Over the past decade, digital marketing has evolved from a niche field to a booming industry, often eclipsing traditional marketing in terms of its reach and ability to engage customers. Having a strong digital marketing strategy is no longer optional, but knowing why, how, and when to invest can be daunting.

Here are some facts and figures to help you get started:

• Buyers’ interests change throughout the buying process. In fact, 77% of buyers reported that they look for unique content at each phase of the research process.[1] Your product marketing strategy needs to evolve with your buyer.
• Over 21% of the world’s population makes purchases online. That means your digital marketing efforts are reaching out to an audience of almost 1.7 billion consumers globally.[2]
• Younger consumers in particular are making around 60% of their purchases online as of 2019, up from 47% in 2017.[3] Unfortunately, they’re also one of the toughest groups to reach through marketing efforts, with 84% of millennials reporting that they don’t trust traditional advertising methods.[4] That makes it all the more critical for businesses to produce inventive, engaging digital marketing content.
• Millennials do, however, embrace for more creative approaches. 44% are willing to promote a brand on their social media account in exchange for free products or services.[5] 62% are more likely to make a purchase from a brand if they’ve engaged with it on social media.[6]
• Across the board, businesses are stepping up their digital marketing presence to account for this shift in consumer preferences, with digital marketing spending expected to rise by 17.6% in 2019, to a total of over $333.25 billion internationally.[7]
• On average, businesses see $2 in revenue for every $1 they invest in Google Ads.[8] That’s no real surprise when you consider that Google is responsible for 96% of all searches performed on smartphones.[9]
• Inbound marketing is the top priority for 74% of digital marketing professionals worldwide.[10] Only 18% reported that their best sales leads stemmed from outbound marketing efforts, while 30% of both inbound and outbound marketers believe that outbound tactics are a major waste of time and money.[11]
• When it comes to content, 55% of digital marketing pros report that blog posts are their top priority when it comes to inbound marketing.
• Video content is also a high priority, with 83% of marketing pros and small businesses reporting a good ROI for video content. 81% saw an increase in sales that they attribute to video campaigns.[12]