For B2B marketers, the debate over whether to employ gated or non-gated content on their websites is a never-ending tug-of-war. Both approaches have distinct advantages and challenges, often pitting lead generation against brand visibility. At the heart of this debate lies the core goal of marketing: building a robust pipeline for sales teams while nurturing long-term relationships with prospects. This blog explores the pros and cons of gated and non-gated content, providing actionable insights and real-world case studies to help you make informed decisions.
Gated vs Non-Gated Content Podcast
What Is Gated Content?
Gated content refers to any digital material—such as eBooks, whitepapers, webinars, or templates—that requires users to provide their contact information or other details before accessing it. The gate usually takes the form of a form-fill page where prospects exchange their data for the resource. This strategy is heavily tied to lead generation, allowing marketers to capture valuable insights about their audience.
The Pros of Gated Content:
Lead Generation: The primary advantage of gated content is its ability to generate leads. By collecting contact information, businesses can build a database of prospects and nurture them through email campaigns and other outreach strategies.
Qualifying Leads: Gated content acts as a filter to attract serious prospects. Those willing to exchange their information for a resource often have a genuine interest, making it easier to qualify as potential leads.
Data Collection: With forms, marketers gather critical data about their audience, such as job titles, industries, and company sizes. This information helps in segmenting and personalizing follow-up strategies.
Attribution: Gated content provides clear insights into the effectiveness of specific campaigns, allowing marketing teams to measure ROI with greater precision.
The Cons of Gated Content:
Barriers to Entry: Many users abandon a resource when asked to fill out a form, especially if they are still in the awareness stage. This limits the content’s reach and visibility.
Perception of Value: Gating content can sometimes signal a transactional relationship rather than trust-building. Prospects may feel apprehensive about sharing their information.
SEO Limitations: Gated content is usually hidden behind a form, making it inaccessible to search engine crawlers. This can hurt organic search rankings and overall website traffic.
Reduced Sharing: Non-gated content is easier to share across social media and among peers. Gated content often faces limitations in its viral potential.
Detailed Examples of Gated Content:
HubSpot's Marketing Templates: HubSpot provides an array of downloadable marketing templates, including email sequences, social media calendars, and blog post outlines. Accessing these resources requires users to fill out a form with their name, email, and company details, making it a prime example of gated content that delivers high value to marketers.
Salesforce's Industry Reports: Salesforce regularly publishes comprehensive industry reports, such as their "State of Marketing" or "State of Sales" series. These in-depth resources, packed with data and actionable insights, are gated to attract decision-makers and generate high-quality leads.
Webinars by LinkedIn: LinkedIn’s B2B webinars, often focused on topics like lead generation strategies or leveraging LinkedIn Ads, are gated with a registration form. This approach allows them to target users deeply interested in their platform’s capabilities.
Hootsuite’s Social Media Toolkit: Hootsuite offers a social media toolkit with guides, templates, and case studies. Users are required to provide their contact information to access the resource, ensuring that only engaged prospects download it.
IBM’s Whitepapers: IBM frequently releases technical whitepapers on cloud computing, AI, and cybersecurity. These highly specialized resources are gated, targeting IT decision-makers looking for advanced solutions.
Marketo’s Definitive Guides: Marketo’s comprehensive guides, such as "The Definitive Guide to Lead Nurturing," are often gated behind a lead capture form. These guides provide step-by-step instructions and best practices, appealing to marketers seeking expert advice.
What Is Non-Gated Content?
Non-gated content is freely accessible to users without requiring any form of exchange. Blog posts, videos, infographics, and publicly available eBooks often fall under this category. The focus here is to provide value upfront, fostering trust and building an audience.
The Pros of Non-Gated Content:
Increased Reach and Visibility: Non-gated content can be indexed by search engines, driving organic traffic to your website. It is also easier to share, boosting your brand’s visibility.
Trust-Building: Offering valuable resources without asking for anything in return establishes your brand as a thought leader and fosters goodwill among your audience.
SEO Benefits: Search engines prioritize content that is freely available, enhancing your chances of ranking higher for targeted keywords.
