Using Long Form Advertisements to Attract the Right Customers

When you are designing any form of print or digital advertising, there are many important features to consider. One of those features is how long your content should be in order to increase its effectiveness. Generally speaking, you have two options: long form and short form. While both have benefits in different situations, long form advertisements tend to attract the right customers to increase sales. 

What Are Long Form Advertisements? 

Long form ads are advertisements that have more content. Exactly how much more content is a relative matter. Generally speaking, it may be over 800 or over 1,200 words. In a newspaper, this may be altered to a full page ad. For an eBook, it may be 4,000 words. Essentially, long form ads are bigger, longer, and require more time from the consumer. Even videos can be short form or long form. A long form video advertisement generally lasts more than 15 seconds. 

What Are Short Form Advertisements?

Short-form advertisements require very little time to digest. They may be Facebook ads with pictures and single paragraphs. They may be magazine ads or direct mail advertisements, but they aren’t reading-intensive. Short form advertisements are plentiful in print and digital marketing, and they are effective for easily-understood or recognizable products and services. 

How Do Long Form Advertisements Attract the Right Customers? 

As stated previously, both long form and short form advertisements have their places. However, long form advertisements are good at attracting new customers who are unfamiliar with your product or service. They also act as valuable information to previous customers who may appreciate helpful tips or additional uses for your product (including the introduction of new products). 

The people attracted to long form advertisements are the right customers because they are willing to put a significant investment of time into your offering. In other words, the word count didn’t detract because they were already hooked. They want to know more, and you’re giving them more. Of course, this leads to higher conversions to sales. 

Long form advertisements are good in print or digital media also because they offer something of value. A long form ad isn’t relying solely on colors, logos, and slogans. It is reliant on quality information sharing, which helps build trust in your organization. Consumers feel confident that you stand behind your product because you are willing to go into detail explaining its features or other relevant information. Customers are put at ease when they fully understand a product or service, which is why long form advertisements are an effective part of many marketing campaigns. Which type of advertisements do your customers respond best to? GMS can help determine on your behalf, ask us how.