The Benefits of Long-Form Content

It’s unsurprising that we are fans of “long-form” content in our business, but it’s good to press “pause” sometimes to explain why we believe what we do.

For many years, there seems to have been a movement towards shorter forms of content in everything we do. And up to a point, I totally get it. Short-form content has been favoured because it’s seen as quick, easy, and helps you connect and engage with your audience. But… where exactly are you getting your short-form ideas from?

If you think about short-form content only, in my opinion, you start to think and act with a short-term mentality. And if you think only about tactics, you can quickly lose sight of strategy. Every next short blog, infographic, or video is a tactic – endorphins that feel good momentarily but are quickly gone and forgotten.

Why does this matter? Because a well-thought-through content strategy gives tactics, purpose, and direction, not the other way around. When long-form content is produced well, it makes you think through your knowledge and expertise around an issue facing your buyers. It influences their thinking, their loyalty, and improves the perception of your brand, in a way that endless short-form content cannot.

What is also overlooked about long-form content is that, with planning, it can always be broken down and used – and reused – in shorter forms. The repurpose part is important. We’ve seen more businesses we work with realise the benefits of repurposing content. A survey by databox confirmed that “nearly 90% of marketers find repurposing content to be more effective” than creating new content in terms of time, cost, and results.

A balance of different lengths and types of content is probably the answer in most cases. But don’t forget that long-form content helps you think more clearly about the purpose, knowledge, and expertise you bring to buyers. And when you have that, all your content is likely to be more effective as a result.