The Great Content Trap: Why Most Brisbane Business Owners are Wasting Their Time
I see it every single day. A hard-working tradie in Geebung or a boutique owner in Paddington spending three hours a day trying to 'go viral' on TikTok or posting short, snappy updates on Facebook that get three likes—two of which are from their mum and their partner.
They’ve been told that 'content is king' and they need to be 'short and punchy' because 'nobody has an attention span anymore.'
Most of what you’ve been told about short-form vs long-form content is absolute rubbish. It’s advice written by marketing 'influencers' who make money selling courses, not by people who actually have to pay a mortgage by selling plumbing services or legal advice.
If you want more phone calls and more money in the bank, you need to stop thinking like a content creator and start thinking like a business owner. This isn't about being 'trendy.' It's about what makes the phone ring.
In this guide, I’m going to break down exactly when you should keep it short, when you need to go long, and why most of your competitors are flushing money down the toilet with their current strategy.
The Brutal Reality of Short-Form Content
Let’s talk about short-form content first: the 15-second videos, the quick Facebook updates, the 'happy Friday' posts.
The Promise: It’s easy, it’s fast, and it keeps you 'top of mind.'
The Reality: For most small businesses, it’s a treadmill that leads nowhere.
If you’re a sparky in Coorparoo, a 10-second video of you drinking a coffee isn't going to get you a $5,000 rewiring job. It might get a couple of 'likes,' but likes don't pay the apprentices.
Short-form content is designed for the platform, not for your profit. Facebook and Instagram want people to stay on their apps. They don't care if you actually make a sale.
When Short-Form is a Total Waste of Money
If you are paying a 'social media manager' $1,000 a month to post three times a week on your Instagram, and those posts are just generic quotes or 'behind the scenes' photos with no clear call to action, you are being robbed.
Most short-form content fails because it doesn't solve a problem. It’s just noise. If you’re trying to get paid for expertise, a short post rarely gives you enough room to prove you actually know what you’re talking about. You just end up looking like every other business in Brisbane, competing on price because you haven't shown any real value.
When Short-Form Actually Works
Short-form works when it’s a 'hook.' Think of it like a digital business card. It should be used to: 1. Show a quick 'Before and After' (great for landscapers or painters). 2. Announce a genuine flash sale or an emergency opening. 3. Direct people to a longer piece of information that actually sells them.
Why Long-Form Content is Your Secret Sales Weapon
Now, let’s talk about the 'long-form' stuff. I’m talking about 1,000+ word articles on your website, 10-minute educational videos, or detailed project case studies.
I can hear you already: 'But nobody reads anymore!'
That is a lie. People don't read boring rubbish. But when someone has a $10,000 problem—like a leaking roof, a legal dispute, or a need for a new commercial fit-out—they become the most attentive readers on the planet.
They want to know you are the expert. They want their questions answered. They want to feel like they can trust you before they hand over their credit card.
The 'Google Factor'
Google likes long-form content. Why? Because Google’s entire business depends on giving people the best answer to their questions. A 200-word blog post titled 'Why we are the best plumbers in Brisbane' doesn't help anyone.
But a 2,000-word guide on 'How to spot a slab leak before it destroys your Brisbane home' is incredibly valuable. Google sees that people stay on the page and read it, so it ranks you higher.
When you rank higher, you get more website visitors. When those visitors see you’ve written the definitive guide to their problem, they stop shopping around and call you. This is how you stop losing customers who are still in the research phase. You capture them early by being the most helpful person they find.
Predictions for 2024 and Beyond: Where the Money is Moving
As a Brisbane agency, we see the data from hundreds of local campaigns. Here is what is actually happening in the real world, regardless of what the 'gurus' say.
1. The Death of 'Average' Short-Form
AI can now churn out generic 300-word blog posts and social media captions in seconds. Because of this, the internet is being flooded with 'average' content.Prediction: If your content looks like it could have been written by a robot or a bored teenager, it will get zero reach. To win, your content needs to be deeply local. Talk about Brisbane councils, Queensland weather, and specific local suburbs. AI can't fake local knowledge yet.
2. 'Bingeable' Education
We are seeing a massive trend where customers 'binge' on a business's content before they call. They might read four of your articles and watch two videos in one night.Action: You need a library of long-form content. One post isn't enough. You need to cover every question a customer might ask. Using list articles for bookings is a great way to structure this so it's easy to read but still packed with information.
3. Video is Non-Negotiable (But it must be useful)
Short-form video (Reels/TikTok) is great for getting attention, but long-form video (YouTube) is where the trust is built.Expert Insight: I’ve seen a local solar installer in Brendale grow his business by 40% just by filming 5-minute videos explaining the pros and cons of different panels. He wasn't 'slick' or 'professional'—he was just honest and thorough. People felt like they knew him before he even showed up for the quote.
How Much Does This Cost? (The Honest Truth)
Let’s talk brass tacks. You have two options: Time or Money.
The 'Do It Yourself' Path
Cost: $0 in cash, but 5-10 hours a week. The Trap: Most business owners start this, do it for two weeks, get busy with a big job, and never touch it again. Consistency is more important than perfection. If you can't commit to one long-form piece a month, don't bother.The 'Hire an Agency' Path
Cost: For a decent local agency in Brisbane, you’re looking at $1,500 to $5,000+ per month depending on how aggressive you want to be. The Trap: Avoid agencies that promise '10 social posts a month' as their main deliverable. That’s a vanity metric. You want an agency that says, 'We’re going to write two deep-dive guides that will rank on page one for these three search terms and generate 20 leads.'What Should You Do First?
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, here is the exact 3-step plan I’d give to a mate running a business in Milton or Chermside:
1. Identify the 'Big 5' Questions: Write down the five questions every single customer asks you before they buy. 2. Create One 'Mega-Guide': Take the most important question and answer it in extreme detail. Aim for 1,500 words. Don't use fancy words. Write it like you're explaining it to a customer over a beer. Use photos of your actual work in Brisbane. 3. Chop It Up: Take that one big article and turn it into five short social media posts. One big 'asset' creates all your short-form content for you.
Stop Overcomplicating It
Marketing isn't magic. It's just communication.
Short-form content is for attention. Long-form content is for trust and sales.
You need both, but most small businesses are 100% focused on attention and 0% on trust. That’s why they have 5,000 followers and no profit.
If you want to actually grow, you need to be the person who provides the most value. You need to be the authority in your suburb and your industry.
At Local Marketing Group, we don't care about 'viral' trends. We care about making your phone ring with customers who are ready to pay your full price because they already trust you.
If you're tired of shouting into the void of social media and want a strategy that actually puts dollars in the bank, let's have a chat.
Ready to get more customers without the headache? Contact Local Marketing Group today and let’s build a content plan that actually works for your Brisbane business.