{"id":1826,"date":"2023-02-22T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-22T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zenmedia.go4wordpress.com\/2016\/10\/05\/gated-content-b2b-companies-pros-cons-use-wisely\/"},"modified":"2024-07-01T09:19:57","modified_gmt":"2024-07-01T09:19:57","slug":"gated-content-b2b-companies-pros-cons-use-wisely","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zenmedia.com\/blog\/gated-content-b2b-companies-pros-cons-use-wisely\/","title":{"rendered":"Gated Content for B2B Companies: Pros, Cons, and How to Use It Wisely"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Any digital marketer worth her salt will tell you that if you want your brand to succeed in today\u2019s market, you have to be creating content. Blog posts, e-books, whitepapers, infographics, podcasts\u2026 when it comes to content marketing, the options are many.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The point of creating all this content, of course, is to get it in the hands\u2014or on the screens\u2014of potential buyers, who will be much more likely to become your customers if you give them something great to read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So if that\u2019s what you\u2019re trying to do, then what\u2019s the whole idea behind gated content? Why would you ever erect a barrier between your potential customer and something they\u2019re trying to access? After all, marketing is generally about removing barriers to purchase, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, indeed, it is. And while there are some sparing uses for gated content, it\u2019s no longer the best practice it once was. In the past, putting up a gate that consumers had to pass through to get to your content could work in your favor. The trick was knowing what content should be gated and what kind of gate you should use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in today\u2019s digital landscape, gated content isn\u2019t terribly useful. In fact, it should be used sparingly, especially for B2Bs, and only for super high-value assets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is gated content? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What does \u201cgated content\u201d mean, anyway?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gated content refers to digital assets or information that is only accessible after a user provides some form of contact information, such as an email address or phone number. In B2B, gated content is often used as a means of collecting lead information for B2B marketing<\/a> and sales purposes. This information can then be used for lead nurturing, lead generation, and other marketing initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when it comes to content, the term \u201cgate\u201d can mean a couple of things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can mean a paywall so that people who want to view your content, or particular pieces of your content, have to pay for access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a popular model among journalistic organizations. The New York Times<\/em>, The New Yorker<\/em>, The Washington Post<\/em>, and many other newspapers and magazines offer a certain number of free articles per reader per month and then require you to become a paid subscriber to access any more than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

via nytimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another option is to leave your content free to consume but require readers to fill out a form before they can access it. A form like this typically captures contact information and might include a line asking how you found the company. Companies of all kinds do this, although it\u2019s more popular among B2Bs than B2Cs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That, in a nutshell, is what gated content means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To gate or not to gate: Pros and cons of gated content<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While gated content has been considered a mainstay of B2B content marketing<\/a> strategies, it\u2019s worth debating its viability, especially since most content creators are trending towards un-gating their work.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pros of gated content<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n