Unlocking Gated Content Strategies for Marketers: Essential Insights + Examples

Balancing Brand Visibility and Lead Generation with Gated and Ungated Content

Imagine a weighted balance scale: on one side is brand visibility; the other, lead generation. Your job as a content marketer is to use gated and ungated content to successfully balance both goals.

Gated content involves users arriving at your website and encountering a call-to-action (CTA) or pop-up that offers them access to content in exchange for their information. This could be their email address in exchange for a content offer — a way of generating leads for your business. On the other hand, ungated content requires no exchange of information and has more SEO value, giving you brand visibility.

Let’s delve into what gated content is and explore best practices and examples to help you navigate this strategic content marketing approach.

What is Gated Content?

Gated content, commonly used in inbound marketing, is free and not hidden behind a paywall. Users need to submit their information — not their credit card number — to access the content. The primary goal of gated content is to generate leads, not for brand awareness or visibility campaigns due to the nature of hidden content limiting high traffic.

Pros and Cons of Gated Content

Gated content generates leads that can be nurtured into prospects, while ungated content aims to increase traffic and enhance audience trust. Both types of content are valuable to your content marketing strategy, provided you find the right balance for your business goals.

Best Practices for Gated Content

  1. Create Content for Each Stage in the Buyer’s Journey: Tailor content offers to align with the awareness, consideration, and decision stages of the buyer’s journey.
  2. Complete a Competitive Analysis: Research the types of content your competitors offer to understand valuable content types.
  3. Provide Incentive: Offer valuable and actionable content that is relevant to your audience to encourage form submissions.
  4. Build a Strong Landing Page: Design a compelling landing page with a clear CTA and user-friendly form for content access.
  5. Segment Your Audience: Segment email lists to deliver targeted email marketing campaigns and nurture leads effectively.
  6. Measure Analytics: Track conversions and analyze data to refine your content strategy and understand your audience better.

Gated Content Examples

  1. White Papers, Case Studies, and Reports: Provide authoritative and in-depth content to position your brand as an industry expert.
  2. Ebooks: Shorter guides that establish brand authority and trust with the audience.
  3. Templates: Tactical and actionable content with high perceived value for audience engagement.
  4. Webinars: Educational content to build relationships and trust with prospects.
  5. Quizzes: Interactive content that engages users and collects valuable data for lead generation.

Gated vs. Ungated Content

Gated content should offer interesting and relevant content to generate leads effectively. Striking a balance between brand visibility and lead generation is crucial, so gate your content wisely with your audience’s needs in mind.

Remember, the key to successful content marketing lies in finding the right equilibrium between gated and ungated content to achieve your brand’s visibility and lead generation objectives.

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