2022 Marketing Benchmarks: Web Traffic and Conversion Trends for 150,000 Businesses In 2022, the marketing world continued to evolve. Not only did we get the ability to shop directly on our favorite social media apps, but we also began to hear lots of the futuristic buzz around AR/VR, the metaverse, and Web3 development. As we move into another unique year, marketers might wonder if and how other companies in their industry are keeping up with everything going on. To help marketers like you keep a pulse on how other brands are doing, HubSpot analyzed data from 150,000+ companies. In this post, we'll note the three key marketing themes we discovered and how they could impact you today. Want a full view of how the bigger business performed and what you can do to keep your company up? Read our full-year Business Data Recap on the Hustle Blog now. About this Data: These insights are based on data aggregated from 130,000+ HubSpot customers globally between July 2021 and September 2022. Because the data is aggregated from HubSpot customers’ businesses, please keep in mind that the performance of individual businesses, including HubSpot’s, might differ based on their own markets, customer base, industry, geography, stage and/or other factors. 3 Marketing Data Themes We Saw in 2022 2022 Web Traffic Struggled to Outpace 2021 In 2021, much of the world was still reopening following the worst of the pandemic. And, although people were starting to get out of the house and disconnect...

How to Answer "Are We in a Recession?" to Your Marketing Team As we embark on the new year, marketing managers and project leads will determine their strategy for the first quarter based on the big question, "Are we in a recession?". Typically, a recession is considered two consecutive quarters of negative gross domestic product (GDP). The U.S. entered a recession in the Summer of 2022, but according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, GDP actually grew slightly at 2.6% in Q3. So while we can't fully confirm that we're going to be in one again, we know that your marketing team is looking to you for answers. In this article, we'll provide industry insight into the current state of the economy and best practices for marketing leaders to better address employee concerns. Are We in a Recession?: Marketing Leaders and Data Weigh In To see what brands think about the current economy, we used Glimpse to survey 300+ U.S. marketers to ask them if they think we’ve entered a recession in detail. 1. Do you think the U.S. economy is in a recession? Marketers overwhelmingly (78%) say the U.S. is currently in a recession. This comes as no surprise as many marketers are already adapting strategies in response to changing consumer spending habits. Let's go through some of the sentiments behind their answers. Reasons Why We Might Be in a Recession Consumers are spending less and exercising more caution and discretion. People...

How Marketers are Navigating Q4: Traffic, Lead & Email Data from 150K+ Brands If you're a marketer, it's likely been a very – odd – Q4! On top of racing to the finish with end-of-year reports, campaigns, and project memos, you're also in the thick of annual planning for the new year. And, to add one more complicated layer to the mix, many marketing teams are waiting in the balance to see how our uncertain economy and the continuance of unprecedented global events will impact their work. While we don't have a crystal ball, our final analytics report of the year aims to give you an insightful glimpse of how industries are performing in Q4, and help you make the most informed decisions for your brand as 2023 begins. Without further adieu, let's dive in. About this Data: These insights are based on data aggregated from 158,000+ HubSpot customers globally between November 2021 and November 2022. Because the data is aggregated from HubSpot customers’ businesses, please keep in mind that the performance of individual businesses, including HubSpot’s, might differ based on their markets, customer base, industry, geography, stage, and/or other factors. Mid-Q4 Marketing Themes Overall Themes With seasonality – which we began to see in our last recap – in full swing, industries linking to retail, travel, and leisure are seeing unsurprising month-to-month upticks in conversions, leads, and even traffic. Meanwhile, industries like construction – which are often less active during the end of the year and in uncertain financial...

