Analysing the ROI of digital marketing channels in 2025

In other words, brands strive to optimise their influence and connect with their target audience through effective budget management. So how should you approach this question and which marketing channels offer the best ROI for your company to invest in?

When examining digital marketing ROI averages, a ratio of 10:1 is considered favourable, indicating a return of €10 for every €1 spent, with SEO and email marketing showing the highest averages (15:1 or 1,500% and 40:1 or 4,000%, respectively).

Identifying the most profitable digital channels and evaluating the return on investment is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. Each channel offers specific advantages, but not all are suitable for all companies.

Without further ado, let's explore the main digital marketing channels with the best ROI that you should take into account.

• Social media

Some people may still see social channels as simple tools to increase brand visibility, but they can be very profitable with the right strategy. For example, LinkedIn can be a highly beneficial platform for B2B companies, particularly for generating contacts.

LinkedIn's internal growth data indicates that adverts on the platform are seen as 92% more professional, 59% more credible, 50% more qualitative and 74% more intelligent, which can lead to a 10-15% increase in sales in the short term.

Alternative social platforms can also produce excellent results. Twenty-five per cent of the marketing professionals we spoke to think that Instagram offers the best ROI among social channels, with Facebook at 23%, YouTube at 14% and, finally, TikTok at 12%.

Instagram is constantly improving its e-commerce capabilities, while Facebook has been the leading community engagement and paid social advertising platform for B2C and B2B companies, due to its robust functionalities and precise targeting options.

In contrast, YouTube dominates the video marketing arena, with 90 per cent of video marketers using the service. What's more, 90 per cent of marketers say that video marketing delivers an excellent ROI, which makes YouTube a logical choice for long-form videos, shorts or Reels.

• Email Marketing

Email marketing involves more than just distributing newsletters. It can also include sending personalised marketing communications, alerts about abandoned shopping carts and urgent updates such as seasonal promotions, among others. Email marketing usually provides an excellent ROI, generating between €35 and €40 for every euro invested.

We think that email marketing is still the best channel in terms of ROI.

If you have a sizeable list, email services are very affordable, given the number of clicks you can drive to your website. Strategically planning your emails can be one of the most effective marketing tools in your armoury.

You can use artificial intelligence to improve your email marketing strategies, further increasing efficiency and return.

• SEO

Around 93 per cent of interactions start with search engines, which makes SEO a valuable investment. Recent information indicates that 29% of marketers believe that organic search provides the highest ROI of all marketing channels, with the typical ROI of a complete SEO campaign being around 748%, which equates to around €7.48 for every euro spent. However, like everything else, this varies from sector to sector.

Why do marketers believe that SEO is one of the main ROI channels when email marketing exceeds it by almost five times? Organic search remains one of the most cost-effective methods of generating traffic and leads. Investing in SEO guarantees sustained visibility without ongoing advertising costs.

Marketing channels are interconnected. You can't run PPC without excellent content (marketing) on the landing page. Or run a content plan that doesn't include SEO. It will just be a bad use of funds.

Although SEO is a valuable marketing strategy, it requires the expertise of a qualified professional who has the experience and understanding to create and implement these often intricate and technically demanding campaigns. Therefore, if you decide to explore the field of SEO, seek assistance.

• Video marketing

We've already talked about these and their application on social media, since short videos generate more than 30 per cent return on investment and clips of less than 90 seconds retain 50 per cent of their audience. TikTok is an excellent illustration of the impact of short videos. The platform has more than 1.5 billion monthly active users, with some highly viewed videos surpassing 2 billion views.

Although short-form videos are creating a significant impact in digital marketing, long-form videos and content as a whole also offer great value.

Extended content is making a resurgence. According to Dan Holt, boring long-form content is never enjoyable, but engaging long-form content is essential for B2B and B2C brands.

Extended content enhances the uniqueness of a brand's digital presence.

As social accounts increasingly share humorous videos and meme content, brands that highlight behind-the-scenes content and showcase their employees will have a stronger digital presence. Escaping the social media cycle is crucial, as brands that rely on these platforms cannot achieve lovemark status.

