Social Media ROI Statistics for 2026: Platform Performance, Measurement Challenges, Content Format Returns, Social Commerce, and Channel Investment Benchmarks

In 2026, social media ROI has arrived at a defining paradox: investment share is declining even as measured returns improve. The Keen Decision Systems 2026 Marketing Benchmarks and Insights Report, built from analysis of more than 400 brands and USD 42 billion in historical marketing investment, found that social media’s share of total advertising spend dropped from 18% to 17% in 2025. Yet within that contraction, ROI jumped significantly. Brands that concentrated spend on the right platforms and positioned social higher in the funnel saw stronger returns than in prior years. The efficiency gains were real. The confidence to act on them was not.

That confidence gap is well-documented. The 2025 Sprout Social Index, which surveyed 4,044 consumers and 1,222 social media practitioners and marketing leaders, found that 65% of marketing leaders want to see direct connections between social media campaigns and business goals, but only 30% of marketers believe they could actually measure social media ROI. The 2025 Impact of Social Media Marketing Report surveyed over 1,200 marketing leaders globally and found that only 44% describe their teams as experts at measuring the business value of social, while 80% are reallocating funds from traditional marketing channels to social anyway. The intuition that social drives business value is nearly universal. The measurement infrastructure to prove it is not.

The platform-level picture is clearer. Facebook is considered the highest-ROI social platform by 28% of marketers globally in a Statista survey, followed by YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok at 16% each. LinkedIn delivers 229% ROI over three years for B2B enterprises. Short-form video is the top-performing content format for ROI, cited by 71% of video marketers. Social networks generated 17.11% of total global online sales in 2025. And 81% of consumers are swayed by social media to make spontaneous purchases multiple times per year.

This article compiles more than 60 social media ROI statistics drawn from the Keen Decision Systems 2026 Marketing Benchmarks and Insights Report (USD 42 billion in investment across 400-plus brands), the 2025 Sprout Social Index (4,044 consumers, 1,222 marketers), the 2025 Sprout Social Impact of Social Media Marketing Report (1,200-plus marketing leaders), TikTok and Dentsu internal ROI research, Statista platform ROI surveys, Wyzowl State of Video Marketing 2025, HubSpot 2025 State of Marketing, and specialist social media performance publications within the last two years.

Scope and Methodology

Includes only publicly available social media ROI statistics relevant for 2026.
Based on the latest figures published within the last two years.
Sources include primary research, first-party platform data, institutional studies, and industry reports.
Each statistic is listed separately with its original source and study context.
No estimates, forecasts, interpretations, or recommendations are included.

