In 2018, content is still king. Organizations making consistent and sound investments in content marketing are reaping the benefits. It's the go-to weapon in a marketer's arsenal proven to deliver results, and it's only getting better. Creating and publishing content has improved with the ever-expanding landscape of content mega-carriers like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs and corporate websites. 85% of B2B marketers contribute higher quality and more efficient content creation to their increased success.

Valuable, relevant content is key to building awareness and attracting customers. But how do we deliver these prized pieces to our audience? Do we give it away for free or ask for a little something in return like contact details or information that will help qualify their interest? If the latter, when is the most optimal stage in the customer journey to gather these details, and how do we ensure we aren't turning away potential customers too soon?

To gate or not to gate...

A hot topic of debate among marketers, but I think determining "if and when" to utilize gated content depends on the end goal of your content marketing strategy.

Let's take a deeper dive into better understanding the 3 W's, what, why and when, of gated content. 

What does it mean to gate content?

First, we need to establish a common definition for 'gated content'.

Gated content refers to any online material, such as white papers, articles, videos, etc. or even information such as pricing, that requires users to complete a form before they gain access.

Most people have encountered gated content at some point in their lives. As the consumer, you've probably filled out an online form with information such as your name, email address, job title, etc. in order to receive the resource or object of your search desire. Most search engines have made it simple for us to fill out these forms by storing repetitive details like name, telephone number, and email address so we can complete this process efficiently. 

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say, I get annoyed by the requirement to fill out a form for every little thing. Particularly if I feel the content is part of my ordinary fact-finding buying process. It slows me down and gives me just enough pause to evaluate if it's worth my time to proceed. If I decide it's not, I'm off to the competition.

According to a survey conducted by Starfleet Media, B2B respondents estimated they keep 80% of their content gated. That's a lot of content requiring customers to provide their information to gain access. But does all of it need to be gated? I once worked for a company that even gated their brochures. Ridiculous.

Why do marketers use gated content?

Gated content is primarily used for lead generation. It's estimated as much as 93% of B2B marketers use email to distribute content in their nurture streams. Most email lists are a product of some sort of gating process. 

Gating provides amazing insights into the customer experience and can be used to systematically categorize consumers based on patterns and behaviors. This is powerful information for the sales team. 

Once a visitor provides their information via form fill, they are no longer anonymous and are now a known entity to the company. The company can then use the information to nurture the contact in the marketing and sales funnel by offering continuous, targeted (aka personalized) communications to take them from the top of the funnel to the bottom of the funnel.

There is a debate among marketers on the effectiveness of gating, and whether it should be utilized at all. 

Opponents of gated content think it:

• Limits audience reach by blocking potential consumers
• Builds mistrust with viewers who are unwilling to provide their information no matter the quality of the content
• Hurts SEO  (They believe removing barriers gets more traffic and inbound links.)

Advocates of gated content believe it helps:

• Generate leads
• Increase brand awareness
• Test the value of the content
• Filter out window shoppers

Here are a few questions to consider before deciding which side of the gated fence you're on:

1. Is this content valuable enough to warrant a form?

2. What stage of the sales funnel is this content serving?

3. What are you going to do with the information collected?

4. Is the content available for free elsewhere like a competitor?

It shouldn't be an all or nothing approach, but rather should be a discussion on what, when and why to use gating. 

When to use gated content?

Even with all of the new tools at our disposal, creating high-quality content takes a lot of time and effort. As marketers, we sometimes lose site of the intended purpose and recipient of a piece. So we may end up gating the wrong content or during the wrong stage in the buying process.

Instead, we should determine the content's end goal such as creating a storyline around a new SaaS offering (end goal = brand awareness/product marketing) or generating qualified sales leads through lead scoring (end goal = lead maturation). Then decide at what point in the funnel we believe we've gained the customer's trust - enough so that they want to provide their information.

By mapping the customer journey and understanding what content they find valuable (by reviewing your content ROI), you can better visualize the gaps and draw conclusions about the buying process in terms of time. For example, below is a simple graphic that represents a linear path, or the perceived customer engagement/journey.

You can tell from the diagram that the persona represented enters at the top and exits at the bottom as a closed deal. Their customer experience or journey with the brand begins with Marketing and transitions to Sales.

An ideal scenario in this case would be to acquire the lead with content they find valuable and then try to maximize the time they spend with your brand in that initial introductory moment. You want to increase the number of views of your content, and then mature the lead along each stage of the funnel. To do this, consider applying the following initiatives to your content marketing strategy:

• Look at the target customer persona and review who they are and what their needs are. Also, look at the desired business objective(s). (Example: the person who has the ability to commit funds to a purchase, economic buyer)
• Next, map out the ideal buying journey using data points obtained from their engagement history, interviews or discussions with your sales and product management teams. This process is also called persona mapping.
• After a thorough review of the target persona and their journey, match the most appropriate content to each stage of their journey.

However, keep in mind not all individuals follow a predetermined engagement plan.

"The customer journey is not linear anymore. It's not awareness, all the way through to the sale and then support," said Kristy Bolsinger, senior manager of customer experience and optimization at F5 Network, during a presentation on customer experience. "People are bouncing all over the place. They are watching a YouTube video and maybe clicking a link from there. They are doing a tutorial on your website and maybe downloading a white paper... Their experience is multifaceted.”

The point is people are engaging with content at different stages of the funnel over periods of time. It doesn’t matter the path the customer took to engage with you. What matters is having valuable content at all the customer touch points along the buying process. 

Once the customer journey has been mapped, you should see gaps. These gaps are ideal spots to offer premium content that can be gated. An example is an ROI calculator assessment tool requiring a form to see results giving the individual more detailed and tailored information about you and your offering.

Bolsinger finishes by saying, ”There is an overlap of what you want to accomplish and what your customer wants to accomplish. You really need to focus your energy on that middle part. That part is where the magic happens, where common wishes, hopes and dreams come together.”

Conclusion

When done well, gating information benefits both the individual and the business. The key to successful gating is to understand the intent or journey, and to have high-quality content your ideal customer is willing to trade for their personal information.

People usually don't have a problem exchanging their email address if they feel they're going to get something they find valuable in return. To craft a content strategy that keeps the end goal in mind, remember the following:

• Understand the persona and the journey they take - their business objectives, buying patterns, needs, objections, etc.
• Review your content marketing strategy asking yourself the 4 gating questions
• Align your content strategy with the marketing and sales funnel
• Remember not all personas follow a traditional path or timeframe - provide content at all the customer touch points
• Collaborate with your sales and product management team - they can offer advice on how best to position your content