Gated Video Content Strategy: How to unlock The Potential for Success (+Platforms)

If you've attended a webinar or taken an online free course, you might've noticed that it was required to input your name and email address (and maybe other details) before getting access.

Video-based resources that are housed in lead capture forms are known as"gated" video content and they're effective at helping businesses get new customers.

In this article, we explore:

•         What is gated content?    
•         Benefits of content with a gated access
•         Different types of video content that is gated
•         Gated video content strategy      
•             SEO is the process of promoting gated video content
•         Guidelines to ensure that videos are not censored
•         Video platforms with gated access      
•             The right choice for a security-enabled video platform
•         Monitoring the effectiveness of your gated video strategy
•         Transform your business using video content that is gated
•         FAQ

What is the meaning of gated content on video?

Gated content consists of free video material that people are able to access once they have submitted the necessary information about themselves, such as the email address and name, through an online contact form. Based on the type of the content, as well as the product(s) the business provides, the lead capture form might ask for more information than just a email address and name. It may also ask for the user's job title as well as the size of the organization and industries.

When people submit their contact information they are granted access to important user information, which allows you to personalize your interactions with them. If your subscribers are able to think that your messages are specially designed for them, they'll be more likely to read your messages and engage with your brand.

Advantages of gated Content

Gating video content is one of the best strategies businesses can use in order to grow its customer base. There are a few reasons to do this:

Lead generation

Video content that is gated, however, is hidden behind the form. The majority of people do not like having full email inboxes, so if someone provides your email address in order to gain access to your website it's an indication of their interest in your company. This type of person is more likely to appreciate your advertising efforts than people who merely stumbled onto your website.

Segmentation of the audience and content personalization

By securing your video content, it allows you to segment your audience and create marketing materials with these segments in their minds. Through your lead capture form you will be able to gather user data such as their name, email address, demographic, position, organization size, and industry, which gives you information about your target audience's needs and habits.

This information can be used to build buyer personas of each subset of clients. This gets rid of the guesswork; you'll know exactly who you're targeting, making it easier for you to design material that meets their requirements, solves their problems, and makes their lives easier.

Perceived value increased

Web users often place greater worth on content with a gated access because they're providing their contacts to gain access to it.

A desire to satisfy their curiosity, the feeling of having access to exclusive content, as well as other advantages you provide your email subscribers, gated content can be a great way to enhance the image of your company. When executed well it will help you increase leads that are of high-quality and build trust with your prospects and establish yourself as an expert in your industry.

But there's one caveat. If you're asking people to provide their contact information They expect top-quality material in return. If your video's gated content isn't packed with valuable details, you could alienate your audience and ruining your brand reputation.

Analytics and data collection

Gated videos provide an organized method of collecting information about the behavior of viewers. Metrics like the duration of engagement, click-through rate, and completion rates help you figure out what kinds of content are popular with your target audience. With this data, you can optimize your content and marketing campaigns to get better results.

Better ROI on content

The use of gated videos will help you gain a greater ROI (ROI) in the production of content as well as marketing. Since the videos are hidden behind a form, you are able to measure how impactful they are in terms of the amount of leads they generate and how those leads progress through the sales funnel.

Types of Gated Videos Content

Gated video content comes in many formats. A few of these formats comprise:

Webinars

Through webinars, you are able to include other experts from your field, teach individuals how to meet their objectives in real time engage with your viewers, promote your products, and collect high-quality leads. The majority of these events have a limited number of slot availability, creating the feeling fear of missing out (fear of not being able to attend) that motivates people to sign up.

For example, Hotjar is hosting a live virtual event where web strategy experts teach attendees how to design a high-converting website with Hotjar and HubSpot.

On the landing page, Hotjar clarified the importance of the topic and the things people can learn from the webinar if they choose to participate. Then they embedded a lead capture form where individuals can submit some personal information about themselves in exchange for a Zoom invitation sent directly into their email.

Online courses

For the best value of online courses, choose an area of expertise or subject that is in line with your broader marketing strategy and make a set of detailed videos explaining that topic. It's not just a way to attract new leads, but it can also nudge people who are familiar with your brand further along the sales funnel.