Key Social Media ROI Statistics for 2026

Social media’s share of total advertising spending dropped from 18% to 17% in 2025 despite ROI improving significantly, based on the Keen Decision Systems 2026 Marketing Benchmarks and Insights Report analyzing more than 400 brands and USD 42 billion in historical marketing investment, published February 11, 2026, at Keen Decision Systems via Business Wire.
Meta bounced back to command 60% of all social media investment in 2025 after dropping to 55% in 2024, as ROI improved amid declining advertising costs, based on the Keen Decision Systems 2026 Marketing Benchmarks and Insights Report published at Keen Decision Systems via Business Wire.
TikTok’s share of social media investment dropped by 8 percentage points in 2025 after heavy increases in 2024, reflecting platform fragmentation concerns and regulatory uncertainty, based on the Keen Decision Systems 2026 Marketing Benchmarks and Insights Report published at Keen Decision Systems via Business Wire.
65% of marketing leaders say they need to see direct connections between social media campaigns and business goals to maintain leadership buy-in, but only 30% of marketers believe they can measure social media ROI, based on the 2025 Sprout Social Index surveying 4,044 consumers and 1,222 social media practitioners and leaders in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, published at Sprout Social.
Facebook is considered the social platform with the highest ROI by 28% of marketers globally in an October 2024 survey, making it the single most cited platform for ROI performance, based on Statista data cited in a 2025 social media ROI statistics overview at Sprout Social.
YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok each received 16% of citations in the same October 2024 Statista global marketer survey when asked which platform delivers the highest ROI, with the four platforms collectively accounting for 76% of all positive ROI attribution, based on Statista data cited in a 2025 social media ROI statistics overview at Sprout Social.
81% of consumers are swayed by social media to make spontaneous purchases multiple times per year, and 13% of consumers overall currently make in-app purchases, rising to 50% among Gen Z, based on the 2025 Sprout Social Index published at Sprout Social.
Social networks generated 17.11% of total global online sales in 2025, and the global social commerce sector is growing at a 13.7% CAGR, projected to exceed USD 1 trillion by 2028, based on Statista research cited in a 2025 social media ROI statistics overview at Sprout Social.
For paid social media campaigns, a 5:1 return is a standard industry benchmark, meaning brands expect USD 5 in revenue for every USD 1 in social media advertising expenditure, based on industry benchmark data published in a social media ROI guide at Sprout Social.
When tracking social media ROI, marketing teams focus primarily on engagement at 68%, conversions at 65%, and revenue impact at 57%, based on Sprout Social 2025 social media statistics data published at Sprout Social.
Over half of marketing leaders say poor integration between social media tools and the rest of their technology stack is the primary reason they cannot understand social’s business impact, based on the 2025 Sprout Social Impact of Social Media Marketing Report surveying over 1,200 marketing leaders, published at Sprout Social.
Display has delivered consistent ROI of approximately USD 2.00 for every USD 1.00 invested over the last three years, while social ROI improved significantly in 2025 when brands concentrated spend on fewer, higher-performing platforms, based on the Keen Decision Systems 2026 Marketing Benchmarks and Insights Report published at Keen Decision Systems via Business Wire.

ROI Measurement Statistics

Only 34% of marketers report being very confident in their ability to quantify social media ROI, with the majority describing significant challenges in connecting social activity to measurable business outcomes, based on industry research cited in a 2025 social media ROI statistics analysis by Hashmeta.
Only 44% of marketing leaders say their teams are experts at measuring the business value of social, yet 80% are already reallocating funds from traditional marketing channels to social media, based on the 2025 Sprout Social Impact of Social Media Marketing Report surveying over 1,200 marketing leaders, cited in a Sprout Social measurement guide at Sprout Social.
71% of marketing directors and 69% of CMOs believe their teams must increase social media publishing volumes to increase business impact, while only half of social media managers agree, based on the 2025 Sprout Social Impact of Social Media Marketing Report published at Sprout Social.
Even as publishing volume decreased from 2023 to 2024, engagement increased by nearly 20%, demonstrating that content quality rather than volume is the primary driver of measurable social ROI, based on Sprout Social benchmarks data published in a 2025 social media measurement guide at Sprout Social.
65% of marketing leaders say they need to prove how social media supports business goals to secure leadership buy-in, based on the 2025 Sprout Social Index published at Sprout Social.
Organizations that maintain consistent social media investment through a 13-plus-month cycle report 3.7 times higher long-term ROI than those who frequently shift strategies based on short-term results, based on industry research cited in a 2025 social media ROI statistics analysis by Hashmeta.
Companies employing integrated content strategies that align social media with broader content marketing initiatives report 41% higher ROI than those managing channels in isolation, based on research cited in a 2025 social media ROI statistics analysis by Hashmeta.