By collaborating with an innovative video marketing agency, you can produce captivating video content, regardless of format or sector.

• Omnichannel marketing

Most marketers and brands opt for omnichannel marketing, combining various channels to provide cohesive, branded user experiences.

But how effective is omnichannel marketing? It can produce a 90% retention rate for online shops, while omnichannel customers have a 30% higher lifetime value. And what makes it effective? It guarantees brand uniformity throughout your online presence and combines the best aspects of each digital interaction, possibly exceeding expectations.

For example, SMS marketing is a crucial component of a comprehensive omnichannel approach.

In recent years, SMS marketing has become an important tool with a remarkable ROI. Achieving an open rate of close to 98 per cent, it is one of the simplest methods of establishing contact with consumers. Companies can use SMS to send personalised promotions, reminders or individual offers. The key factor is to make the messages brief and ensure their value. It's essential to bear in mind that consumers value relevance and don't like spam, so providing a simple opt-out option is vital to maintaining trust.

• Influencer marketing

An effective influencer marketing strategy, combined with the assistance of the right professionals, can increase brand visibility and boost sales.

Specialised platforms (such as Twitch for gamers or Clubhouse for professionals) have very active communities. Influencer marketing on these platforms can provide genuine connections with target individuals. To ensure success, find influencers who truly share your brand's values. Prioritise long-lasting partnerships over one-off promotions to establish trust and credibility. Give influencers the creative freedom to genuinely support your brand.

The average ROI for influencer marketing is 5.9 euros for every euro invested, but in certain sectors, the average can reach 20 euros for every euro. Without a doubt, influencer marketing can serve as an effective marketing channel to quickly expand a brand's reach, increase awareness and establish trust. By collaborating with the right influencer, all companies and organisations, including non-profits, can gain from these campaigns.

• Podcast marketing

Podcast advertising presents a significant opportunity with an average ROI of around 5 euros, making it a valuable channel to exploit. Statistics indicate that almost 68 per cent of listeners are likely to consider a product or service if they learn about it during a podcast.

Precise targeting of these adverts can engage well-defined and qualified potential customers, leading to a better return on investment. However, it's important to emphasise that collaboration with the right podcast production company is essential, as is finding an influencer whose vision and content are in tune with your brand.

Podcasts attract a demographic group of committed and loyal listeners. Adverts are often smoothly incorporated into the content, making them less distracting and more impactful. The personal aspect of podcasts creates trust, which results in an increase in conversion rates.

Podcast advertising is on the rise, as more and more people listen while travelling or exercising. The intimate quality of the adverts read by the host can foster a deep connection with the audience, making it an exceptionally powerful medium for brands looking to establish trust.

Just because a channel has the potential to be effective doesn't guarantee that it will be. Your customers won't buy your products just because they've seen a single advert. Sales occur primarily when brands involve specialists and create an effective marketing strategy that incorporates several high-ROI channels.

Here's how to improve your capabilities:

• Emphasise synergies between channels

Developing synergies between different marketing channels centres on combining actions to ensure that each channel helps the others. Using social media data to improve email marketing tactics creates a feedback loop that continually improves effectiveness. By synchronising messages and branding across all platforms, including social media, email or direct interaction, you can create a unified story that increases brand awareness among your customers.

• Keep current customers

When it comes to ROI, most entrepreneurs consider acquiring new contacts and converting them into customers. Maintaining satisfaction among your current customers can produce equally beneficial returns.

It is essential to prioritise customer retention over simply acquiring new customers. Studies show that acquiring a new customer is five times more expensive than retaining a current one. By investing in loyalty initiatives, personalised follow-up or special offers, companies can promote repeat purchases and increase the value of the customer's lifetime without a substantial increase in their marketing expenditure.

• Optimising segmentation

How can your campaigns be successful if you're targeting everyone, no one, or just the wrong audience? Identifying your target users can help you maintain or improve ROI, even on very crowded channels.

Refining prospect selection and incorporating additional prospect qualification into the system can improve results. Continuously monitoring the quality of contacts should be a top priority for brands. Examining the points in the funnels where contacts can drop out is another effective method for improving the ROI of advertising expenditure.

