Long-form content marketing is one of those Internet marketing buzz-phrases that gets kicked around quite a bit, especially as of late. If you ask a couple of digital marketers to explain the concept, you’re likely to get a couple of different answers. However, they’re likely to agree on this much: It works.
Sure, there will be the occasional outlier who tells you that using long-form content is a risk. It’s likely that those people haven’t learned how to use proper subheadings and animated GIFs that keep a reader’s attention.
Aside from those minority reports, you’ll mostly hear experts extol the glories of long-form content marketing, defined as content that includes more than 1,200 words. Some will say that it improves engagement. Others will say that it keeps readers on the page longer – a metric that Google notices. Still others will say that it’s a search engine optimization (SEO) tactic.
They’re all right; but why?
Let’s examine a few case studies and unlock the power of long-form content marketing.
Quick Sprout’s Definitive Guide to Growth Hacking
Growth hacking is another concept that’s grown in popularity over just the past few years. Fortunately for people interested in the subject, Internet entrepreneur Neil Patel and co-author Bronson Taylor have written what many people consider to be the definitive guide on growth hacking.
It’s also a model example of long-form content marketing.
The e-book contains 10 chapters that when combined are well over the requisite 1,200 words. And the epic guide covers everything that growth hackers love to practice and preach about, including the use of sales funnels and push/pull tactics. It also offers actionable advice.
So why does it work as a long-form content marketing strategy? For starters, it shares knowledge freely as opposed to prompting visitors with an annoying pop-up box that asks for the user’s information. It also comes across as a comprehensive guide, which means that people will refer to it as the go-to authority when searching for effective growth hacking techniques.
VF Outlet’s Guide to Spring Fashion Trends
VF Outlet appeals to its readers with long-form content about spring fashion trends for 2015. The article describes the colors, fabrics, and patterns that people should be shopping for now that Old Man Winter has retired for another season.
Why does it work? Because it sets the company up as an authority figure on the subject of fashion. The article uses almost 2,000 words to describe the various looks for both men and women during the spring season. When content is that lengthy, people get the impression that the author of the piece knows what he’s talking about so it’s read with interest. In a nutshell, long-form content is a great way to establish yourself as a subject matter expert.
Patagonia’s “Climbing in Iceland with Loki the Deceiver”
Okay, just the title of this piece makes it compelling. It also uses long-form content marketing, which makes it even better.
Patagonia’s article reads like a travel diary about a rock climbing expedition in Iceland. It also offers photos of the feat, which in this case are worth far more than a thousand words – although a thousand words are necessary for long-form content marketing.
Why does it work? Because it tells a story. Authors of engaging stories know that if they want to draw their readers in, they must provide details and paint pictures with words. That’s what this content does and that’s why it works.
Also, the article doesn’t try to sell anything. In this respect, it would be an example of expert content marketing even if it wasn’t lengthy. It builds brand awareness by spinning a yarn of great adventure.
So What Are You Waiting For?
Why not shift your online marketing efforts to employ more long-form content? You’ll find that your visitors stick around for a while longer, you’ll have more engagement, you’ll be more visible on social media, and your pages will rank higher.