5 Third-Party Cookie Alternatives Marketers are Already Using Marketers and third-party cookies -- can you name a better combo? A few years ago, you really couldn’t. But with Google phasing out third-party cookies in 2024, marketers are busy searching for new strategies to collect user data. While 2024 might seem far down the road, over half of marketers say their company is already exploring alternative targeting solutions. And that isn’t surprising, because 85% of marketers say their marketing activities are reliant on third-party cookies to some degree, and 77% say Google phasing out third-party cookies will make marketing more difficult for them. So let’s look into exactly which solutions marketers are turning towards as a replacement for third-party cookies and the unexpected impact it has on marketing budgets. Which Third-Party Targeting Alternatives Are Marketers Exploring Of the 54% of marketers who say their company is exploring alternative targeting solutions, more than half are looking into using social media for targeted ads as a replacement for third-party cookies. Collecting first-party data from their customers is another top strategy, as is Google Topics API. Let’s take a quick look at each of these. Using Social Media for Targeted Ads Social media offer advanced targeting tools to get your ads in front of your target audience. With the rise in popularity of social shopping, tapping into platforms like Instagram is a powerful way to reach consumers - especially Gen Z and Millennials: Collecting First-Party Data from Your Customers First-party...

The Crisis of Disconnection: Why It’s Time to Rethink Your Growth Strategy This post is a part of The Crisis of Disconnection, a thought leadership series examining the latest research and insights to uncover how businesses can meet their growth goals, even amidst unprecedented changes to the way we work. If there’s a topline takeaway from the research that prompted us to call The Crisis of Disconnection by name, it’s this. The growth challenges you faced in the last decade won’t be the growth challenges you face in the next decade. If you’ve been following along, we’re glad you’re back. If you’re just joining us now, we’re glad you’re here. To recap, here are four things keeping the savviest leaders we know up at night: Businesses once in hyper-growth mode are now struggling to grow. One in three businesses are already citing “slowed growth” as a top challenge going forward. Painfully high expenses and increasing costs are leading businesses to re-evaluate their software spend, the tools in their tech stack, and how that impacts their bottom line Tried-and-true methods for generating demand are becoming less reliable and more expensive. Nearly two-thirds of businesses agree that sales engagement is struggling more now than pre-pandemic. 81% of businesses agree that COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the way we live, work, and connect — and “the new normal” is still largely TBD. You’ve seen the data. You’re tracking the trends. But how will The Crisis of Disconnection manifest in your business? Disconnection in...

Are Seasonality & the Economy Impacting Marketers in Q4? This time each year, nature – as well as marketing – slows down as we head into colder seasons. As we enter Q4, marketing departments are preparing for a slowdown in business that comes as people tune out towards the end of the year. But, while seasonal change is expected and inevitable, this year's economic shifts might cause some marketers to worry that this year could bring a flurry of poor numbers. As you see dips or bumps in early Q4, you might wonder, "Is my marketing department experiencing seasonality or an impact of outside events, or are our numbers solely based on the work we've been doing?" To help you gather evidence that proves or disproves the possibility of outside impacts in Q4, here's a look at how businesses across industries entered the first month of it in October. About this Data: These insights are based on data aggregated from 158,000+ HubSpot customers globally between July 2021 and October 2022. Because the data is aggregated from HubSpot customers’ businesses, please keep in mind that the performance of individual businesses, including HubSpot’s, might differ based on their markets, customer base, industry, geography, stage, and/or other factors. How Marketing Metrics Are Shifting (or Staying the Same) in Early Q4 To learn how metrics were shifting, we looked at data from sample sizes of 120,000+ businesses. Overall, we're seeing that most inbound marketing metrics are down year-over-year. Luckily, the good news...

A Crisis of Disconnection: Three Workplace Trends Slowing Business Growth This post is a part of The Crisis of Disconnection, a thought leadership series examining the latest research and insights to uncover how businesses can meet their growth goals, even amidst unprecedented changes to the way we work. It’s no secret that reaching customers has become more challenging in recent years. Interested in going a few steps further to develop meaningful, lasting relationships? That’s an even taller order. To sustain business growth during trying times, many of us are realizing we need to reimagine how we attract, engage, and delight the communities we serve. Until recently, it's been equally tricky to pinpoint a root cause for what feels like an uphill battle. The struggle, as they say, is real. When we zoomed out, we discovered that disconnection is widespread across internal systems, among cross-functional teams, and — increasingly — between brands and their customers. Yamini Rangan, Chief Executive Officer at HubSpot, sums up the Crisis of Disconnection best: How did this evolution come to our attention? We’re glad you asked! Research we’ve conducted over the last year has helped us bring these trends to light, and we’re eager to share our top findings. After all, overcoming The Crisis of Disconnection starts with understanding the challenges ahead. Let’s start with some high-level commentary on growth, or what’s top of mind for most in our current macroeconomic climate. Growth Challenges Are on the Rise Are times tough for most...

