When done effectively, gated content can drive traffic to your website, increase subscribers on your email list, and encourage longer engagement levels from users. It uses enticement and curiosity to lure visitors into wanting more content which drives them to take the action you want, such as signing up for your email list. The company Trading Strategy Guide was able to add 11,000 subscribers to their email list in just one month using gated content.
It’s important to know when gated content is right for your business and when it’s not since the strategy comes with both pros and cons. Gating too much content makes your brand inaccessible and gets users frustrated. Not enough means it’s too easy for users to get access to content that you could easily use to build your email list.
If this strategy seems like it could benefit your business, keep reading to find out how to use gated content to accelerate its growth.
Use high-quality content as bait
Not all the content you have will qualify being used as gated content. Creating high-quality, relevant content that brings value to the user is crucial if you’re going to see conversions. You need to be strategic with the types of content you gate to ensure the best results.
Popular examples of gated content are:
- Videos
- Ebooks
- How-to guides
- Webinars
- Templates
- Email courses
- Checklists
Craft a compelling landing page
Not all gated content will be complemented by a landing page explaining the benefits of signing up, but you greatly increase audience interest and your chances of converting visitors when you create one. This is because you can go into great detail about the benefits of your hidden content and why your visitors won’t regret signing up to receive it.
Headline
Your headline has to be carefully crafted as it’s the first thing users are going to pay attention to. If it doesn’t catch their attention or give them value, they’re not likely to click through to enter their information. Don’t be afraid to include real numbers and statistics about your business or offer another type of value to convince them to convert.
Optin offer
You have to make sure that the offer you’re presenting to your audience is something they’ll get excited about to the point they’ll take action. The key to this part of your landing page is that you’re offering benefits and value to your audience. Tell them exactly why they need your product and what they’re missing out on so it feels like something they absolutely need.
MonsterInsights tells you what enticing benefits you’ll get when you sign up for their platform:
Social proof
Social proof is anything anyone says about your brand in praise or endorsement. If it’s rooting for your brand, it’s likely social proof. This includes customer reviews and ratings, client testimonials, brand logos, influencer endorsements, and more. Showcase these on your landing page to build credibility and trust around your brand.
CTA
Your call-to-action, or CTA, will make or break your landing page. If it’s too boring, it’ll drive customers away. If it doesn’t catch their attention or promise them something to look forward to, it won’t create conversions. Use bold, actionable language when creating your CTA that details the kind of action the user is going to take, such as, “Receive my free guide” or “Give me my PDF.”
Check out how ConversionXL uses enticing language in their CTA to encourage conversions:
Nurture your leads
Research by Email Monday found that for every dollar spent on email marketing, businesses saw a 44 dollar ROI when converted from pounds. There are tons of benefits in using email to reach out to subscribers and get them excited about your brand offerings. You get them properly introduced to your business while getting to know them better so you can continue curating content tailored to their needs.
For the best use of your growing email list, segment and automate your campaigns. When you segment your email campaigns, you’re separating your email list based on different categories like what type of content users like most or the specific campaign they signed up for.
When a subscriber signs up for your gated content, you already have an idea of the type of content that interests them. Research by MailChimp found that segmented email campaigns had a 14 percent higher open rate than unsegmented emails. Send these users more content to their inboxes that are similar or related to the gated content they signed up for. It’s a win-win because you already know they’re interested and they’re likely to increase your open rate and engage.
Conclusion
If you want to improve your lead generation efforts, thinking about adding gated content to your strategy isn’t a bad idea. When used properly, it has the ability to skyrocket your conversions and bring in targeted users that are easy to produce content for. With solid components of your landing page, quality content, and nurturing leads once you’ve got them, you’re sure to boost your conversion optimization rate as well as your business growth.