We often hear that marketing content needs to be short and sweet to engage people. Does long-form content still have a place when humans have a shorter attention span than a goldfish?

Absolutely! Consumers tend to invest more time to learn about their favourite brand. They want the story behind it, and what goes beyond the name and logo.

What’s long-form content?
While short-form content like infographics and a 500-word blog post geared to capture attention and generate new interests to your brand, long-form content dive deeper with informative know-how that can be from 1,200 words onwards. Example: an in-depth article, white paper, report, case study or eBook.

More than words
Long-form content also includes video that runs more than 5 minutes long, like a short film, documentary or series. Case in point: Intel’s “Meet the Makers” series, and GoPro’s user-generated “Fireman saves kitten”.

Why go long?
Long-form content is usually packed with well-researched content that will inform and educate people about your brand beyond the surface level.

Informative long-form content can be entertaining and interactive too without being dry or dull. Going long-form is also a great way to enhance your brand’s credibility by sharing your expertise.

Give it a good mix
Content marketing for a brand should always have a mix of short- and long-form content. Both are equally important. Diversifying your brand’s content will help reach out to different levels of customers – something for everyone – from brand awareness to ultimately establishing trust and loyalty.

Increased conversion rates
A website with long-form content can boost a conversion rate to more than 37%, as one classic study shows. So never underestimate the power of long-form content. When done right, it can be just as effective.