BY Kathy Crosett
Are your accounts looking for ways to increase marketing ROI this year? Our most recent State of Media Sales survey shows that some verticals will have a better year than others. With tips from AdMall and HubSpot’s 2026 State of Marketing Report, you can help your accounts research their goals.
How many marketers reached their goals last year?
As marketers assess their marketing strategies, it’s worth reviewing how they did last year. Around 1,500 marketers participated in HubSpot’s study, and analysts broke out results by business size. Overall, marketers reported their success in meeting last year’s goals as follows:
- Significantly exceeded 25%
- Somewhat exceeded 36%
- Met goals 30%
- Fell short 9%
How many marketing channels are your accounts using?
While the news is generally positive regarding last year’s results, your accounts should always want to increase marketing ROI. One way to do that is to remind SMB accounts that they need a presence in multiple channels. Around 28% use 3–4 channels to connect with target audiences. And 47% use between 5 and 8 channels.
The benefits of multichannel marketing and advertising are this: If SMBs don’t reach their audience in one media channel, they may connect in another one.
Our State of Media Sales survey shows that media sales managers expect the largest revenue growth in the political, home improvement services and health care services verticals. TV has historically been a big media channel for political advertisers. AudienceSCAN data shows that 33% of frequent voters took action after seeing a TV ad in the last 30 days. Meanwhile, 48% of home health care services shoppers responded to a radio ad, which is far higher than the average U.S. adult population.
Currently, SMBs have their favorite marketing channels. These include:
- Website/blog/SEO 50%
- Paid social media content 44%
- Email marketing 43%
What new channels or strategies will SMBs try?
But they are willing to experiment. Going after niche audiences is providing cost effective for some marketers. To effectively reach these audiences, SMBs must try outreach in channels where they will be noticed. For example, 29% plan to shift some funds from digital back to traditional media.
But budget allocation often comes down to ROI. Here’s what surveyed businesses say works for them:
- Website/blog/SEO 27%
- Paid social media content 26%
- Organic social media content 24%
Do your accounts have a unique brand identity?
One way to attract consumer attention is to cultivate a unique brand identity. To increase marketing ROI, your accounts need to track their identity. They should monitor what competitors are doing and what customers think. Your accounts should also track what happens after they update what they stand for in the marketplace.
To get the best return on branding investments, accounts conduct brand awareness campaigns. They might use their CRM data to survey customers to measure actual experience against what was promised. And to expand their market, they may also run brand partnerships or sponsorships.
Where do SMBs need content help?
SMB marketers struggle with creating content that attracts interest and will help them stand out.
As many other studies have shown this year, short-form video rules. 66% use the format versus 18% who invest in white papers. 44% say blog posts.
This investment should be measured through the lens of ROI. Around 49% of marketers say short form video yields top ROI. 23% say the same about blog posts.
For many SMBs, deciding on the right content comes down to knowing who they are targeting. In our B2B BuyerSCAN survey, around 24% of business decision-makers with fewer than 100 employees confirm the importance of blog posts. This content sways them to increase consideration of a vendor’s product or service.
What are the challenges of social media videos?
The HubSpot research also found that SMBs are more likely than other businesses to spend on Instagram and TikTok videos. This strategy may help them grab attention. For now, most marketers believe that Facebook and Instagram deliver the best social ROI.
Digital marketing services businesses can sell accounts on their social video expertise. As a way to increase marketing ROI. Even SMBs have trouble staying current with social media trends (36%) and gaining/keeping followers (32%).
Do your accounts need help measuring campaign ROI?
How often are your accounts measuring and optimizing their marketing campaigns? Offering these services can help you make a big difference. Smaller marketers don’t always have the resources for this critical task. Around 42% analyze performance on a weekly basis but another 25% leave that as a monthly task.
On their own, your accounts are most likely to refine how they segment audiences (51%) and try to optimize conversion rates (40%).
Sell them on your expertise. Knowing how to increase marketing ROI is a sure way to attract more accounts.
Image by Kindel Media on Pexels.
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