Video Marketing Statistics: 73% G2 Users See ROI in 6 Months

Video marketing isn't just where the attention is. It's where the return is too. 

According to G2 Data from 4,450+ reviews, 73% of  video content creation software users see ROI within six months, and 95% rate their tools four stars or higher. That kind of return starts with attention. These video marketing statistics for 2026 explain why.

Your audience is watching videos right now. Not reading blog posts. Not scrolling through lengthy emails. Watching videos.

Whether it's a product review, a how-to guide, a social media reel, or a customer testimonial, video has become the format people turn to when they want information quickly. As a result, businesses are investing heavily in video marketing and the video software that powers it to reach audiences where their attention already lives.

The video marketing statistics below show why video continues to shape consumer behavior, influence buying decisions, and drive measurable business growth.

Video marketing statistics in 2026: at a glance

Here is a snapshot of where video marketing stands this year, pairing outside research with what G2's own review data shows.

How many businesses use video marketing in 2026?

According to Wyzowl report on video marketing, 91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool in 2026, making adoption nearly universal. The vast majority now treat it as a default part of the marketing mix, and most of the few remaining holdouts plan to start soon. With adoption plateaued, the competitive edge no longer comes from having video; it comes from producing the right video efficiently.

• 93% of video marketers say video is an important part of their overall marketing strategy.
• Among those who don't use video, the top barriers are that they don't feel it's needed (24%) or find it too expensive (24%), followed by lack of time (19%).
• More than 82% of marketing professionals use video in their marketing mix.
• The most common video formats produced are live-action (51%), animated (23%), and screen-recorded (19%).
• The most popular video use case is social media videos (69%), narrowly ahead of explainer videos (68%) and testimonial videos (57%).

How do consumers watch and engage with video?

Consumers watch video constantly, and they engage with it at nearly every stage of the buying journey. Almost every connected adult watches online video, making it the most consumed media activity on a weekly basis. And it's not just passive viewing: video shapes purchasing decisions, drives product research, and influences how much people trust a brand.

• Online video remains the world's most consumed digital media format, reaching 94.6% of internet users monthly and 91.1% weekly, according to GWI.
• Streaming (OTT) services now account for more than half (50.4%) of internet users' total TV watch time.
• Around 91% of consumers say a video has convinced them to buy a product or service in the past.
• 51% of consumers rely on product videos to make an informed purchase decision, and 47% lean on video reviews.
• YouTube is the second-most-popular channel for product research at 63%, trailing Google at 87%, while TikTok ranks third at 25%.
• 96% of people have watched an explainer video to learn about a product or service, and 84% want to see more brand videos in 2026.
• Video is the clear favorite for product education, with 63% of consumers preferring short videos and only 12% opting for text articles.

Is video marketing worth the investment?

Yes. The overwhelming majority of marketers say video earns its keep, and short-form video has emerged as the single highest-returning content format across the industry. Where ROI has dipped slightly from last year's high, it reflects more teams producing more video (and more uneven video), not a decline in video's effectiveness.

• 82% of marketers say video marketing has given them a good ROI.
• Short-form video delivers the highest ROI of any media format, with 48.6% of marketers ranking it in their top three for performance.
• Long-form (29%) and live-streaming video (25%) are the other two ROI-driving content formats reported by marketers.
• 82% say video has increased web traffic, and 82% say it keeps visitors on their site longer.
• More than 70% of marketers report being satisfied, very satisfied, or extremely satisfied with video ROI.
• 71% of marketers believe videos between 30 seconds and 2 minutes are most effective. 
• B2B teams that build video into every stage of their sales motion see 42% higher close rates and 38% higher win rates, according to Vidyard's 2026 benchmark data.
• Personalized video outreach gets 5x more replies than text alone, and people retain 95% of a message delivered by video compared to just 10% from text.

What G2 Data Shows:

On G2, reviewer-reported payback tracks closely with marketer sentiment.

• 73% of G2 reviewers who reported a payback timeline in the past 13 months say they saw ROI within six months, based on 460 reviewers who answered this question.
• Among reviewers who took longer, most still saw payback within a year: 7-12 months is the next most common answer after under 6 months.

How are marketers using AI to create video?

Marketers are using AI to script, edit, localize, and produce videos faster than ever. AI avatars, voiceovers, automated clipping, and content repurposing now run through every stage of the creation process, from first draft to final cut. G2 reviews for platforms like Synthesia, HeyGen, Creatify AI, and Canva consistently highlight the time and cost savings these capabilities deliver.

• 63% of video marketers have used AI tools to help create or edit marketing videos, up from 51% the prior year.
• More than a third of teams already use AI in their video workflow, with nearly a quarter more planning to start soon, and over half are investing more in AI this year.
• According to Wistia, AI is most common in pre-production, planning, scripting, and ideation, with captions the top generative use case.
• About 94% of marketers plan to use AI in their content creation processes in 2026.
• On the advertising side, nearly 90% of advertisers are using or plan to use generative AI to build video ad creative. 
• The combined revenue run-rate of Meta's video generation tools hit $10 billion in Q4 2025, growing nearly three times faster than Meta's overall ad revenue.
• Adoption isn't unconditional. Wistia's own research finds the top hesitations are uncertainty about AI output accuracy, fear of replacing human roles, ethical concerns, data privacy, and a lack of training.

What G2 Data Shows:

G2's own review data confirms how quickly AI has moved into everyday video production.

