Content is one of the most important parts of your marketing strategy. In fact, content is very useful to educate your target audience on your construction services and products, differentiate your brand voice and, most importantly, get your prospects straight into your sales funnel. Different content is being created with a top goal–generating more leads.
So, how can you generate more leads with the use of content? As of today, there are many ways you can do it, but one that stands out the most is gating content. Gated content has many types and to start, you have to read this blog to learn what you need about gated content.
We will also share some tips on how you can generate more leads by gating your content. Let’s dive in.
What is Gated Content?
Any content or media hidden behind a lead capture form is called gated content. A user can only access the said content if they provide contact details. Many companies today will typically ask for personal details like name and email addresses, and others need more info like job title, phone number, and industry.
If you are still confused about what gated content is, here are some common gated content examples:
- Guides
- Live demos
- Ebooks
- Newsletters
- Templates
- Virtual events
- Reports and Studies
- Webinars
- Whitepapers
Heads Up! While a lot of today’s marketers diss gated content. Yet, most of them prefer to use it to acquire more leads for an obvious reason. No other lead gen strategy is more effective than gated content. In fact, the gated content examples we cited above have increasingly become a standard construction marketing solution to convert web visitors into qualified leads.
Gating Content Tips to Generate More Leads
Again, gating your content is one of the most effective ways to acquire more leads. However, collecting user details is the most challenging part. So, here are some expert tips and best practices that you can use when you decide to leverage gated content:
1. Create gated content as a major part of the buyer journey
The buyer’s journey briefly consists of the following:
- Consideration
- Awareness
- Purchase
- Retention
- Advocacy
And since generating leads is the goal of creating gated content, you must best position them right after the awareness stage. Blog posts and full guides are two content types you can do at this stage. While a blog post can be widely accessible to the user, they still have to provide additional information to access a full guide.
2. Provide High-Value Gated content
If you opt to leverage gated content, always produce high-quality ones with helpful insights. The goal is to turn your prospects into leads and engage them continuously with your content. So, your content has to meet the expectations.
Here are three elements you need to keep in mind that help you gauge the quality of your content:
- Actionable: Under the consideration stage of your buyer’s journey, gated content can help shift prospects from the awareness stage to the purchase stage. So, ensure your gated content contains the right mix of actionable elements that take web users through the next stages.
- Valuable: High-quality gated content provides valuable insights and critical data. Infographics and videos are very presentable and high-quality.
- Relevant: The gated content should always be relevant to the industry. To be relevant also means the gated content is with reliable and accurate.
3. Create Lead Nurture Campaigns
Level up the way you leverage your gated content. Make sure that it should develop and strengthen a stronger relationship between your construction business and your prospects. To be able to do this, you should make sure that your gated content provides the right information and correct answers to the questions of your users. This is all part of the consideration stage.
A very successful gated content strategy will boost your prospect’s confidence in availing of your services and products. Moreover, it enhances the trustworthiness of your construction brand – a vital element in the lead conversion process.
Starting a lead nurture campaign is not easy. But partnering with a top agency that offers a range of construction marketing services is a game changer! Choose the one fully committed to helping you reach your marketing goals and place value on your business.
4. Optimize your landing page
One factual thing about acquiring leads with gated content is that it can only be a success if your landing page is enticing, persuasive, and fully optimized for the conversion process. So, if you are learning and exploring the creation of gated content, we suggest you also focus on optimizing your landing page and other sales pages.
5. Conduct and complete a competitive analysis
Suppose you brainstorm some content ideas to be gated. You have to conduct a competitive analysis of every piece of content you create.
In a competitive analysis, you have to:
- Research what your competitors are doing.
- Find out what content offers they are creating for their target prospects.
- Figure out what content series they are gated in specifically and what is not.
The steps are pretty simple. Make sure to follow this comprehensively. Doing so will give you a clear idea of what content you should release and to be gated.
6. Segment your audience
When your target audience has downloaded some of your gated content, automatically, you will receive their personal contact details, such as email addresses. If you receive them, the next thing you will do is segment these email lists.
Segmenting emails from your target prospects helps you develop a very effective and targeted email marketing campaign. In addition, segmenting your current audience means sending off nurturing emails and moving these prospects as main leads.
If you notice, you are making a great move to your lead gen efforts and your email campaign. You are hitting two birds with one stone!
7. Measure the analytics
When you decide to gate a particular piece of your content, you can measure your analytics and track conversions. As with any construction marketing strategy, measuring your ongoing success is very important. The data you get helps you better understand your target audience and improves your content strategy.
In this modern marketing landscape, accurate data is more important than ever. So, make sure to measure and track all important data and analytics. Some of the best agencies today offer top-tier digital marketing services that incorporate data gathering, market research, and analytics as one – most easily and seamlessly. So, if you cannot do it yourself, you can get them to the pros!
So, When Must You Use Gated Content?
As an added tip, we will give you insights into one of the most asked questions. So, when exactly will you use gated content? For as long as you need more leads, you must create gated content as part of your lead generation strategy and overall marketing efforts.
Here we will show you two concrete circumstances where gated content is necessary, easily becoming your go-to technique for generating more leads.
1. Your gated content performs well
If your content has immense value, people will become more than willing to sign-up for more. This only shows that your gated content is truly working. So, what must you do next?
We suggest you conduct a content audit and determine how your landing pages perform. The average landing page conversion rate falls around 3%. And if your current rate is less than 3%, try un-gating your content and test if there is an instant increase in traffic that will drive people to your other gated content.
A lot to do, right? And this is not your cup of tea nor your expertise. Hence, the reason why top construction marketing agencies are emerging right now! Make sure to partner with an agency like ConstructionMarketing.io that provides quality marketing services and exceptional support without fail.
Working with dedicated and talented experts can help you achieve your marketing goals and continue to thrive in this ever-competent industry.
2. High-touch sales
Your average sales model and deal size will help you determine whether or not you must gate any piece of your content. Let’s say your prospects demand additional consultations and meetings amidst the buying process to ensure the quality of services/products you offer; then, you provide gated content with exclusive information.
This helps nurtures the workflow and ensures the conversion of your prospects to leads. In other words, gated content is truly helpful, especially when you encounter large deal sizes and long purchasing cycles.
Start Your Gate Content Journey with ConstructionMarketing.io
Gated content is truly an effective lead gen tool for your construction business. While you provide value to your potential customers, they will give you access to their contact details, helping to create a strong connection and relationship.
To start things right with gated content, partner with us. Our agency and team of experts will help you carry out everything you need to have a successful marketing campaign.
ConstructionMarketing.io is a trusted construction marketing company that continues to lead the market. We are committed to helping you find and reach your target leads. With our multi-channel outreach competence and next-level marketing strategies, we can give you the best results and success you need for your marketing campaigns.
Contact us today and discover all the services we offer.