Writing long-form content is a marketing tactic that many businesses use, but is it still worth the effort in 2023?
What is long-form content?
According to most standards, long-form content is written content that is more than 1,000 words in length. This type of content can include comprehensive blog posts, case studies, white papers, or eBooks. Long-form content can also include non-written formats, such as videos and podcasts, that take longer than average to consume.
Generally speaking, long-form content is long because it goes deep into detail about one or more topics and provides the audience with specific answers to their questions.
Is long-form blog content still worth it in 2023?
The short answer is “Yes!”
Long-form blogs are worth investing in because they benefit your brand in many ways. Studies have found that long-form blog content performs better than others in various metrics, including organic traffic, social shares, and lead acquisition.
Benefits of Long-Form Blog Content
Gives You a Competitive Edge
The average blog has less than 700 words, which may sometimes not be enough to give readers the information they need. When you go above this standard, readers are more likely to get real value from your blog. This translates to content that is perceived as more trustworthy and helpful than others, which has a correlation on how many people find your business through organic search.
Influences Readers' Decisions
Long-form blogs also provide room for you to subtly position the value you offer to your target audience. You can strategically place calls to action and mention your brand’s benefits in different parts of the content, which lets you influence readers’ subsequent decisions in the buyer’s journey. This lets you successfully present your brand’s offerings without coming off as too sales-y and potentially alienating readers who still need time to invest in a solution.
Builds Your Brand's Authority and Offers Valuable Backlinks
Presenting in-depth information makes your content authoritative and attractive, both in the eyes of humans and search engines. It increases readers’ confidence in your brand and also the chances of earning valuable backlinks from other high-authority businesses. The more backlinks you earn, the better rankings you’ll gain = greater discoverability, more traffic, and more business over time.
Allows Easy Repurposing into Other Content Formats
Lastly, you can use long-form content across different marketing channels, which can save you time when creating content. This involves taking different parts of your long-form blog and repurposing them into other things like social media posts, email marketing campaigns, infographics, and many others. It effectively lets you scale in content volume and audience size quickly, which also, earns you more bandwidth to focus on other important aspects of marketing.
Leverage Long-Form Content to Your Brand’s Advantage.
Ready to execute a winning content marketing strategy?
If you still need help leveraging long-form content to your brand’s advantage, our content marketing agency is here to help. Start creating content that attracts, engages, and delights your customers by contacting us today.