• Among 2025-2026 reviews in the category, about 52% mention AI, avatars, or generation, and around 47% explicitly mention time or speed savings.
• Roughly 21% of reviewers specifically cite AI avatars, and 57% praise how easy the tools are to use.

Which video content creation tools do G2 users rate highest?

Canva rates highest among G2 users in the Video Content Creation category, with a G2 Score of 96, followed by Synthesia and VEED. Based on G2's Grid Report for Video Content Creation, here is how the category's Leaders rank on satisfaction, market presence, and overall G2 Score.

How much do businesses spend on video advertising?

U.S. businesses are on track to spend more than $80 billion on digital video advertising in 2026, and that figure keeps climbing every year. Digital video now commands the largest share of the media budget, growing faster than the broader ad market, moving well past linear TV, and accounting for most TV and video ad dollars. Marketers are responding the same way: video budgets are either holding steady or moving up.

• Digital video's rise shows no signs of slowing. In 2026, it's expected to capture more than 60% of total TV and video ad spend, marking a major shift in where advertisers are placing their bets.
• Total U.S. digital ad revenue reached $294.6 billion in 2025 (up 13.9%), with social media advertising up 32.6% to $117.7 billion.
• 92% of marketers plan to spend the same or more on video marketing in 2026, and 41% spent money on video ads this year (up from 36%).
• On production costs, marketers are split: 38% say video costs are increasing, 32% see no change, and 30% say costs are getting cheaper.

Which platforms perform best for video marketing?

YouTube remains the go-to platform for reach and marketing effectiveness, while LinkedIn has become the preferred home for B2B video content. Meanwhile, short-form clips continue to outperform other formats across social media.

• According to Wistia's report, 81% of teams share videos on LinkedIn, now B2B's top video channel, narrowly ahead of YouTube at 76%, with about half on Instagram.
• Over half of companies repurpose video into social clips, with LinkedIn the top destination (67%), followed by Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.
• YouTube claims a large share of U.S. TV viewing time (13.1% in August 2025).
• Short-form video is the most-used content format among marketers (60%).
• YouTube viewers are 13 times more likely to search for a brand and five times more likely to buy when creators talk about products on the platform.

What does video production look like in 2026?

Most video production in 2026 still happens close to home, with the majority of marketers building video in-house rather than outsourcing it. Output is small and steady rather than big occasional campaigns, and accessibility has become a standard part of the workflow rather than an afterthought.

• 59% of marketers create video in-house, 32% use a mix of in-house and external help, and just 10% rely solely on external vendors.
• 76% of teams make at least one video a month, signaling a sustainable production groove.
• Almost 40% of companies spent less than $5,000 on video production last year.
• 90% of teams are taking steps to make their videos accessible, with captions the most common starting point.

What G2 Data Shows:

G2's reviewer base shows who is actually producing this content, and how satisfied they are with the tools they use.

• Adoption skews toward small businesses. About 71% of G2 reviewers for video content creation platforms are small businesses, 15% mid-market, and 9% enterprise.
• Reviewers report an average user adoption of 61%, and 84% rate their video creation tool 4.5 stars or higher.
• Getting started is fast for most. 57% of G2 reviewers who answered say they were fully live within a day.

How are teams using webinars and long-form video?

Teams use webinars and long-form video to engage high-intent audiences, and these remain among the most valuable formats they produce. Their impact often lasts well beyond the live event, with on-demand recordings generating views and leads for months afterward.

• Teams rank webinars as the second most impactful type of video, behind only product videos.
• Nearly 90% of teams reuse webinar content, and a third of webinars still pull plays three months after the live event.
• Webinar replays between 31-45 minutes saw more than 2x the engagement of those under 30 minutes.
• About 40% of people who register for a webinar attend it, and most stay for nearly the entire live event. 
• Customer testimonial videos are trending up, from 17% of companies in 2023 to 47% in 2026.
• Podcast adoption continues to grow, with over a quarter of companies already producing one and 10% more planning a launch in 2026.

Does video help with search visibility?

Yes. Video shows up directly inside search results, not just on social and email, and search itself is changing in ways that reward the same content video marketers are already producing.

• Google pulls optimized YouTube videos directly into its search results, putting video content in front of the search engine's billions of daily users, according to HubSpot's 2026 Social Media Marketing Report.
• Half of all Google searches now surface an AI Overview, and content built around clear, direct answers has a better shot at being pulled into both traditional results and AI-generated summaries.
• As AI-powered search grows, video that clearly states what it covers, in titles, captions, and on-screen text, gives search engines and AI systems more to work with when deciding what to surface.

What do these video marketing statistics mean for your strategy?

Video marketing has entered a new phase. The question is no longer whether businesses should invest in video. Most already do. The challenge now is producing enough content to meet audience expectations while proving results across an expanding number of channels.

The data points to a few clear trends. Consumers increasingly rely on video to research products and make purchasing decisions. Marketers continue to report strong returns from video, particularly short-form content. At the same time, AI is making production faster and more accessible, allowing teams of all sizes to create content that would have required larger budgets just a few years ago.

As video becomes a standard part of the customer journey, the tools behind it matter more than ever. Whether you're creating social clips, webinars, product demos, or AI-generated videos, the right software can help your team move faster, stay consistent, and get more value from every piece of content.

Explore and compare the highest-rated options on G2's video software category pages.

*This article was originally published in 2024. It has been updated with new information.