To gate or not to gate? It’s a common debate among B2B content marketers, and unfortunately, there is no simple answer. Gating content — requiring prospects to fill out a form before they can download your white paper, video or other thought leadership piece — is commonplace in the B2B world. But, just because it’s common doesn’t mean it’s effective.
If you’re trying to decide whether to create a content gate, it really comes down to your goals. At its most basic level, thought leadership can achieve one or both of the following objectives:
Before you gate a piece of content, think long and hard about which of these goal is more important to you. If your priority is simply to establish your company as a leader in your field, gated content is likely to be ineffective. Sure, it’s nice to get a list of leads that have already taken some interest in your company and have experienced your thought leadership firsthand. But how many prospects will you turn away in the process?
Unless you can convince your prospect that your piece of content will truly revolutionize the way they work, the chances that they will give away their personal information for a download are slim. Huge drop-offs in download numbers are observed nearly ever time a piece of content goes from un-gated to gated. Even if a prospect does decide to fill out your form, there is no guarantee they will provide accurate information. Have you ever had a Mickey Mouse subscribe to your house list?
If positioning is your true goal, gating your content can be counterproductive. Instead of slapping a form on everything you create, work on building up your reputation so that prospects will gladly hand over their information (when they’re ready) in order to receive more valuable content from you.
Of course, if lead generation is really more important to you than positioning, a piece of gated content here or there might make sense. Just be sure that the content you gate is truly one of the juiciest, most valuable pieces your target will ever come across.
Featured image via: Business Growth Agency
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