When it comes to content marketing campaigns for 2020, the length of your copy, blog posts and content matters like never before. Long-form content — generally defined as 1,000 words or more — is a great way to engage your potential and existing customers.
The benefits are great: Pew Research Center reported that online readers spend more time on 1,000-word pieces than on shorter ones.
What's more is that, according to a study from BuzzSumo and Backlinko, long-form content yielded 77% more backlinks than shorter copy or posts. Additional research from BuzzSumo showed that online copy of 3,000 to 10,000 words tends to get the most consistent social media shares. When you add long-tail keywords to your long-form copy (i.e., search engine phrases that consist of 3-5 words and target niche audiences for your marketing), you can reach consumers you never reached before.
Longer-form content is also infinitely adaptable. You can reformat copy into:
Podcasts. Using influencers to reemphasize the message in your copy is a particularly effective way to do this.
E-books. Republishing your content and updating/lengthening it even further as warranted can be very fruitful.
Multiple posts. You can spin the ideas and concepts from long-form blog posts into additional articles, focusing more in-depth on ideas you touched on in an original post.
Platform messaging. Post a single longer-form piece on all of your social media outlets and you up your chances of your copy going viral.
Really, the possibilities are endless. So how can you master long-form content production and enjoy the boost to your bottom line? Put these simple and powerful strategies into motion:
Solicit expert contributors. Long-form content means that accuracy is key. Seek out quality content contributors who work, sell, or teach in the field your copy covers and let them provide intricate factual backup and endorsement for your products and services. This gives your posts authentic legitimacy and will help gain consumer trust.
Allow your writers to really get into the weeds. Don't skimp on working with experienced, skilled contributors who know how to write in clear, concise, absorbing detail. This will enhance the quality of your long-form content and help your audience truly grasp why your products and services are specifically relevant to them.
Reemphasize products you're trying to push in your copy. Long-form content is the perfect platform for revitalizing and rebranding older items you offer. Why is your established product better than ever? What changes have you made to improve it dramatically? Or conversely, why is this product a reliable favorite for all time? You have the word count to cover these essential points.
Get descriptive. Use fun, lively language repeatedly in long-form copy. Make your content engaging, colorful, and adjective-rich — it will pay off with interest, shares and sales.
Don't edit so much as shape the flow of your contributor's copy. Trust your writers’ talents and allow them to dictate long-form content as much as possible. When you give them the freedom to get more technically and creatively descriptive, you'll love what they come up with — and your job in signing off on their posts will become easier in the long run!
