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August 17, 2020 Content Chat Recap: Where Does Shorter Content Fit Into Your Content Marketing Strategy?

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Once you have a theme or topic for a new content project, a logical next question is “how should I package this so it best reaches my audience?” A key piece of this puzzle is your content length, and whether you need ample space to explore a topic or if you can communicate your point and provide value in shorter, more snackable pieces.

In this #ContentChat we discuss how to balance these content types and where shorter content should fit into your content marketing strategy. Read the full conversation below, where we answer “what is short-form content” (with examples), explain why short-form content is appropriate for any stage of the buyer’s journey, and share tips for repurposing short- and long-form content to best reach your audiences.

Q1: How do you define short-form content?

Per our poll, our community generally defines short-form content as anything less than 500 words, with some shortening that to 300 words or less. For video/audio/visual content, short-form should take one minute to consume.

Short-form content can include video or audio clips, social media captions, infographics, and more.

Q2: What are some specific examples of short-form content or micro-storytelling? Who is doing shorter content really well? (Feel free to share links.)

Social media platforms are ripe with short-form content, especially Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, and TikTok.

Check out these short-form content examples on social media.

Q3: Where does short-form content fit within your content strategy? Is it more aligned with a certain stage of the buyer’s journey, or can it be deployed throughout?

Short-form content can be used at any stage of the buyer’s journey, although it is most commonly seen at the top-of-the-funnel. One way it can be used is to re-engage customers post-sale.

Short-form content can also be used to repurpose long-form content to make your content more approachable.

Certain channels are natural for short-form content, such as most social media platforms.

Start by reviewing your goals and the message you’re trying to convey to then assess what content type(s) will work best.

Q4: Let’s talk about content repurposing. Do you repurpose short-form content into other longer content? What about chopping up longer content into shorter content pieces?

Our poll suggests that it is more common for long-form content to be adapted to short-form content, but it can work either way.

Start with your overarching themes and goals to inform what types of content you can create. Keep a focus on your audience and how they prefer to consume content at the various stages of their customer journey.

Videos can be repurposed in a multitude of ways, including as blog posts, stills with notable captions, or even as shorter video snippets.

Infographics can be made into smaller graphics for sharing on social media or through SlideShare.

Short blog posts around a common theme can be combined as an ebook or whitepaper.

Conversations with your team members, customers, partners, or peers can provide a wealth of content ideas, but you must follow-through on the ideas generated.

Q5: What are some tips and trends you’ve noticed with short-form content over the past six months?

In recent months, we’ve seen more interest in user-generated content…

Podcasts are being repurposed on social media with short video and/or audio clips (which can show your audience know the “what’s in it for me” of the podcast episode)…

Twitter video is gaining traction, and your brand voice is especially important for short-form content…

And not all short-form content (and associated platforms or channels) will succeed. Short content is just one piece of an effective marketing strategy. Regularly review your results to refine your strategy and find ways to best reach your audience.

About Alek Irvin

Alek Irvin is a content marketing professional with a rich history in social media management, executive thought leadership development, and media relations. As a consultant at Erika Heald Marketing Consulting, he creates human-focused content and thought leadership platforms that help brand leaders connect and engage with their communities. Alek has worked with a range of startups and Fortune 500 companies across the B2B technology and consumer spaces, including IBM, Dell Technologies, Hitch Works, Emtrain, Integrate, and Frameable. Connect with him on Twitter @AlekIrvin.

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