Platform-Level ROI Statistics

58% of B2B marketers report that LinkedIn provides the highest ROI among all their social media investments, with 78% rating it as very effective for achieving their business objectives, based on research cited in a 2025 social media ROI statistics analysis by Hashmeta.
LinkedIn delivers 229% ROI over three years for B2B lead generation, making it the most financially validated social platform for enterprise technology and professional services brands, based on data cited in a 2025 enterprise tech social media ROI benchmarks analysis at Adweek.org.
Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok drive the most business impact overall among social platforms, with B2B marketers consistently identifying LinkedIn as their strongest individual channel for measurable returns, based on Sprout Social 2025 social media statistics published at Sprout Social.
TikTok delivers a short-term ROI of 11.8% according to TikTok and Dentsu internal research, with 75% of advertisers in the same study achieving their highest ROI on TikTok compared to other social channels, based on TikTok and Dentsu research cited in a 2025 social media ROI statistics overview at Sprout Social.
TikTok delivers a 14% higher conversion rate than other social platforms for Gen Z and millennial-targeted campaigns, and users spend 52% more time with TikTok ads compared to other social platform ads, based on research cited in a 2025 social media ROI statistics analysis by Hashmeta.
Instagram delivers the highest ROI for influencer marketing of any social platform, with 30% of marketers identifying it as their best-performing influencer channel and 32% describing it as the easiest platform for collaborating with influencers, based on HubSpot survey data cited in a 2025 social media ROI statistics compilation by Keywords Everywhere.
HubSpot’s 2024 Social Media Trends Report identified YouTube as offering marketers the highest overall ROI, with Facebook and Instagram close behind, while X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn each received fewer than 10% of marketers’ top-ROI citations, based on HubSpot data cited in a 2025 social media ROI statistics compilation by Keywords Everywhere.
Pinterest achieves the highest ROAS for lifestyle ecommerce products at 6.2:1, outperforming the average social media ecommerce ROAS of 4.8:1, based on data cited in a 2025 social media ROI for ecommerce statistics analysis by Social Pulse Stats.

Content Format ROI Statistics

Short-form video is the top-performing content format for social media ROI among all formats, cited by 71% of video marketers as delivering their highest returns, based on Wyzowl State of Video Marketing 2025 data cited in a 2025 social media ROI report at AI SEO Article.
A December 2024 Statista survey confirmed short-form video as the leading revenue-driving content format for social media marketers, with only 22% of marketers identifying long-form video as the highest-ROI format and just 6% citing live video, based on Statista data cited in a 2025 social media ROI overview at Sprout Social.
Short-form video content receives 2.5 times higher engagement than longer video formats, with a 66% average viewer retention rate, while 81% of users actively seek more short-form micro-content, based on data cited in a 2025 enterprise tech social media ROI benchmarks analysis at Adweek.org.
Short-form social videos drive the highest ROI for B2B video marketers at 41%, followed by brand storytelling at 38% and testimonials at 34%, based on Sprout Social 2025 social media statistics published at Sprout Social.
92% of marketers plan to spend the same or more on video marketing in 2026, with marketers reporting that video helped them improve user understanding (93%), increase brand awareness (93%), generate leads (85%), increase sales (83%), and boost website traffic (82%), based on Wyzowl and Sprout Social 2025 data published at Sprout Social.
The global digital video advertising market is expected to grow from USD 140.28 billion in 2025 to USD 188.76 billion in 2026, driven by continued investment in short-form and CTV video placements, based on data published in a 2025 social media statistics overview at Sprout Social.
87% of consumers believe user-generated content influences their buying decisions, and 81% are willing to pay more or accept longer delivery times for products featuring authentic UGC, based on TurnTo study data cited in a 2025 social media ROI overview at Sprout Social.
86% of video marketers report better engagement and ROI from video compared to other content formats, with video content projected to account for 82% of all consumer internet traffic in 2025, based on data cited in a 2025 enterprise tech social media ROI benchmarks analysis at Adweek.org.

Social Commerce ROI Statistics

39% of consumers turn first to Facebook when ready to make a social media purchase, followed by TikTok at 36% and Instagram at 29%, based on Sprout Social data cited in a 2025 social media ROI statistics overview at Sprout Social.
The pattern shifts dramatically for Gen Z, for whom TikTok is the clear frontrunner for social media purchases, surpassing Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube combined, based on Statista data cited in a 2025 social media ROI statistics overview at Sprout Social.
86% of all consumers make at least one influencer-driven purchase per year, with Gen Z and millennials most likely to buy products recommended by influencers on a daily or weekly basis, based on the Sprout Social 2024 Influencer Marketing Report cited in a 2025 social media ROI overview at Sprout Social.
Social commerce generated USD 79.64 billion in 2025 in the United States alone, with the average social media ecommerce ROAS at 4.8:1, meaning USD 4.80 in revenue per USD 1 invested, based on data cited in a 2025 social media ROI for ecommerce statistics analysis at Social Pulse Stats.
47% of consumers in Sprout Social’s Q3 2025 Pulse Survey of 2,000-plus social media users say they are more likely to buy from brands that take active stances on social media, rising to 63% for Gen Z and Black consumers, based on Sprout Social Q3 2025 Pulse Survey data published at Sprout Social.

