Is your Software as a Service (SaaS) website getting your desired organic traffic but still finding it challenging to generate leads? It’s time you consider gearing your software website with ‘gated content’ for lead generation and fruitful marketing.
Did you know 82% of marketers trying to increase lead quantity are also looking to increase the quality of their leads? ‘Gated content’ provides an easy solution to this. It helps in generating high-quality leads.
Generally speaking, gated content is the content you find online that compels you to submit your contact information and details to access it. The initial goal is to make the content appealing enough that the visitor is intrigued to view it. And to view it, they have to submit their details. The content can be anything. It can be a guide, an ebook, a spreadsheet template, or any other thing.
What is Gated Content?
Any material that your visitors may access only after submitting their information is considered gated content. Most of the time, this is an email address. Some have tested with demanding social media likes or following in return for content, which is a feasible but underutilized technique.
Gated content is effective since it encourages lead generation. Typically, people will find their way to your SaaS site via a blog post. A search engine or social networking site may have guided them to that blog article. If your first blog post persuades readers that you are a reliable source of information, they may be interested in hearing more of what you have to say about your software. You may increase your lead generation by developing an attractive gated content offering.
The content that your SaaS website should be compelling enough for users to exchange their information for. The idea is – you must be offering something that has a lot of value and is a high demand piece, or users won’t exchange your information with you.
Benefits Of Having Gated Content For Your Software Website
80% of B2B content marketing assets are gated. This means SaaS companies worldwide acknowledge the benefits of having gated content on their software website. Its benefits include:
Increases traffic on your website
- Gating your content means that you provide your users with something in demand, that is unique and is of high quality. The visitors recognize your efforts and quality, and this helps drive more traffic.
Increases leads to your SaaS website
- Offering valuable content on your SaaS website means people are willing to come back in future; this is crucial in lead generation.
The leads you get are of high quality
- If people are willing to exchange their contact information with you, the chances are that they are really interested in your content.
Boosts your software website’s SEO
- When you provide valuable content through your SaaS website, blogs and other websites, recognize your efforts. They do so by quoting and linking to your SaaS website. This boosts the SEO of your SaaS website.
Gating Valuable Content On Your SaaS Website
Before gating the content on your SaaS website, you must first analyze whether the data you’re gating will be of use to the users or not. If it’s not enticing enough, your users may not be willing to exchange their information to access it, pushing your gated content strategy down the drain.
Here are some content ideas that you might consider to ‘gate’ on your software website.
Software Demos
No one will trust your software company if they don’t have solid proof of the efficacy of the software you’re offering. While people are exploring all their options of which software to purchase, they only want to go for the supreme one. 69% of consumers believe a product demo best assists them when making a purchase decision.
In exchange for their contact information, you can give your users full access to your software and let them know that your software is the most elite among others. After getting a ‘taste’ of your software, people are going to be back for more.
Free Trial Of Your Software
Free trials of your software are also a great way of proving that your software is worth your customer’s money.
It is believed that 75% of SaaS firms provide free trials. As a result, many customers look forward to getting a free trial of your software. They could overlook your product if you don’t include one. A ‘test drive’ also encourages consumers to try your SaaS even if they aren’t confident they need it.
According to Totango’s Benchmark SaaS study, if you get 20 free trials a day, a minimum of 3 will convert to a paid plan of $50. Therefore gating free trials of your software is an excellent way of proving your quality and acquiring customers.
EBooks and Industrial Reports
Another thing that you can trade for your visitors’ contact information are eBooks and industrial reports. You can use EBooks to explain how to operate your software.
14% of Americans prefer reading eBooks to get insight into a particular thing. You can use these EBooks to provide stellar instructions on operating your software and answer the FAQs of your customers. Use them to instruct your customer about your software and give them tips and tricks to operate your software.
You can also gate your industrial reports. These industrial reports will give your customers a comprehensive account of the software industry. They also contain in-depth information, facts and statistics relating to the industry your software firm operates in.
Over to you
Gating your content is an excellent way to generate high-quality leads and potential customers for your SaaS website. However, you must know that if you gate content of no use to your visitors, they won’t exchange their information with you. And no one can blame them for it.
It takes strategic thinking to gate content that may prove helpful to your SaaS website. Your software company can gate content like API documentation, a mini-application, a very detailed and step-by-step guide for users, or a highly coveted interview with an industry expert. It’s totally up to you to analyze and understand your customers and ONLY gate content that is beneficial to them.