpot conducted its survey during the summer of 2022 with 1,702 marketers worldwide (United States, Australia, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Japan), including 158 in France – in B2B and B2C, in different sectors.