As an example, Semrush, the SEO company, partners with experts in the field to design classes that are based around marketing, such as this one by Brian Dean.

The landing page provides the audience that will be attending the course, what they'll be learning, as well as the course arrangement. It ends with a form that interested students must complete in order to access the course for free.

Exclusive interviews

Just like webinars, exclusive interview sessions feature engaging conversations with experts from the industry, thought leaders, or key stakeholders. Not only do these conversations aid in building your brand's and authority, but they increase brand awareness by attracting the audience of the expert(s) whom you're talking to.

If you want to create the kind of content that will inspire your company, doing exclusive interviews is the best route to take because you'll get first-hand experiences, analogies, and instances that cannot be available elsewhere. What's more, you can improve the level of engagement among your viewers by having the interviewees to address your viewers' most pressing queries. It encourages viewers to sign up, watch the videos, and send inquiries.

Tips: A few companies like Omniscient Digital interview subject matter experts, and upload the audio version on their podcast, and also upload the video interview on the YouTube channel as well as their website. It is a great technique to reuse the interviews you have recorded.

Product demos

Product demos (or demonstrations) showcase how a product or service works, highlighting its features functions, capabilities, and benefits users will enjoy if they buy the product or service. The primary goal of product demonstrations is convincing potential buyers who may be unsure that your product is able to meet your needs and address the problems they face better than rivals'.

The ability to share your demos with customers will allow you to collect prospects from those in the lower reaches of the funnel that are keen on your service. As an example, Demio, a company that offers webinar software for marketers, gives interested prospects the possibility of scheduling a product demo.

In limiting the demo it offers, Demio only gets high-quality leads that are willing to have a one-on-one meeting with a Demio specialist.

Case studies and successful story

While most companies offer their case studies for free accessible, gating some of them is a great way to collect leads who are interested in particular applications.

The rationale behind this is that cases studies can be a very compelling type of content since they showcase real-world examples of how your product or service has benefited existing/past customers. They answer the question that every prospect has before buying: "Will this product deliver on its promise?"

Gating your case studies can be extremely effective in filtering the leads you have, particularly in the case of a product or service that targets a specific kind of audience.

Video content that is gated

If you're planning to gate your video content Here are some actions you should take to ensure you make the most the use of this tactic to market:

Define your goals

Prior to recording videos or planning events, define your goals. In accordance with the initial CoSchedule research, marketers who establish goals are 376% more likely to succeed.

When you are defining your objectives, be granular. In the case of, say, if you plan to host an online webinar, the goal might be to get 100 attendees. Or if you're releasing an online course, the aim could be to reach 1,000 students in the span of six months. Specificity in your goals will help you determine what goals to aim for while marketing your video content that is gated.

Identify your target audience

GA gives demographic information about your audience including their gender, age, interest and even their place of residence. GA also provides information on which pages are visited the most often on your website -- which can be useful for brainstorming topic ideas to use in your videos. If you're on any social networks, you may take a look at the analytics of your social media to get more insights.

The analysis of your competitors' audience is also an effective way to know the people that you need to be targeting, their demographics and their buying behavior. In this way, you will be able to create content that caters to the needs of your customers and address the problems they face better than competitors.

Select the appropriate videos topics and types

Based on your audience research You can brainstorm ideas for content which align with your objectives and resonate with your target people.

Examine the statistics of the various channels for promotion you use, including search, social media, and email, to see which topics your target audience is engaged in the greatest. If you're a company with sales or customer service personnel ask them to provide their opinions on the problems that existing as well as potential customers try to resolve with your service.

If, for instance, you're a site creator, you could make a mini-course teaching people without the ability to code how to use the drag-and-drop editor on your website to make a fully functional web page. Or if you learn that customers and prospects frequently inquire from customer service on how to integrate their current technology stack to your service, you could host a webcast to teach the people how.

Once you've selected your topics, select the video content formats that will best deliver your message. These include webinars, online courses tutorials, interviews, and behind-the-scenes (BTS) video.

