Steve is a junior marketer who has a big problem. A content marketing article he recently commissioned has totally bombed. Shelly, the client, is not happy at all with the KPIs and is blaming Steve. Steve is confused because at its core, the article is a hard sales pitch based on sales material from Shelly’s website and sales manual. Steve sees no remedy in a rewrite and vows to never pitch long form articles again, just Instagram influencer videos.
As a career content marketer, I have seen this fictitious scenario many times over. Why did Steve’s content bomb? It is because he did exactly what Shelly expected: a text with a hard sale of the product and promotional sales language. What Steve should have done was think about the audience and pitch an engaging story.
Long form storytelling is a powerful tool and if done correctly, has the potential to outperform video. As Ann Handley discussed with Content Marketing Norge in 2017, the key is offering the consumer value through a strong narrative and storytelling. I would argue above all, human connection.
Humans connect with humans. The first thing I ask clients is who are our relatable and inspiring characters? A hint: it most likely is not the company CEO, although we can certainly find a place for them as support to the main story. We are looking for a hero, someone with a powerful story that positions the client in a positive light. As Handley mentions, if the story arc is engaging and has value, the customer will deepen its connection with the seller. That could be the differentiator between a making a sell or not.
So what is better for content marketing, long form articles or videos? Every platform is different and has different goals and rules of engagement. I would argue that in an environment in which deeper content is expected by the audience, long form articles can benefit embedded videos that require a deeper attention span. As Handley says, long form may not be the first touchpoint, but they do have their place. But above all, ensure you’ve found a genuine story that truly connects with the consumer.