Content isn’t just important these days. The bottom line is that content isessential.

Spending on content marketing, video marketing, and social media content creation will increase by 15.1% in 2013 to total $118.4 billion, according to eMarketer. What does that mean? It means more and more marketers are allocating their budgets toward content, and there is no sign of this slowing down.

I know everyone loves stats to prove points, and I’m no different. But, before I share the 24 stats I’ve gathered, I want to put you in the right frame of mind. James Keady, the Digital Marketing Manager of McLaren Automotive, a British automotive manufacturer, said this:

“Content is the voice of your brand and it is therefore important to allocate the respect, investment and focus it requires. Creating great content is difficult and delivering great content consistently through established processes is complex. However this is what is required if you want to take your brand from good to great in today’s communication environment.”

Your company/brand needs content to survive, and dedication and consistency to be successful. But don’t let me and Mr. Keady be the sole voices of reason.

Here are 24 stats that prove the value and power of content.

1. 80% of business decision makers prefer to get company information in a series of articles versus an advertisement. (Source)

2. 70% say content marketing makes them feel closer to the sponsoring company. (Source)

3. 60% of consumers feel more positive about a company after reading custom content on its site. (Source)

4. 90% of consumers find custom content useful, and 78% believe that organizations providing custom content are interested in building good relationships with them. (Source)

5. 9 in 10 organizations market with content. (Source)

6. More than 9 in 10 CMOs think that custom content has a positive effect on audience attitudes, strengthening the bond with consumers.  (Source)

7. 78% of chief marketing officers think custom media represents the future of marketing. (Source)

8. 8 in 10 CMOs believe custom media should be an integral part of a marketing mix. (Source)

9. 8 in 10 people prefer receiving information on a company through custom media. (Source)

10. 20% of users’ time is spent surfing the Internet on content-led websites. (Source)

11. According to 37% of marketing managers, the most important channel for engaging customers is content-led websites. (Source)

12. 70% of consumers prefer getting to know a company via articles rather than ads. (Source)

13. 82% like reading content from brands when it’s relevant. (Source)

14. 57% read content marketing titles at least once a month. (Source)

15. 37% visit content marketing websites at least once a month. (Source)

16. 68% are likely to spend time reading content from a brand they are interested in. (Source)

17. 60% are more likely to be on the lookout for products when looking at content marketing. (Source)

18. Content marketing costs less than traditional, outbound marketing. Statistics show that content marketing costs 62% less per lead than outbound marketing. (Source)

19. People want to be in control of what information they receive and it’s evident from these statistics:

• 86% of people skip TV adverts
• 44% of direct mail is never opened
• 91% of email users have unsubscribed from a company email that they previously opted into (Source)

20. 37% of marketers say blogs are the most valuable content type for marketing. (Source)

21. 86% of B2C marketers use content marketing. (Source)

22. 91% of B2B marketers use content marketing. (Source)

23. Per dollar, content marketing produces three times more leads. (Source)

24. After 36 months, content marketing has generated 31 leads per $1,000 spent, 3.3 greater than the 9 leads for paid search. (Source)

Now that you’ve got the proof, go out and start creating!

Has your company benefited from custom content?

This post originally appeared on Engage.