Brands should use first-party data to interact with individuals without relying on cookie profiles or IP addresses.

Integrating data with social retargeting, efficient SEO, SEM or even print can positively influence the development of a unified marketing strategy that stands out across all channels.

• Making choices based on data

Digital marketing analysis evaluates the effectiveness of your campaigns, provides information on your ROI and allows you to modify your campaigns, either immediately or for future ones.

Data-driven marketing allows for precise segmentation, personalised messages and effective distribution of resources. By analysing performance metrics, brands can improve their strategies to optimise ROI.

Finally, data can help identify the best-performing content, allowing you to increase the value of your existing assets. In this way, you can engage diverse audiences on various channels without the need for continuous content production, while optimising ROI.

• What are the main digital marketing channels in 2025?

In 2025, the main digital marketing channels include SEO (search engine optimisation), social media, paid advertising (PPC), email marketing, content marketing, digital influencers, e-commerce, video marketing and voice search.

• Why is SEO still relevant in 2025?

SEO is essential to ensure that your website is found organically on search engines such as Google. Although SEO practices are evolving, optimising for search is still one of the most effective ways of attracting qualified traffic and improving online visibility.

• What role will social media play in digital marketing in 2025?

Social media remains one of the most powerful channels for connecting brands with their audiences. They are essential for increasing engagement, generating leads, promoting products and services and building a loyal community. Platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and Facebook remain on the rise, with new features and opportunities for paid adverts.

• How will paid advertising (PPC) apply in 2025?

In 2025, paid adverts such as Google Ads and social media ads will continue to be a powerful tool for reaching a targeted audience. With the evolution of technologies, the segmentation and personalisation of these ads are more precise, offering better results and return on investment (ROI).

• Why is email marketing still effective in 2025?

Email marketing remains a fundamental channel for nurturing leads, promoting offers and building relationships with customers. In 2025, with the use of automation and advanced segmentation, email campaigns will become more personalised and have a higher conversion rate.

• What is content marketing and why is it important in 2025?

Content marketing involves creating and distributing relevant and valuable material to attract and engage audiences. In 2025, this channel is vital for educating the consumer, increasing trust in the brand and improving SEO. Blogs, videos, infographics and podcasts are popular forms of content.

• How important will digital influencers be in 2025?

Digital influencers will continue to play a significant role in marketing in 2025. They help increase brand trust and credibility through authentic recommendations. Collaborations with influencers can reach specific audiences and generate high engagement and sales.

• How will video marketing impact digital channels in 2025?

Video marketing remains one of the most effective channels, as videos generate greater engagement and share messages in a more engaging way. In 2025, platforms such as YouTube, Instagram Reels, TikTok and others are dominating digital content, providing new ways of interacting with consumers.

• What is e-commerce marketing and how is it evolving in 2025?

E-commerce marketing covers the strategies and campaigns used to promote online shops. In 2025, e-commerce will continue to grow, with a focus on personalisation, optimising the user experience, remarketing and using artificial intelligence to predict purchasing behaviour.

• How is voice search transforming digital marketing?

Voice search is becoming a growing trend, with more users using virtual assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant. Brands need to optimise their content to respond to voice queries, using natural keywords and conversational phrases.

• How important is data analysis for digital marketing channels?

Data analysis is crucial to understanding the performance of your digital campaigns. In 2025, companies can use advanced analysis tools to measure success in real time, adjust strategies, optimise campaigns and improve return on investment (ROI).

• How will marketing automation influence digital channels in 2025?

Marketing automation facilitates large-scale personalisation and the management of complex campaigns. It makes it possible to send relevant messages to the right customers at the right time, increasing the efficiency of campaigns and providing a more fluid and personalised experience.

Identifying your most profitable ROI channel depends on several factors. A single channel can be effective for one brand and offer minimal benefits to another.

It's not just about your business - your users, along with their preferences, interests and behaviours, represent the other side of the equation. It is therefore essential to carry out the necessary research to determine which channels and types of content will produce the best results for your specific needs.

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