Why should content play such an important role in your inbound marketing strategy?
First, it allows you to showcase your insight and knowledge. Second, it builds your brand. Third, it's a low-cost lead generator that produces returns long after it's been launched. Finally, content marketing is now seen as a critical go-to-market strategy, one that allows you to introduce new products, drive traffic to your website, and help you become that all-important authoritative market influencer.
Gated and Ungated Content
Gated and ungated content are the most obvious methods for lead generation in content marketing. Gated content includes providing users with access to videos, white papers, eBooks, webinars, infographics, podcasts, and webcasts only after they’ve filled out a lead capture form. Any user can have access to ungated content. One requires a form to be filled out, while the other is offered freely.
Supporters of gated content argue that it produces higher quality leads which result in more conversions. It makes sense. Only the most interested user will fill out a form to get that high-value content. However, there are those who believe that ungated content is downloaded 20 to 50 times more often, which invariably leads to more sharing and it’s the act of sharing that builds your online reputation.
Ultimately, you need both approaches. You need to encourage sharing of everyday content, while also building up anticipation for content that can’t be found elsewhere. This is why your inbound marketing strategy must have the right strategies for both approaches. So, how do you maximize both gated and ungated content so that you’re generating more leads?
Your Gated Content Should be Easy to Download
This is not the time to overwhelm your customer with an intrusive form. Keep it simple. If you’re going to use gated content for lead generation then the entire process must be painless. It must be welcoming. The biggest mistake companies make is to use a lead capture form that asks too much of prospects. You need only the user’s contact details. Nothing more is required.
Be sure to track your conversion rates. If you suddenly see large numbers of users abandoning your lead capture form, then it’s a sure sign something is amiss. Keep it short and to the point.
Your Gated Content Must be Your Best Content
Your best content doesn’t have to drive traffic to your website. The purpose of gated content is to offer the kind of insight that can’t be found elsewhere. Its purpose is to incentivize your prospect to move forward with your solution. Your company may have in-depth knowledge of your market, where that market is going, the emerging trends within your market and your market’s long-term outlook. Or, you may want to use your content to demonstrate an unmatched and unparalleled history of performance by providing a summary of the savings or other benefits your customers have gained with the use of your products.
Business whitepapers or eBooks are ideally suited to gated content. Yes, it may be on a .pdf or some other downloadable file format, but don’t be concerned. Customers will share that content regardless. However, the focus with gated content is that it must be something your customers can’t find anywhere else. Gated content carries more importance because of the insight it contains, so use it sparingly.
Use Your Ungated Content as a Traffic Generator
Your ungated content must be easy to share and accessible to everyone. Social media is the perfect platform for ungated content. This is where you promote your latest corporate video, where you provide links to specific landing pages on your website, where you promote your latest discounts and rebates, or where you promote your latest blog posts.
Free access to webcasts and podcasts should also be promoted. Webinars increase customer face-time by allowing you to interact directly with customers. You present your case, define your solution and end the presentation with a question and answer session that allows you to gain invaluable insight into your customers' business concerns. Video-sharing websites like YouTube are another perfect example of ungated content.
Combining Both Strategies
Your inbound marketing strategy should leverage both these approaches. In fact, combining them is often the best way to generate leads. Your ungated content builds momentum. It builds your brand. It helps you manage your online reputation and it sets the stage for your gated content. Use your ungated content to demonstrate your insight and knowledge and offer just enough information to pique your prospect’s interests so that your gated content stands out.
While there are varying opinions as to where to use ungated versus gated content, one issue that can’t be ignored is the ratio you offer. Ultimately, you must have a higher amount of ungated content. Customers don’t want to download content they can get elsewhere. They want to know that most of your content is easily accessible and only the very best is gated. Offer just enough to get their interest and then push them forward with insight they can’t get from your competitors.
Use Every Step of the Journey
Regardless of whether you use ungated content at the front of your buyer’s journey or gated content at the middle and end, ultimately, you must promote your content throughout your buyer's journey. Keep the ratio on the side of free content. Keep your prospects engaged and wanting more. Your gated content can then be used to convert and separate the more serious prospects from those just surfing.
Take advantage of the free economy and use your ungated content to build trust and brand recognition, while using high-value gated content as the hook that showcases your company as that long-sought market authority your customers need.
Upgrading your inbound marketing strategy doesn't need to be complicated. If you need help on positioning your content for maximum results, then contact us .
Written By: David Carpenter
