By Rebecca Hulet

It’s a fast-paced, information-saturated world out there. Getting your message in front of the right people can feel like throwing a pebble into the ocean. It makes sense to assume long-form copy isn’t the best digital marketing strategy because everyone seems to be short on time. But let’s not jump to conclusions quite yet.

You worry you’ll lose the interest of your reader by writing information-rich long-form copy. You are tempted to spend your limited and valuable time creating catchy short-form copy to pique the interest of your desired client. While there is a place for short-form copy, don’t underestimate the overpowering advantages of long-form copy. 

The benefits of long-form copy are unmatched, in the medical field especially. In fact, research clearly shows long-form copy is better for business growth and outperforms short-form copy. 

In three tests run by Marketing Experiment, Google AdWords drove traffic to long-form and short-form copy to see which yielded higher conversion rates. The first and third test results show long-form copy outperformed by 40.54% and 45.45%. The second test short-form copy resulted in a negative ROI of 66% while the long-form had a positive ROI of 50%.(1)

Don’t be fooled. Even in this time-strapped world, skimmers and diggers alike are seeking high-quality information packed value in the form of higher word count copy. 

Your medical business is primed for long-form copy. The educational and informational structure creates the necessary space to cover complex issues in a way that is digestible to its research-seeking audience. 

Despite the notion that people are too busy to read these days, people are also more conscious than ever in their decision-making strategy about subjects that matter. 

Dr. Gemma Briggs, a psychology lecturer at the Open University, shows that customers are willing to spend time when the benefit to them is obvious. “It’s very much task-dependent. How much attention we apply to a task will vary depending on what the task demand is.”(2)

Your potential clients want to make informed decisions based on well-written and authoritative content. Long-form copy accomplishes this need. 

Plus, Google loves it and if Google loves it, then you will too. The higher word count means more opportunity for higher rankings which means more traffic to your website and growth in your business. Let’s first take a look at what long-form copy is before tackling why it is well worth the effort. 

What is Long-Form Copy?

Although the exact word count is debatable, the average long-form copy is nothing less than 2,000 words. The higher word count in long-form copy is used to educate, persuade and provide immense value to your readers. 

In long-form copy there is more opportunity to take a deep dive into whatever product or topic you are selling. The most important marketing strategy that sets long-form copy above short-form copy is its aim to inspire action from your reader while also improving search engine optimization (SEO). 

This length of material is most commonly used in white papers, e-books, blogs, case studies and how-to guides. White papers are a highly effective style of long-form copy in the medical field.

What is a Medical White Paper?

Medical white papers are long-form copy that provide in-depth descriptions and explanations of treatments, research and findings of a particular medical issue or topic. They’re most commonly used in business-to-business marketing to provide detailed and clearly written information about a solution to a problem. 

White papers are effective marketing tools when substantial supporting evidence of claims is necessary to inform the reader in an engaging and compelling way.  

How Does Long-Form Copy Help Grow Your Medical Business? 

An exceptional white paper greatly benefits your business in several ways. Here are five advantages to well-written long-form copy. Keep in mind each of these points support the proper functioning of each other. They feed off each other and as a team work together to create high-converting pieces of long-form copy.

• Establish Trust

Building trust and connection takes time and effort. Long-form copy offers the necessary volume of material needed to provide a well-rounded analysis of a subject. 

Volume certainly isn’t the only requirement. Reader engagement is a result of quality storytelling and an interesting journey through the material. 

More opportunity for depth, research and a captivating storyline means more time spent by the reader engaging with the material. Readers will view you as a trusted resource with the effort of well-researched and unbiased information. This results in longer visits on your website.