Better Engagement: Non-gated content allows users to consume information at their own pace, increasing the likelihood of deeper engagement with your brand.
The Cons of Non-Gated Content:
Lack of Lead Capture: Without a form, non-gated content does not provide direct access to a prospect’s contact details, making lead generation more challenging.
Difficulty in Measuring ROI: Tracking the effectiveness of non-gated content in driving conversions or nurturing leads can be less precise.
Resource Costs: Providing high-quality, non-gated content requires significant time and effort, with no guarantee of immediate returns.
Competition: Non-gated content is readily accessible, which means competitors can also benefit from your insights and strategies.
Case Studies: Gated vs. Non-Gated Content in Action
Case Study 1: HubSpot’s Evolving Content Strategy
HubSpot, a leading name in inbound marketing, initially relied heavily on gated content to grow its audience and generate leads. Their strategy included offering templates, guides, and eBooks behind forms. While effective in building a substantial email list, they noticed a plateau in engagement rates.
To counter this, HubSpot began experimenting with ungating some of its high-value content. The results were transformative: organic traffic surged, social shares increased, and their brand presence became more authoritative. HubSpot learned to balance gated and non-gated content by reserving gates for niche, high-value resources while ungating material that supported their broader visibility goals.
Case Study 2: LinkedIn’s Approach to B2B Marketing
LinkedIn Marketing Solutions has used both gated and non-gated content to great effect. Their ungated blog posts drive awareness and traffic, while gated webinars and whitepapers focus on capturing highly qualified leads. One of their campaigns saw a 60% increase in lead quality by gating in-depth reports, as these appealed primarily to decision-makers.
Case Study 3: Drift’s Non-Gated Philosophy
Drift, a conversational marketing platform, famously rejected gated content in its early days. Their philosophy was simple: remove barriers to create a frictionless experience. Drift’s blog posts, podcasts, and playbooks were all freely accessible. This strategy paid off by positioning Drift as an industry thought leader and driving significant inbound traffic.
However, as its audience matured, Drift introduced gated content for highly specialized resources. The combination of a primarily non-gated approach with selective gating allowed them to cater to different stages of the buyer’s journey effectively.
Key Takeaways
Understand Your Goals: Use gated content for lead generation and non-gated content for brand visibility and trust-building.
Balance Is Key: An effective content strategy often includes a mix of both gated and non-gated content tailored to different stages of the buyer’s journey.
Know Your Audience: Segment your audience to identify which groups respond better to gated content and which prefer free access.
Iterate and Optimize: Continuously test and refine your approach based on performance metrics and audience feedback.
Content Quality Matters: Whether gated or non-gated, your content must provide genuine value to achieve long-term success.
FAQ Section
1. What types of content should be gated?
Content that offers high value and targets users at the consideration or decision stages of the buyer’s journey—such as eBooks, white papers, and detailed research reports—is ideal for gating. These resources are more likely to attract serious prospects who are willing to share their information.
2. Is it possible to measure the success of non-gated content?
Yes. Metrics like website traffic, time spent on page, social shares, and backlinks can provide insights into the success of non-gated content. Advanced analytics tools can also track how non-gated content contributes to the overall customer journey.
3. Can gated content hurt my brand’s reputation?
If overused or applied to low-value resources, gating can frustrate users and harm your brand’s reputation. It’s essential to strike the right balance and gate only content that genuinely warrants it.
4. How can I decide whether to gate or not to gate?
Consider the purpose of the content, its audience, and its role in the buyer’s journey. Additionally, experiment with both approaches and analyze the results to refine your strategy.
5. What are some alternative ways to capture leads without gating content?
Innovative methods include offering newsletter subscriptions, using exit-intent popups, integrating chatbots, and creating interactive experiences like quizzes or calculators. These approaches allow for lead capture without restricting access to valuable resources.
Final Thoughts
The debate between gated and non-gated content is not about choosing one over the other but finding the right mix that aligns with your business objectives. By understanding the advantages and limitations of each approach, B2B marketing teams can craft strategies that effectively support both brand-building and lead-generation efforts. A thoughtful, data-driven approach will ensure that your content strategy meets the needs of both your audience and your sales pipeline.