The Top Traffic, Conversion, & Lead Trends in Q3: Data & Takeaways from 120,000+ Businesses When it comes to Q4, Halloween isn't the only spooky thing haunting marketers. In fact, the most intimidating part of Q4 is the pressure to end the year with great results, while also taking on immense annual planning to start the new year off right. And, on top of the normal stressors of Q4, businesses are also dealing with concerns about inflation, uncertain economies, and how a potential recession could impact their bottom line. As you enter an uncertain Q4, it will be helpful to gather all the hard data you need to make decisions, including research on how industries like your own have performed in the past few months. This data not only gives you insights into how you're performing against the competition today, but it can also help you create actionable strategies that could enable you to transition from one successful year to another. In this post, we'll highlight how more than 120,000 businesses are performing when it comes to traffic, leads, conversion rates, and email engagement. With this data in mind, we'll also highlight which takeaways you should bring with you during Q4 planning. About this Data: These insights are based on data aggregated from 130,000+ HubSpot customers globally between July 2021 and September 2022. Because the data is aggregated from HubSpot customers’ businesses, please keep in mind that the performance of individual businesses, including HubSpot’s, might differ based on their own markets, customer...

Is the Potential Recession Already Impacting Consumer Spending Habits? If you've watched the news recently, it seems that the possibility of a recession has captured everyone’s attention. Americans have already seen signs like the inflation of rent, gas prices, groceries, and other necessities that pre-existing wages can’t meet. But, still, some experts say that we could still avert a recession – and if we don't – a recession might not last as long as 2008's. With all these changes and newsbites in mind, business decision-makers might wonder how their potential customers are reacting. And, if their spending habits could be changing in the near future as a result? While we don't know if we'll head into a recession, this post aims to help brands and marketers prepare to continue to meet consumers where they are – even in uncertain times. To give readers insight on how spending behaviors are or could be shifting, we surveyed more than 200 U.S. consumers across all age groups. Before we dive in, we'll briefly explain the concept of a recession: Recessions are a normal part of the business cycle and can be induced by global economic shocks, changes in consumer confidence, and other large-scale economic changes. But this year, in particular, there are a select few factors that have spurred concern about a potential recession, although one still hasn't been declared or confirmed. For more on the cause of recessions and why some are concerned about them happening in the near...

5 Myths Marketers Got Wrong About Gen Z, According to Data & Our Gen Z Intern To be honest, Gen Z can feel like foreign territory to all. Even myself, born in 2001. Although I'm smack in the middle of the TikTok, middle-part wearing generation, I don't always fully understand the trends we start, stop, or totally cancel. Even though I'm no genius when it comes to how to market to our generation, I can tell you it’s pretty obvious when marketers try too hard to sell to us. It often feels too forced and fake. That’s why I'm here to help! Let me debunk a few myths and predictions marketers might have made about our wild generation so that you can find the right ways to grab our attention and keep us engaged. Let's dive right into some of those incorrect thoughts, debunk them with data from our State of Consumer Trends Survey, and discuss tips for what you can do instead. 5 Gen Z Myths, Debunked 1. "Gen Z is obsessed with fast fashion." It’s easy to see SHEIN or Princess Polly hauls on TikTok or Instagram and think these represent our generation. Of course, these online retailers do have a grasp on our generation to some extent, but what grabs our attention are retail resale sites. For example, 90% of Depop’s users are younger than 26. Today, Gen Zers are purchasing this apparel, but in a much less harmful way, being that resale clothing is second-hand. Instead...