- April 30, 2015
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When to ‘Gate’ and Other Content Marketing Tips
Whether you’re a seasoned content marketer or this is the year you bust out, these best practices from Chief Marketer’s 2015 Winter Edition (along with our own library of tricks and tips) could help you quickly gain traction and produce the results you want.
Pinpoint Your Purpose–Before jumping in, be clear about the purpose and goals of your content, and use them to guide its creation and distribution. Do you want to generate more awareness? Showcase specialized knowledge or expertise? Drive leads or sell more of a particular service? Understanding why you’re putting out content will help you get it to the right audience, at the right time, for the right reasons. This popular strategy post shows you how to scale up and get scrappy when creating new material.
Format for Multichannel–The Chief Marketer article also recommends re-purposing your content in as many ways as possible. For example, when someone from your company presents at a conference, tradeshow or other high-profile event, issue a press release. Also, record the session and package the video and audio (think podcast) so that prospects can stream it on their favorite devices. Turn the presenter’s deck into a webinar or blog post (tips here) and include insights or opinions about the event to reinforce the ‘shared experience’ with your readers.
Shorten and Serialize–Already have longer-form articles, videos or other content? Cut them up into smaller bite-sized pieces that your busy, overworked audience will want to consume. Changing graphics or freshening up an intro or conclusion can result in a nearly new piece you can add to your arsenal.
Know when to ‘Gate’–‘Gating’ simply means asking prospects for contact or other information before giving them access to content. Not all experts agree on the practice. Proponents say it helps qualify leads and discourage the lookie-loos. Those opposed say that gating quashes interest and shrinks lead count. Both groups do, however, agree that if you do gate, make certain your content delivers the value, relevance and insights prospects expect. Otherwise, their interest–and your lead–will be lost.
Want to increase the engagement and converting power of your company’s content?
Check our post that teaches you how to develop better case studies and white papers or write stronger video scripts. Short on ideas or source for new material? This post about ‘evergreen’ content may just be the ticket.
