As marketing experts, we often take demand generation for granted, assuming it's common sense in the B2B SaaS world. But as I mentioned in my previous blog, I've had a shocking realization: many B2B companies, especially startups, are still clinging to outdated lead generation schemes.
It kinda makes sense, because in the early stages of a startup, there's an overwhelming pressure to fill your CRM with names and email addresses. Those ebooks, whitepapers, and webinars behind forms have been your trusty lead-generation tools, giving your sales team plenty to work with.
But as I've seen time and time again, this short-term thinking can hinder long-term growth. So in my last blog, I talked about the shift from lead generation to demand generation. And one of the most common concerns I hear from B2B SaaS companies considering this transition is the fear of ungating content. In countless conversations with founders and commercial leaders, I hear the same concerns echoed:
"If we ungate our content, how will we get leads?"
"We've invested so much in our gated content strategy. Do we need to throw it all away?"
"What kind of content should we create for demand generation, and how often?"
"How can we be sure this transition will actually benefit our business?"
If you're nodding along, feeling a mix of curiosity and apprehension, you're not alone.
These questions underscore a crucial point: while demand generation is a more sustainable strategy in the long run, making the shift can feel daunting and risky.That's why today, we're diving deeper into a critical first step in transitioning to demand generation: ungating your valuable content.
Let's explore why ungating can be a game-changer, how to build a content strategy that drives demand, and how to measure success in this new paradigm.
Why Ungating Works: The Benefits of Open Access
Let's start by addressing the biggest fear: "If we ungate our content, how will we get leads?" It might seem counterintuitive, but removing barriers to your valuable content can actually supercharge your marketing efforts.
Here's why:
Wider Reach: When your content is freely accessible, it's more likely to be shared. Imagine this: You've created an insightful industry report. In a gated world, someone might download it, find it valuable, but hesitate to share because their colleagues would hit a form-fill barrier. Now, picture that same report, ungated. It gets shared in industry forums, on LinkedIn, in email threads. Suddenly, your ideas are reaching far beyond your initial audience.Improved SEO: Search engines love content. When you ungate, you're allowing search engines to index all that valuable information you've created. This can significantly boost your organic visibility. A B2B analytics company I worked with saw a 50% increase in organic traffic within three months of ungating their content library. Their ungated how-to guides and industry analyses were ranking for valuable keywords, drawing in highly relevant traffic.
Better Engagement: Think about your own browsing habits. When you hit a form asking for your details, do you always fill it out? Or do you sometimes click away, even if the content seemed interesting? By removing these barriers, you're allowing more people to actually consume your content, leading to increased engagement.
Increased Trust: In today's information-rich world, buyers are more skeptical than ever. By freely sharing your expertise, you're building trust and positioning yourself as a thought leader. This approach can lead to stronger brand affinity and, ultimately, more inbound inquiries.
Higher Quality Leads: Finally we are talking about leads! And here's where it gets really interesting. When someone reaches out after consuming your ungated content, they're often a much more qualified lead. They've had time to understand your expertise, your approach, and how you might help them. They're not just filling out a form to get a download; they're initiating contact because they see real potential value. You sales team will thank you for that!
Now, I know what you might be thinking: "This sounds great in theory, but how do I actually implement this? What should my content strategy look like?" Let's dive into that next.
Building Your Demand Generation Content Matrix
Transitioning to demand generation doesn't mean throwing out everything you know about content creation. Instead, it's about refocusing your efforts to provide value at every stage of the buyer's journey. Let's break this down into a practical content matrix.
1. Awareness Stage
At this stage, your potential customers are just realizing they have a problem or an opportunity. Your goal is to educate and build brand awareness.
- Blog posts (1-2 times per week): These should address common pain points in your industry. For example, a project management SaaS could post blogs like "5 Signs Your Team's Productivity Is Suffering (And What to Do About It)."
- Short videos (1 per week): These can be simple explainer videos or thought leadership pieces. Repurpose your blog posts to save time.
- Infographics (1-2 per month): Visual content is highly shareable. Infographics like "The State of Big Data in 2024" or "Marketing trends in numbers" can easily catch attention on social media.
- Whitepapers (1 per quarter): These should be in-depth explorations of key industry topics. Being a go-to resource would benefit your SEO and significantly increases brand awareness.
- Social media content (daily): Use this to amplify your other content and engage with your audience. Share industry news, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and quick tips.
2. Consideration Stage
At this stage, your audience is actively researching solutions to their problem. Your content should help them understand different approaches and position your solution as a strong contender.
