Content is a critical component of digital marketing as it satisfies your customers’ needs for vital information. While the concept of creating content appears straightforward, it becomes more challenging when determining the type of content to include in your digital marketing campaign.
There is no universal formula for determining the optimal length of your content, as it’s all dependent on factors such as your audience, product, and business goals. This brings us to a common problem faced by content creators: should you create short form content or long form content?
While long form content is ideal for improving search engine rankings, short form content is the bread winner when it comes to conversions and we look into the reasons why it’s the go-to choice if you’re looking to improve your conversion rate.
What is short form content?
Short form content contains no more than 1,200 words and this can consist of digital marketing content including email marketing, brief blog entries, and social media marketing for example. It’s an ideal content format for presenting critical information quickly and concisely, and this can result in better conversion rates.
Sharing this type of content is often beneficial in the following situations:
- Your target audience is already aware of your brand and products or services – these individuals are usually seeking specific information that can assist them in making a purchase, so you don’t want to squander their time with irrelevant content.
- You’re selling often utilised products or services – these items or services benefit from a brief explanation rather than a lengthy one.
- You’re communicating with current customers or qualified leads – if they are prepared to purchase from you, they already understand what differentiates you from the competition and are almost certainly seeking specific information about a product or service.
- You’re creating copy for a variety of different marketing channels – this could be copy for PPC ads, Facebook ads, and email subject lines for example.
Why does short form content result in more conversions?
For many businesses and marketers, short form content is the preferred format because the golden rule of web form optimisation is that shorter content forms often result in more conversions because it’s less effort on users. But there are other reasons why it results in higher conversions including:
It increases readership
There are a lot of people who have a limited attention span, and that makes it tough for them to read through long form content. These individuals will instead browse a webpage for critical information. Therefore, the primary advantage of short form content is that it increases the likelihood that your readers will read your entire content.
It’s time-saving
Short form content takes less time to generate and read, which is a big advantage for both businesses and readers alike. The time it would take to produce a 3,000 word blog post can be used to write six 600 word blog posts. Not only is this type of content much more digestible for your audience, but you also save time on creating the content while increasing engagement on your website or social media page.
It shows you’re consistent
Because shorter content takes less time to create, it makes it easier for you to engage with your audience on a more frequent basis. As a result, you may be quicker at producing more blog posts or social media posts to maintain an active online presence. However, this would depend on the themes you want to concentrate your efforts on.
It’s mobile-friendly
It’s no secret people prefer to access content via their mobile devices and by keeping your content brief, it enables your target audience to read it on their phones or tablets, which can result in an enormous amount of people viewing it. In addition, your readers would be able to read your posts immediately rather than saving them for later.
It increases engagement
Short form content increases engagement levels by using direct and straight-to-the-point messages. This instantly captures your audience’s attention and because it’s short, it’s more likely it will be read there and then and possibly shared with other users.
It’s ideal for encouraging a decision
This content length is ideal for straightforward decision-making tasks, such as subscribing to a newsletter. When attempting to persuade consumers to sign up, you should avoid waxing lyrical about the numerous perks and features of newsletter subscriptions. Instead, you should inform them what they can expect in the fewest possible words.
Need help creating short form content?
It’s clear to see why short form content results in more conversions, but it’s also important to take into account the length of your content will depend on various factors. While long form content is valuable when specific information is necessary, short form content is ideal for rapidly engaging your audience’s attention.
Whichever format you choose, keep in mind that the key to great content is quality regardless of its length. And of course, you can always conduct a split test to determine which style performs best.
If you need help creating short form content – or any type of content for that matter – don’t hesitate to contact us today. Our specialist team of copywriters can create short or long form content that is aligned with your brand and your tone of voice, and executes your intended message perfectly.