Why Long-Form Written Content is Still Effective Today

With the advent of video, podcasts, and innovative technology, it may seem like marketing is ready to move away from its traditional roots. For example, a recent report from Oberlo states that as many as 87% of marketers use video as a marketing tool. Many businesses are also employing the use of podcasts and even virtual reality to achieve the most of their marketing efforts.

Written content, especially long-form, appears to be a thing of the past. However, during a marketing presentation in Oslo, Norway, renowned marketer Ann Handley mentions the continued relevance of written, long-form content. One of the key takeaways she mentions during her presentation include the amount of opportunities that long-form content provides not just to marketers, but to audiences as well.

Handley is absolutely right.

While long-form content (or written content, in general) can be a daunting task, it still provides countless opportunities that help marketers achieve business goals and engage audiences. Some of the ways written content can boost your marketing efforts include:

1.It gives brands credibility in its respective industry.

Written content can help cement business in a position of authority in its particular industry. For example, famous marketer and author Neil Patel often creates lengthy guides and eBooks that has allowed him to become a respected expert in the marketing world. Much of his content involves heavy research with proven results, which gives him the “authority” to educate others on how to enhance their marketing efforts.

2. It allows you to rank higher on search results.

As Edward Bulwer-Lytton once famously said, “the pen is mightier than the sword.” It’s a phrase that still rings true today! Whether it’s blog posts or eBooks, written content helps businesses appear on search engines whenever a person searches a specific keyword or phrase. Long-form content is useful in this case because it can show potential audiences that a brand or business knows what they’re talking about. Think of it this way—if you were searching for innovative ways to change up your marketing strategy, would you trust a business without any written content or a business that provides long-form guides and reports about this information?

3. It gives you content to promote on various platforms.

Written content can give you ideas on future campaigns, ads, and other marketing efforts to indulge in, especially if one blog post or guide does well on social media. Long-form written content also tends to be engaging towards specific audiences, depending on the content shared (of course!).

There are a number of reasons why long-form written content is still relevant in the marketing world. Of course, as Handley states in her presentation, it’s not a good idea to hit audiences with long-form written content at first (just to avoid overwhelming them). As for the so-called idea that it’s either video or writing, Handley mentions that both forms of content can work well together—and it absolutely can! By combining the two into your marketing efforts, you can make the most out of these useful tools.