Visual content is the backbone of modern marketing strategies. From social media engagement to B2B decision-making, marketers across industries have embraced visuals as supplements to text and as primary drivers of communication, credibility, and conversion.
According to Venngage’s annual visual content marketing report, the industry has witnessed a surge in investment, adoption of new tools, and growing reliance on data visualization and original graphics. Here’s a statistical snapshot of visual content marketing today, followed by deeper insights into each trend.
Key Statistics on Visual Content Marketing in 2024
63.3% of marketers pivoted their visual content strategy in 2023.
21.9% of marketers said over 75% of their content was visual; 34.3% said 20–50% included visuals.
52.2% of marketers used charts and data visualizations most frequently.
34.3% of marketers rated original graphics as top performers; 39.05% rated stock photos as poor performers.
34.3% of marketers spent 10–15 hours/week creating content; 20.9% spent over 20 hours/week.
61.5% of marketers used AI to produce content in 2023.
51.4% of marketers created visuals using software; 50.5% used in-house designers; 40% used online tools.
50% of marketers struggled with finding the right layout; consistency and creativity were also major pain points.
45.7% of marketers allocated 20–50% of their budget to visuals; 9.5% planned to increase visual budgets in 2024.
56.2% of marketers spent most of their visual content budget on tools and software.
Marketers rated the difficulty of consistent visual content production as a 7 out of 10.
The most-wanted automations are auto-branding (29.5%), real-time collaboration (28.6%), and design generation (25.7%).
56.2% of marketers said visuals are very important to their strategy; 23.8% said they’re essential.
Most visuals were created for YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and TikTok.
41.9% of marketers published 5–10 visuals/week; 36.2% published 2–5/week.
40% of marketers believe 20–50% of businesses will rely heavily on visual content by end of 2024; 31.4% said over 50%.
Marketers Embrace Strategy Shifts Toward Visual Content
Short-form video and mobile-first design reshaped content production as marketers responded to shrinking attention spans and a mobile-dominant audience. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels rose in strategic value, and many teams reengineered their workflows to prioritize responsiveness and impact within the first few seconds of user engagement. The pivot wasn’t just tactical—it was structural, pushing brands to rethink design frameworks from the ground up.
Takeaway: Short-form, mobile-first visuals are now essential—not optional—for earning attention and staying algorithm-relevant across today’s social platforms.
Visuals Make Up a Growing Share of Content Libraries
The integration of visuals into content strategies increased sharply, with many marketers reporting that visual elements now comprise between 20% to 75% of all content they publish. This reflects a broader acceptance of visuals as not only engagement tools but also as persuasive drivers of narrative. In a digital space dominated by scroll behavior, visual-first assets help brands stand out and make information easier to absorb.
Takeaway: Treat every content asset as a visual-first experience—whether it’s a blog, whitepaper, or email, lead with visuals to maximize retention and impact.
Data Visualizations Top the List of Visual Types
Charts and infographics emerged as the most frequently used content type in 2023, especially among B2B marketers. They effectively distill complex information, increase information retention, and support data-backed storytelling. Their use not only aids comprehension but also enhances brand credibility by visually reinforcing analytical rigor.
Takeaway: Make data visualization a core part of your content mix—especially in B2B, where clarity and insight are competitive advantages.
Infographics and Illustrations Deliver the Strongest Results
Original graphics such as infographics and illustrations outperformed stock photos in both engagement and effectiveness. While stock imagery is still common, it often lacks the emotional or brand specificity that audiences respond to. Infographics, in contrast, attract attention, convey substance, and are 30x more likely to be read than a traditional article.
Takeaway: Prioritize original visuals to convey authority and relevance—audiences value authenticity and effort over generic stock imagery.
Content Creation Requires Significant Time Investment
Marketers reported spending upwards of 20 hours per week on visual content creation, highlighting the increasing demands of a fast-paced, design-driven marketing environment. Balancing frequency with quality continues to be a pressure point, particularly for lean teams without automation in place.
Takeaway: Streamline production by adopting templates, pre-approved design systems, and visual content calendars that reduce daily decision fatigue.
AI Tools Gain Ground as a Production Catalyst
AI tools made a significant impact in 2023, with over 60% of marketers using them to speed up production, generate creative variations, or automate formatting. AI has moved beyond novelty—it’s now a productivity engine that assists with everything from concepting to publishing.
Takeaway: Leverage AI for scale, not shortcuts—use it to accelerate output, but pair it with human insight to keep creative sharp and on-brand.
Diverse Toolsets Power Content Creation
Whether through advanced design platforms like Adobe or drag-and-drop tools like Venngage, marketers are mixing and matching software stacks to suit their skills and budgets. While professional tools offer creative control, lightweight platforms offer speed and accessibility, particularly for non-designers.
Takeaway: Equip your team with tools that match their skill level and workflow—empowering more people to create means faster delivery and greater consistency.
Layout, Consistency, and Creativity Remain Key Struggles
Design challenges like layout, brand consistency, and creative fatigue topped the list of struggles. With higher publishing frequencies and more platforms to serve, the pressure to stay fresh and on-brand is constant. Templates and brand kits are increasingly being used to reduce this friction.
Takeaway: Establish scalable design systems—brand kits, templates, and guidelines can protect quality without slowing production.
Visual Content Budgets Are Growing
Visual content is claiming a larger share of marketing budgets, with many allocating 20–50% of their spend to visuals alone. This growth is tied directly to ROI—visuals that are data-driven and strategically placed perform measurably better across all marketing channels.
Takeaway: Budget strategically—investing in high-impact visuals will return more in engagement, recall, and conversion than generic, text-heavy content.
Software and Tools Dominate Budget Spend
The majority of visual content spend is now directed toward software and tools, not freelancers or agencies. This reflects a shift toward internal enablement, where speed and control matter more than outsourcing.
Takeaway: Prioritize tools that accelerate your in-house capabilities—speed and scalability are competitive edges in a content-driven world.
Producing Visuals Consistently Is Challenging
Maintaining consistency in output was rated 7 out of 10 in difficulty by marketers. Between keeping up with trends and managing brand cohesion, content teams are under constant pressure to deliver visual assets without burning out.
Takeaway: Focus on sustainability—design for repeatability by creating content frameworks that can scale without sacrificing quality.
Automation Priorities Center on Branding and Collaboration
When asked what they’d like to automate, marketers highlighted branding consistency, real-time collaboration, and design generation. These are the areas where time is lost to redundancy and back-and-forth—ideal targets for smart automation.
Takeaway: Automate the bottlenecks—look to simplify repetitive brand tasks and approval workflows so your team can focus on creative execution.
The trajectory of visual content marketing moving into 2025 is unmistakable: marketers prioritize clarity, speed, and engagement through visual-first strategies that are informed by data, powered by AI, and optimized for mobile and social platforms. As content volume increases and audience expectations rise, the brands that will stand out are those that build efficient design systems, invest in flexible tools, and align creative output with strategic intent.
The future of marketing is not only visual—it’s dynamic, intelligent, and personalized. Marketers who embrace this shift will be best positioned to capture attention, communicate value, and drive sustained growth.
©2025 DK New Media, LLC, All rights reserved | Disclosure
Originally Published on Martech Zone: The State of Visual Content in 2025: Key Takeaways from Marketing Trends