Why the value of ‘snackable content’ to B2B Marketing is NOT a myth- A response to Jo Detavernier

First things first, I admire Jo Detavernier. For those unfamiliar with Jo, he is a marketing expert and the CEO of Detavernier Strategic Communication. Though I have great admiration for Jo, I respectfully disagree with his recent post regarding the value of snackable content to B2B marketing. In his post, Jo states that snackable content is useless for B2B marketing and highlights two common misconceptions to support his claim:

1. Attention spans- the advertised “8 seconds” human attention span isn’t based on actual science.
2. Snackable popularity- people dislike short-form content and are tired of overused listicle style content.

Jo concludes his post by arguing that long-form content reigns supreme for B2B marketing. He asserts that people prefer content with actual depth and that they more likely to find long-form content due to the SEO advantage it has over its short-form counterpart.

I disagree with Jo Detavernier and here is why:

Snackable content is no longer a marketing gimmick. Short-form content has arrived and will continue to be a major factor moving forward. People have been conditioned by social media to embrace short-form content. We create and comprehend content based on 280-character limits or 15-second videos. This is especially true for GenZ and Millenial demographics. Ask anyone under 30 how often they use TikTok or Twitter compared to Blogger or Medium.

Top social media platforms have succeeded by making snackable content easy to create, discover, and digest. Social media companies understand that short-form content facilitates engagement much better than long-form content. Snackable content allows people to easily understand your brand, become a follower, and develop true brand loyalty that will ultimately lead to higher conversion rates.  

Over the next decade, snackable content will continue to grow in importance. Dismissing short-form content and viewing it as a simple fad would be a mistake for any business. B2B marketing gurus such as Grant Cardone, Tai Lopez, and Neil Patel have already made millions of dollars leveraging short-form marketing. Media streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu, have recently announced they are developing short-form content to meet the demand of their subscribers. Quibi, a new video streaming platform, was recently launched based entirely on the idea of short-form content. Short-form content is here to stay and businesses would be wise to adapt their strategies to embrace it.  

This is not to say that long-form content is dead and serves no purpose. Long-form content continues to be an essential part of any business strategy. Additionally, there is both good and bad snackable content. Short-form content still needs to be thought-provoking, visually appealing, and provide concise understanding to effectively engage your audience. The rules for long-form content still apply for short-term content, regardless of the form, good content is still good content. 

This post is a response to Jo Detavernier’s article: “Why the value of ‘snackable content’ to B2B Marketing is a myth”. Check out Jo’s entire article here: https://www.jodetavernier.com/2020/02/why-the-value-of-snackable-content-to-b2b-marketing-is-a-myth/