There's no shortage of video marketing stat lists online. The trouble is most of them recycle numbers from years ago, with no date and no source. We're guilty of it too. The first version of this post, from 2020, cited forecasts about 2021 and 2022 that have long since come and gone.
So here's a cleaner version: five numbers from 2025 and 2026, where each one comes from, and what it means if you run a business.
1. YouTube is 13.4% of all US TV viewing
In April 2026, YouTube accounted for 13.4% of everything Americans watched on their TVs, the biggest share of any media company in Nielsen's ranking (MediaPost on Nielsen, June 2026).
What it means: YouTube is a TV channel now, and a search engine. Shoot horizontal versions of your best content, not just vertical clips, and title them with the questions people actually type.
2. 85% of people have been convinced to buy by a video
That's from Wyzowl's 2026 survey of consumers and marketers. In the same survey, 63% said a short video is their favorite way to learn about a product or service (Wyzowl, 2026).
What it means: The video that sells usually isn't the flashy brand film. It's the clear one: what you do, who it's for, what it costs and what happens next.
3. 82% of marketers say video gives them a good ROI
Also from Wyzowl, and worth reading honestly: that's down from 93% the year before. Most businesses still see a return, but simply having video isn't enough anymore.
What it means: Plan every video around one job, like a booking, a call or a sale, and measure it. A clip with a clear next step beats three pretty ones without one.
4. Posting 3 to 5 times a week grows Instagram accounts about twice as fast as 1 to 2
Buffer looked at 2.1 million Instagram posts from 102,000 accounts. Accounts posting 3 to 5 times a week grew followers roughly twice as fast as those posting once or twice, and saw about 12% more reach per post (Buffer, 2025).
What it means: Consistency beats bursts. Batch your content. One good shoot day can fill a month at that pace.
5. 45% of consumers now use AI tools to find local businesses
BrightLocal's 2026 survey found 45% of US consumers use ChatGPT or another AI tool for local recommendations, up from 6% the year before (BrightLocal, 2026).
What it means: AI tools build their answers from what's published about you: your site, your Google profile, your reviews and your videos. Original photo and video, with clear titles and descriptions, give them more to work with. We wrote more about this in our SEO report card.
The short version
People watch more video than ever, on more screens, and they use it to decide where to spend money. The businesses that win are the ones posting consistently, answering real questions and giving search engines original material.
If you'd like help with that, take a look at our services or start a conversation.