While death and taxes might be life’s only certainties, it’s pretty clear that some folks love to criticize good ideas. Take content marketing, for instance. It’s a proven method for boosting website traffic, leads, and sales, yet some can’t resist badmouthing it. They claim it’s too difficult, ineffective, or pointless—all common complaints from content marketing skeptics. Too bad they’re completely wrong. The next time someone dismisses content marketing as a waste of time, why not counter them with one of these 23 content marketing stats and facts? You might just change their perspective. And even if you don’t, you’ll have the satisfaction of putting them in their place—always a plus! 1. Content marketing is budget-friendly and delivers exceptional ROI. It costs 62% less than traditional marketing and yields about three times as many leads. (DemandMetric) 2. Content supercharges conversions. Businesses using content marketing see conversion rates six times higher than those that don’t—2.9% versus 0.5%, respectively. (Aberdeen Group) 3. Leading brands recognize the future is content. Coca-Cola, for one, invests more in content creation than television ads. (Contently)

4. Interactive content is booming. Of those currently employing interactive content (like this timeline on Google AdWords’ history), 75% plan to increase their budgets for it in the coming year. (SnapApp) 5. Marketers are embracing longer, more detailed content. Blog posts are expanding, with average word count rising from 808 in 2014 to 1,054 in 2016. (Orbit Media Studios.) 6. Content competition is fierce, but marketers are stepping up. Around 60%—almost two-thirds—create at least one new piece of content daily. (eMarketer) 7. When it comes to content, length matters. Long-form blog posts generate nine times more leads on average than shorter ones. (Curata)

8. Decision-makers prefer learning about you through content. 80% of executives and business owners would rather get company information from articles than advertisements. (Stratabeat) 9. Everyone’s doing it. 88% of B2B marketers in North America incorporate content marketing into their broader digital strategies. (Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs) 10. Buyers trust content. A staggering 95% of B2B buyers consider content trustworthy when assessing a company and its products or services. (DemandGen) 11. Content assists potential customers at every stage. Nearly half (48%) of marketers use tailored content to support three to five stages of their customers’ buying journey. (LinkedIn Technology Marketing Community)

12. Content complements traditional sales strategies seamlessly. About half of marketers (49%) create content aligned with different phases of the sales cycle to support sales teams and boost cross-departmental sales enablement. (LookBookHQ) 13. Prospects actively seek content, particularly white papers. Roughly 78% of buyers used white papers to inform their purchasing decisions in the past year. (Curata) 14. Content is increasingly vital to the buying process. Nine out of ten B2B buyers say online content significantly influenced their purchasing choices. (Lenati) 15. Content holds immense value for organizations. Over half of marketers (58%) consider “original written content” their most crucial digital asset, surpassing visuals like infographics and videos. (Social Media Examiner)

16. Content remains a top priority for many marketers. Around 81% plan to utilize more original written content in future campaigns. (Ibid.) 17. Content offers remarkable versatility and reusability. Almost 60% of marketers reuse and repurpose content two to five times. (LookBookHQ) 18. Content is essential for lead generation. Generating leads, driving sales, and nurturing leads are the top three organizational goals for content marketing, at 85%, 84%, and 78% respectively. (Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs) 19. Companies are shifting from traditional advertising to content. About 28% of marketers have reduced their digital ad budgets to create more content. (Gartner)

20. Content delivers impressive long-term ROI. One in ten blog posts are “compounding,” meaning they consistently gain organic search traffic over time. (HubSpot) 21. Exceptional content achieves exceptional results. Compounding posts drive 38% of total blog traffic, with one such post generating the traffic of six regular posts. (Ibid.) 22. Content aligns seamlessly with evolving media consumption. Nearly three-quarters of marketers (72%) believe branded content significantly outperforms traditional magazine ads. (Custom Content Council) 23. Content has become a digital marketing powerhouse. The median annual content marketing spend in 2015 was $1.75 million, with about one in six large companies investing over $10 million annually. (Content Marketing Institute) So, are you convinced yet?