Does gated content really generate leads?
Does gated content generate leads? I’m talking about downloadable ebooks/whitepapers and the like…
The answer is a resounding yes, *AND*…
What you’re offering needs to be truly valuable. You can’t just whip up any old garbage regurgitated by AI. Anyone can get that for themselves. Plus, do you really want to disappoint a prospect by showing them how lazy you are, right off the bat, by hooking them in and then delivering sub-par content? Ew.
You *must* follow up. You pay very good money to acquire these leads, and what a damn waste if you don’t act immediately, and take them on a value-packed nurture journey! They’ve been delivered to your doorstep, now you need to open the door and welcome them in, offer them a hot cuppa and a nice chocolate biscuit before you get down to business…
Be patient. Not everyone who downloads your content will be hot to trot immediately. In fact, very few will be. It might be a very early indicator, maybe they’re only just beginning to research their options, and your content forms part of that. We know from experience that it can take months, or even years, of nurturing to close a valuable B2B deal.
It can’t be the ONLY marketing you do. It must be part of a cohesive brand & marketing strategy that is executed consistently well, all of the time. You also need to work on your brand awareness, thought leadership, content etc…
Let me give you an example from my own business - a client who joined us recently downloaded our B2B ebook almost a year ago, and we had 6 meetings, 12 phone calls, and 89 emails to get the deal closed (the benefit of having a solid CRM to help me know these details is a bonus). It doesn’t normally take so long but, as a business, they weren’t ready at the time. But I was patient, and did my best to add value over the year, without being a pest. And now they are ready, and we’re their new agency.
Our spend on that lead gen campaign was ~$5k over a month (plus considerable effort we put into researching, writing, and designing the ebook itself). Once they were in our ‘funnel’ (I personally hate that word, so impersonal, but you know what I mean), they also saw our remarketing, opened our marketing emails, and so on.
And they aren't the only ones - we got ~100 other leads from that campaign, many of whom I’m still actively engaging with (hello, if you’re reading this)!
I’ve heard more than a few sceptical remarks about the effectiveness of the humble downloadable lead gen campaign - especially from sales teams who expect their marketers to deliver them piping hot, ready-to-buy leads.
The reality is: you can’t expect a lead gen campaign to do all the heavy lifting and save your ass, immediately. But give it time, tenacity, and a solid sales process, and you WILL see the benefits.