Channel Investment and Budget Statistics

Social media jumped from 17% to 24% of top-of-funnel marketing spending from 2022 to 2025, as brands repositioned social from a conversion channel to a primary awareness investment, based on the Keen Decision Systems 2026 Marketing Benchmarks and Insights Report published at Keen Decision Systems via Business Wire.
Social declined from 17% to 9% as a share of bottom-of-funnel spending from 2022 to 2025, reflecting a structural repositioning of social from conversion to awareness as search and display took over bottom-funnel roles, based on the Keen Decision Systems 2026 Marketing Benchmarks and Insights Report published at Keen Decision Systems via Business Wire.
Larger brands with over USD 100 million in revenue increased their top-of-funnel investment allocation from 43% to 58% between 2022 and 2025, with social and streaming video driving most of that growth, based on the Keen Decision Systems 2026 Marketing Benchmarks and Insights Report published at Keen Decision Systems via Business Wire.
Retail media has grown from 15% of media budgets in 2022 to 22% in 2025, with Amazon’s share of retail media spend declining from 56% in 2024 to 46% in 2025 as Walmart and mid-sized retailers captured more investment, based on the Keen Decision Systems 2026 Marketing Benchmarks and Insights Report published at Keen Decision Systems via Business Wire.
Smaller brands with less than USD 100 million in revenue maintained the highest media reinvestment rate at 12.8%, using media spending primarily to build awareness where established brands benefit from trade programs, based on the Keen Decision Systems 2026 Marketing Benchmarks and Insights Report published at Keen Decision Systems via Business Wire.
39% of B2B marketers are increasing LinkedIn Ads spend while reducing investment in other platforms, with LinkedIn accounting for 39% of total B2B advertising budgets, based on 2025 LinkedIn Ads benchmarks for SaaS and tech marketers published at NAV43.
19% of marketers plan to invest more of their budget in Facebook than any other social media channel in 2025, while 40% identify Facebook as a major driver of ROI for their teams, based on the HubSpot 2025 State of Marketing Report cited in a 2025 PPC statistics analysis at Coupler.io.

Regional or Geographic Statistics

Streaming video and social media saw the highest increase in top-of-funnel investment among all channels across U.S. markets from 2022 to 2025, with display also rising sharply to 27% of bottom-funnel spending in 2026, based on the Keen Decision Systems 2026 Marketing Benchmarks and Insights Report covering U.S. markets, published at Keen Decision Systems via Business Wire.
60% of consumers globally say social media has had a positive effect on their mental health over the last six months, and 53% say it positively impacts their social lives, providing a favorable behavioral backdrop for social commerce and brand discovery, based on Sprout Social Q2 and Q3 2025 Pulse Surveys of 2,000-plus social media users in the US, UK, and Australia, published at Sprout Social.
The Sprout Social Index research covered the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, with 4,044 consumer respondents who follow at least five brands on social media and 900 full-time social media practitioners, providing primarily English-speaking Western market benchmark data, based on methodology published at Sprout Social.
APAC LinkedIn advertisers achieve the highest regional CTR at 1.04% and the lowest CPC at USD 1.03 for social media advertising, offering substantially better social ROI per dollar than EMEA or North American benchmarks for B2B campaigns, based on 2025 LinkedIn Ads benchmarks published at Closely HQ.
Facebook is considered the highest-ROI B2B social media platform by 22% of respondents in a Statista global survey, with the survey confirming that platform ROI perception varies substantially by industry and by geography, based on Statista data cited in a 2025 social media ROI statistics overview at Sprout Social.
The Keen Decision Systems 2026 analysis drew from USD 42 billion in historical media investment across more than 400 brands in diverse verticals and business sizes throughout the United States, providing the most comprehensive single dataset for U.S. cross-channel social ROI benchmarking available as of early 2026, based on methodology published in the 2026 Marketing Benchmarks and Insights Report at Keen Decision Systems.

References

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