Is Gated Content Killing Your B2B Content Marketing?

It’s easy to see why marketers think they should slap a form on every landing page and demand a prospect’s life story in return for access to valuable content.

But gating should be approached with caution.

Of course, you will want to gather information about who is downloading your content at some point. But knowing the right time to hide content behind a landing page form is the key. Lock it up too soon and your prospects will balk and run a mile.

So, when should you gate content? And which types of content are best given away gratis?

Let’s take a look at some different content types and see if gating them would help or hinder your B2B content marketing.

Infographics

Infographics make great early touch-point content. You definitely don’t want to gate these.

Think of them as an introduction to your catalogue of useful content. They whet your prospects’ appetite and hopefully leave them wanting more.

And as easy-to-consume and entertaining content, it’s a good idea to keep the gate open and make them freely available.

Blogs

You know better than to gate your blog, right?

This is the ultimate introductory content. Your blog has immense potential to build engagement and foster trust with your prospects. So let them access it freely.

Let them comment freely, too – either on the blog itself or in an online community that helps them find more useful content.

eBooks

OK, now we’re getting into gating territory.

But hold on a minute.

Before you gate your eBook, you need to ask some important questions. Questions such as: “Will my eBook teach readers something new?” and “Is my eBook something that readers will want to share with their peers and colleagues?”

If the answer to these is yes, then your eBook has value that your prospects will happily ‘pay’ for. You should feel comfortable asking for a little information in return.

Webinars

Webinars should provide a rich source of useful, in-depth information about solutions to your prospects’ challenges.

Because of this, they are attractive to prospects who are mid-way through their buying journey and looking for a more detailed overview of what’s out there to help them.

This is a great time to use a gate.

But beware.

If you are showcasing your product or service in the webinar, make sure you give your audience some useful knowledge to take away as well. Only then can you justify gating your webinar.

Case studies

A case study should give prospects hard facts and figures about how much time or money (or both!) your existing customers have saved thanks to your product or service.

You’ll find that prospects will happily give away some contact details to access this information. Just remember to make the case study as compelling as possible to justify that gate.

What details should my download form ask for?

It really depends on the type of content.

For eBooks that are aimed at top-to-middle of the funnel, an email address and contact name will suffice. For product demos and case studies aimed at mid-to-bottom of the funnel, you can start to ask for a job title, company name and phone number.

Never go deeper than that. Forms that ask for a postal address, number of employees, area of business etc. are seriously off-putting.

After filling in four out of eight form fields, your prospects will probably be thinking, “Is this really worth it?”

They will also be thinking, “How long before that inevitable sales call?”

Of course, when it comes to the ‘to gate or not to gate’ question, there are no hard and fast rules. But generally speaking, gating content that’s aimed at the top of the funnel is a big no-no.

Think of it like meeting someone in a bar and asking them to marry you straight away. It’s too much, too soon. You need to foster their trust and build a relationship before you ask for more commitment.

But as your content offers more and more useful information, it’s fair to ask for a little information in return.

So stop and think before you gate your next piece of content. Is it the right stage of the funnel to use a gate? Is your content really gate-worthy? Or are you asking too much of your prospects to give away their valuable contact information?

What are your thoughts on gating content? Click below to join the B2B and Channel Marketing Insight Community to find out more and have your say.