- Webinars (1-2 per month): These allow for real-time engagement with your audience, bring value to them by providing useful information and answering their questions.
- Case studies (1-2 per month): Showcase how real customers have benefited from your solution. Be specific about the challenges, solution, and results.
- Video lessons (update regularly): This is truly useful especially for product-led growth. You can teach your potential users to improve their professional skills by using your tool. Hubspot and Semrush are good examples in this regard.
- Comparison guides (update quarterly): Help your audience understand how different solutions stack up. Be fair and objective – your honesty will be appreciated.
3. Decision &Purchase Stage
At this point, your potential customer is close to making a decision. Your content should help them feel confident in choosing your solution.
- Product demos (as needed): Make these readily available, but don't push them too early in the journey.
- Free trials (always available): If possible, offer a no-strings-attached trial of your product.
- ROI calculators (always available): Help potential customers understand the tangible benefits of your solution.
- Customer testimonials (update regularly): Let your satisfied customers speak for you. Video testimonials can be particularly powerful.
4. Retention & Advocacy Stage
Don't forget about your existing customers! Keeping them happy and turning them into advocates is crucial for sustainable growth.
- User guides (updated regularly): Make it easy for customers to get the most out of your product.
- Customer success stories (1 per month): Showcase how customers are achieving great things with your product. This serves double duty, inspiring existing customers and attracting new ones.
- Product update announcements (as needed): Keep your customers in the loop about new features and improvements.
- Exclusive webinars for customers (1 per quarter): Offer advanced tips or early access to new features. This makes customers feel valued and part of an exclusive community.
Of course, these examples and frequencies are guidelines. The key is consistency and quality over quantity. It's better to produce one outstanding piece of content a month than four mediocre ones.
In the next section, we'll dive into the key principles that should guide your content creation, regardless of the stage or format.
Key Principles for Your Content
As you create content for each stage of the buyer's journey, keep these principles in mind:
Focus on Quality: In the world of ungated content, quality becomes even more crucial. Every piece you produce should provide genuine value to your audience. Don't create content just to hit a quota or because you think you "should." Ask yourself: "Will this truly help our audience? Does it offer unique insights or actionable advice?"
Tailor to Your Audience: Generic content rarely resonates. Use your buyer personas to guide your content creation. What specific challenges does each persona face? What questions are they asking at each stage of their journey?
Showcase Expertise: Your content is your opportunity to position your brand as a trusted authority in your field. Don't be afraid to share unique insights, proprietary data, or bold predictions about your industry's future.
Encourage Engagement: Your content shouldn't be a one-way street. Include calls-to-action that encourage readers to comment, share their experiences, or explore related resources. Make it easy for readers to take the next step in their journey with you.
Optimize for Search: With your content ungated, SEO becomes even more important. Use relevant keywords naturally throughout your content, optimize your meta descriptions and titles, and structure your content with clear headings and subheadings.
By following these principles, you'll create content that not only attracts potential customers but also builds lasting relationships with them.
How to Measure Success in Demand Generation
As you transition from lead generation to demand generation, your metrics will need to evolve too. While you may see a decrease in form fills initially, there are several other indicators that can show you're on the right track:
- Website Traffic: With more ungated, searchable content, you should see an increase in website traffic, particularly organic growth.
- Time on Page: This can indicate how engaging your content is. An increase suggests people are finding value and reading thoroughly.
- Social Shares: More shares indicate your audience finds your content valuable enough to share with their networks.
- Inbound Inquiries: You may see fewer leads overall, but those you receive will be more qualified and interested in your solution.
- Sales Pipeline Quality: Work with your sales team to track the quality of leads entering the pipeline. Are they more informed about your product? Are they moving through the pipeline faster?
- Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): Over time, this should decrease as your inbound marketing efforts pay off.
- Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): As you attract better-fit customers through demand generation, this metric may increase.
While shifting gears doesn’t deliver results overnight, it’s crucial to be patient and keep the bigger picture in mind. Don’t be afraid to adjust your approach based on what you learn. Every business is unique, and what works for one may not work exactly the same for another.
The beauty of content marketing is its flexibility. You can always iterate and improve based on data and feedback from your audience. After all, demand generation is about building relationships and trust over time—a long-term strategy that can lead to sustainable growth.
_photo.jpg?width=50&height=50&name=Wei(Alice)_photo.jpg)
.png?width=1500&height=268&name=New%20Project%20(1).png)