The long and short of content marketing

If you’re in B2B marketing, you’ve no doubt heard variations of the statement “nobody reads anything anymore”. The thinking being that everyone is too busy and distracted, therefore they don’t have the time or attention to read anything. 

The amount of noise in the world and the fact that news can be reduced to 280 character stories on X would seem to support this claim. But like most things, it’s a bit more complicated than that. 

Let’s consider some facts and lean on some recent research.

In B2B, the stakes are high

If a consumer buys a cheap product on the back of recommendation from an Instagram post and it consequently fails, there’s no great loss and the old adage “let the buyer beware” would apply.

But if you’re running a business, or you are a decision-maker in the organisation that employs you, making purchase decisions brings with it a lot of responsibility. In some cases, lives are at stake (think medical equipment), or at the very least, livelihoods are at stake (if an IT system failure takes down a business). 

B2B decision-makers are hungry for information when they are considering a major purchase because the stakes are high, and often the purchase they are considering will cost hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. 

Most research is done online

Research conducted by 6Sense showed that more than 80% of buyers have picked a winner before they ever talk to a salesperson. This has huge implications for B2B businesses, because the research buyers are doing is happening without you even knowing it.

And it’s unlikely a Tweet will provide the information they need to make a good decision!

That’s where smart content marketing comes in.

You can both engage and identify B2B buyers during the research phase with quality, gated content that is worth the time and effort to download and read it. And what is considered valuable? Long form content that might be anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 words. 

When bigger is better

SEMRush released a report in 2024 that included the following data points:

• Long-form content of 2,000+ words gets 77% more backlinks than shorter articles 
• Comprehensive guides receive 308% more traffic than shorter posts
• Articles of 3,000+ words get shared 3x more than average-length posts

This makes sense, because B2B purchases are often infrequent (once every 2-3 years), they often require a large investment (think machinery, property, technology etc.) and the buying journey can be relatively long (6-12 months in many cases). 

B2B buyers are hungry for information and will go looking for it. They will also go out of their way to read it. Making your content stand out from the crowd is important too, but that’s for another article. 

Yes, it’s harder to plan, write and create long-form content such as white papers, buyers’ guides and e-books, but the effort is well worth it. Well-written, high quality and informative content is in high demand by B2B decision-makers who are researching high value purchases. 

Getting the mix right

Like most things, there’s a time and a place for everything. We wouldn’t advocate the weekly publishing of 5,000 word pieces, but we also wouldn’t recommend a focus on posts on X and Instagram as your B2B content strategy.

An appropriate mix of short, medium and long-form content will match the needs of decision-makers during the buyer journey and purchase cycle. Getting it right will ensure you capture the attention of prospects, make them aware that you are in the category of interest and open the door for them to engage with long-form content that convinces them you have the ideal solution to their problem. 

If you’re not sure how to create the right mix, or where to start when it comes to creating long-form content, we can help.