Gate or not gate to gate, that’s the question about content. The issue of gated content is close to the middle of the list when it comes to alternatives facing marketers today. The concept of gated content has emerged over the last 10 years as a key method for lead nurturing and capture however, recent criticism has caused marketers to rethink their strategy for content.
Is it important to completely reconsider your approach? Sometimes, a simple list of pros and cons can be useful in making a decision. Let’s examine some of the advantages and disadvantages of gated content to help you make the best choice for your marketing plan.
The following is a guest blog of Chris Strom, the Principal of ClearPivot which is a Denver-based digital marketing firm.
What is Gated Content?
Imagine a physical gate and you need to enter the gate, you’ll need keys (or maybe a combination for the lock) to gain access. The same principle applies to content that is gated, but instead of a key or combination, the information is what allows you access to what’s located on opposite sides of the gates. In the majority of cases, it will be an email address. Sometimes, it might comprise your name, telephone number, or other important features of your business.
Marketers utilize gated content to bring leads to the highest funnel. For gated content to succeed, however, it must be of value. Also, it must be worth sharing your data to bypass the gate.
In general, content that is gated is considered to be premium content. The value of your content must be so that it is worthwhile for the user to let you into their email inbox. Common forms of content with gated access include:
- Ebooks
- Courses
- Cheatsheets
- Checklists
- Videos
- Email newsletters/subscriptions
- Webinars
- And much more
With an understanding of the fundamentals of the concept of gated content, It’s time to dissect those pros and pros and.
The Advantages of Content with Gated Access
The primary benefit of content that is gated is that, when properly executed, it can result in more sales. Who wouldn’t need more leads?
Businesses like Hubspot, Marketo, and Eloqua have relied on restricted content for over 10 years to establish their brand and establish trust. You may have downloaded a bit from these sites and others throughout the many years. The process of creating and using your gated content can help you build a reputation as a trusted brand.
The gated content also enables you to:
Measure
Through gated content, evaluating the impact of your marketing campaigns is much easier than other methods.
Build
Forms and landing pages that protect your gated content can be connected directly with your marketing email service. If people download your content they will be instantly added to your newsletter list, or be transferred into an email workflow that is designed to nurture the lead.
Research
Based on the particular details you require to gain access to your restricted content, you can draw an accurate picture of your prospects. If you ask for more than contact details and complete the data you collect by adding important identifying elements like company name initials name and last name, web domain as well as the role of the person who is. This allows you to segment your customers and lets you send relevant follow-up messages with precision.
Related: The Ultimate Guide on Duplicate Content in SEO
The Drawbacks of Content with Gated Access
Gated content has helped companies grow for more than 10 years, but the way we market has changed in the last decade. As we’ve grown as marketers, certain negatives of the use of gated content have been revealed. When you’re planning your next strategy for marketing content it is essential to consider these issues.
Backlash
Due to the increasing use of content with a gated access system in recent years, backlash was inevitable. A lot of professionals are suffering from “inbox fatigue” They are becoming more cautious regarding what content they let into their inboxes. They are also concerned about sharing their emails (or other personal details) for downloads or to gain access to content.
Unfortunately, certain content marketers utilize gates in their content to trick potential customers into providing their information. If your customers don’t think that the content they receive is worth the information they provide this could damage your reputation and result in losing that lead. This could lead to negative reviews about your business. Like any other type of content, particularly restricted content, it’s crucial to make sure that your content is of the highest quality.
SEO
Finding out more about and eventually accessing the content that is gated typically occurs via a landing page. In their design, landing pages are visually rich, short pages specifically designed to convert. However, the shorter pages tend to have lower search engines and therefore less value. If you rely too much on gated content your website may not be found on the top search results for key phrases.
Furthermore, the search engines are not able to crawl or index content that is gated. This renders your gated content unusable from an SEO perspective. Moving on it is likely that your gated content is also not contributing to the link equity of your website.
Sharing
We’ve witnessed content that went all over social media. It doesn’t matter if it’s professional content on LinkedIn or any other type of content that is available on Facebook or Instagram sharing content can have an enormous impact on your business. While your content with gated access will likely (and ought to be) impressive, it’s less likely to become viral when users have to input details about themselves to gain access to it.
Does the content make sense for my company?
A common theme throughout this article is that focusing on quality is the most important factor in creating successful gated content. When your material is of high quality enough, people will be willing to share their details to gain access to that content. Today’s most effective marketers do not focus exclusively on content that is gated for lead generation. Instead, they develop solid strategies based on the pillars of content, topic clusters, and other high-quality non-gated content.
Although you’re probably writing routine blog entries that provide the potential customers value throughout the marketing funnel Pillar content is distinct from a typical blog post. Instead of being shorter (typically between 2,000 and 3,000 words) content that focuses on a specific topic Pillar content is the approach of taking a deep dive into a broad subject.
Your traditional blog posts examine specific subtopics of your main content. This is extremely SEO-friendly, providing value and building confidence with your customers. If you adopt this approach for your marketing content and focus on the value throughout the buying journey the prospects will realize they are reading truly great content. If your non-gated content provides an enormous amount of worth to the user you can only imagine the amount of value your gated content can bring!
Furthermore, there are technological advancements such as Chatbots (which utilize AI to provide specific and relevant responses to your potential customers’ inquiries) as well as membership websites or content for members only (which offers a wide range of top-quality content into the device of your warmest customers and your most valuable customer) could be a huge factor in the success of your marketing plan.
Final Thoughts
Implementing technology and pillar content along with your gated content will lead to better quality leads who are more enthusiastic about your brand. They also are more likely to respond to follow-up emails and calls to take action.
The proven efficacy of this method is due to the development of content marketing from the beginning of content that was gated. With the right approach, you can profit from the value of traditional gated content, make use of the most advanced technology available today to meet the demands and desires of the modern-day consumer, and more.
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