In 2026, visual content marketing dominates digital strategies as audiences demand fast, engaging formats amid shrinking attention spans and platform algorithm shifts favoring video, images, and interactive elements.
Visuals process 60,000 times faster than text, driving higher engagement across social media, websites, and ads. Platforms prioritize motion graphics, short-form videos, and AI-personalized visuals, making them essential for reach and conversions.
This article compiles over 60 visual content marketing statistics from primary research and industry reports published within the last two years. Organized into key categories, these atomic facts provide reference-grade data for 2026 strategies.
Scope and Methodology
• Includes only publicly available visual content marketing 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 Visual Content Marketing Statistics for 2026
- Social platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube collectively account for over 60% of product discovery, based on a 2026 report by Sprout Social.
- Short-form video delivers the highest ROI among video formats at 41%, based on a 2026 report by Sprout Social.
- 94% of organizations say influencer marketing outperforms traditional digital advertising, based on a 2026 report by Sprout Social.
- Total spend on social media advertising is projected to reach $317.33 billion in 2026, based on a 2026 report by Sprout Social.
- 92% of marketers plan to spend the same or more on video marketing in 2026, based on a 2026 report by Sprout Social.
- The global digital video advertising market is expected to grow from $140.28 billion in 2025 to $188.76 billion in 2026, based on a 2026 report by Sprout Social.
- 61% of marketers plan to increase their investment in creator content in 2026, based on a 2026 report by Sprout Social.
- 91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool, based on a 2026 study by Wyzowl.
- 93% of video marketers say video is an important part of their marketing strategy, based on a 2026 study by Wyzowl.
- 69% of video marketers have created social media videos, based on a 2026 study by Wyzowl.
- Humans process visuals 60,000x faster than text, based on a 2026 analysis by Sirsonite.
Adoption and Usage Statistics
- Visual content is more than 40X more likely to get shared on social media than other types of content, based on a 2024 study by HubSpot referenced in Lean Labs.
- 65% of people are visual learners, based on a 2024 report cited in Lean Labs.
- 85% of all consumers have watched videos online at least once per day, based on a 2024 study referenced in Lean Labs.
- 87% use their mobile devices every day for video consumption, based on a 2024 study referenced in Lean Labs.
- In 2018, 78% of marketers used visuals in their blogs, based on a 2022 update reported by Lean Labs.
- In 2022, 85% of marketers used visuals in their blogs, based on a 2022 report by Lean Labs.
- Almost half (48%) of marketing content contains visuals, based on a 2025 study by Venngage cited in Brafton.
- 49% of marketers primarily use visual content on blogs and websites, based on a 2025 Brafton compilation.
- 50% of content marketers spend less than 5 hours a week creating visual content, based on a 2025 Brafton report.
- 22% of marketers said expanding from text-based to visual/audio content was the most effective diversification strategy in 2025, based on a 2026 HubSpot report.
Audience and Behavioral Statistics
- 73% of consumers say they’ll switch to a competitor if a brand doesn’t respond on social media, based on a 2026 report by Sprout Social.
- Social media ads are the leading source of brand awareness among internet users aged 16 to 34, based on a 2026 report by Sprout Social.
- Video can increase brand recognition by 95%, based on a 2024 HubSpot study referenced in Lean Labs.
- Visual learners are more likely to remember, retain, engage with, and apply information seen visually, based on a 2024 Lean Labs analysis.
Channel Performance Statistics
- Content with relevant images gets 94% more views than content without images, based on a 2024 study cited in Lean Labs.
- Social video generates 1200% more shares than text and image combined, based on a 2024 report by Lean Labs.
- 56% of content marketers who use infographics say that they’re the most effective marketing content type, based on a 2025 Brafton compilation.
- Motion increases time-on-page and engagement, based on a 2026 Sirsonite trend analysis.
- Platforms like Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and LinkedIn prioritize video content, based on a 2026 Sirsonite report.
- Interactive content like quizzes and calculators increases dwell time and reduces bounce rate, based on a 2026 Sirsonite analysis.
Conversion and Acquisition Statistics
- Marketers say video has helped them improve user understanding of products or services at 93%, based on a 2026 Sprout Social report.
- Video increases brand awareness at 93%, based on a 2026 Sprout Social report.
- Video generates leads at 85%, based on a 2026 Sprout Social report.
- Video increases sales at 83%, based on a 2026 Sprout Social report.
- Video boosts website traffic at 82%, based on a 2026 Sprout Social report.
- 90% of marketers believe sponsored influencer content outperforms brand content in terms of reach and engagement, based on a 2026 Sprout Social report.
- 83% say sponsored influencer content converts better, based on a 2026 Sprout Social report.
- Images are more likely to be shared, remembered, understood, and liked, based on a 2024 Lean Labs study.
Trust, Influence, and Perception Statistics
- Nearly all organizations (94%) say influencer marketing delivers stronger ROI than traditional digital advertising with at least 2x returns for a majority, based on a 2026 Sprout Social report.
- Human-generated content is the #1 priority for users in 2026, based on a 2026 Sprout Social report.
- 35% of marketers say visual imagery is the most important form of content for their business, based on a 2024 Lean Labs report.
- Visual content has a higher recall rate than text-based or video content, based on a 2024 Lean Labs analysis.
- Blue and green are the top color preferences for consumers that visit business websites, based on a 2025 Brafton report.
Customer Value and Retention Statistics
- A central design system is the most common practice for ensuring content quality and consistency, based on a 2025 Brafton compilation.
Revenue and Business Impact Statistics
- Ad spending on social media is expected to grow by 10.90% each year from 2026 to 2030, based on a 2026 Sprout Social report.
- Social media ads account for $3 in every $10 spent on advertising, based on a 2026 Sprout Social report.
- It’s projected that 82.9% of total social media ad spending will be generated through mobile by 2030, based on a 2026 Sprout Social report.
- 42% of marketers plan to increase budget in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), based on a 2025 Brafton report.
Industry-Specific Statistics
- Visual content should be at the top of content marketing strategy lists due to higher recall, based on a 2024 Lean Labs report.
References
- https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-statistics/
- https://thedigitalelevator.com/blog/content-marketing-stats/
- https://sirsonite.com/BlogDetails/the-ultimate-visual-marketing-trends-for-2026-motion-3d-interactive-content
- https://www.leanlabs.com/blog/visual-content-marketing-must-know
- https://www.brafton.com/content-marketing-statistics/
- https://www.hubspot.com/marketing-statistics