Create compelling content

After you've chosen your topic(s) and the content format(s) you'll be using then you can begin to develop high-quality material. These are some suggestions to consider:

• Make use of a camera that is high-quality to make your own videos. The camera doesn't have to cost a lot, but it should be. If you're unable to afford professional cameras, then the iPhone or a tripod with great lighting, will work.
• Give value to viewers. The initial few minutes of your video content will decide if viewers stay with the content until the close of the video. You can use analogies, anecdotes or even shocking information to entice viewers at the beginning of your video. In the next step, add impact throughout your video(s) with expert information, new research or proprietary data and even a walkthrough of your process, if applicable.
• Engage professional editors, animators, and designers, if you can. They'll be well-versed and access to high-quality editing and design software, which results in an impressively designed video that viewers will love.
• Include interactive elements into your videos. If you're creating your online courses, using quizzes or assignments as well as polls are excellent ways to encourage your students to actively participate in the learning process. If you're hosting a webinar, a Q&A session allows users to connect with participants and offer value at any time.

Create a dedicated landing page

The most successful landing pages have three elements: persuasive copy, compelling layout, and an effective call-to-action (CTA). A great example of this is the landing page for CXL's Brand Marketing mini-degree.

The black-white-red color palette immediately stands out, what's more compelling is how the hero section outlines everything you'll learn if you take the course, as well as revealing to you who'll be teaching the course and why they're qualified to do so.

The next page will outline the benefits of subscribing to CXL, which is followed by a contact form that permits users to view pricing plans as well as request a trial. The landing page closes with a comprehensive FAQ section which addresses the most frequent questions potential customers may have.

Just like CXL's landing page, yours should contain the form (or CTA) that users have to complete before they can access the video.

Promote your gated video content

After your landing page has been put online and your video safe to be accessed, you're now ready to make it a point to advertise your video. There are many channels for marketing to choose from, such as:

• search: Even though Google's algorithms aren't able to crawl content that is gated but they will scan the content of the landing page you have created and rank it using the correct terms, which can increase the visibility of your site and bring more visitors to your page.
• Social media: You could build momentum by posting about your gated video prior to the time you make it. Take your audience on the journey of creating your video and tell them what value they'll get from the final product. So, once your landing page is live, there'll be people eager to sign-up.
• Pay-per-click: Creating momentum with natural SEO as well as social media can take time. If you'd like to see faster results and you have a budget, consider running pay-per click (PPC) ads for the website's landing page in search engines and social media.

Analyze and iterate

If you are beginning to receive emails due to your gated content Monitor your results with analytics tools. Keep track of the most important performance indicators (KPIs) such as viewing retention, conversion rates and lead quality.

Make use of the knowledge you gain to improve your plan of action, whether that's improving your techniques for creating videos changing the types of content and distribution channels or revising your targeting.

Doing SEO for gated video content

Google's algorithm doesn't crawl or search for content hidden within a form. This means that when you block your videos and it doesn't appear on the search engine results pages (SERPs). You can, however, use SEO to increase the exposure of the videos you have gated by

• Optimizing your dedicated landing page for search engines
• Embedding the lead capture form in ungated, SEO-optimized content like blog articles
• Enhancing the video itself

For maximum visibility, you'll need to apply the three different types of SEO: on-page SEO, off-page SEO and technical SEO.

In-page SEO

The process involves conducting search engine optimization to find relevant high-volume, low-competition keywords which your intended public is likely to be using in their search for information related to your video.

to optimize your landing page, blog articles, or videos, you should include these words in your title tags, (sub)headings, page copy, images alt text, meta (and video) descriptions and URLs, when appropriate.

When Google's algorithms crawl your website, these keywords provide them with context so they can place your website's pages on the map for the correct search terms/query.

Off-page SEO

Backlinks are arguable the most crucial element of SEO off-page because Google considers them to be a core ranking factor. An effective backlink profile is what Google calls the "T" in E-E-A.T. (trustworthiness), which is the standard Google uses to assess the credibility of content on a website.

The process of building backlinks is to get reputable websites to link to the website or blog through which people can join your newsletter for gated video content. When this happens, Google's algorithms interpret the result to mean that your offer is relevant as well as valuable and meets search intent.

Technical SEO

The term "technical SEO" refers to improving the technical parts of your website to increase your SERP rankings. It includes making your site mobile-friendly, increasing your page loading speed, including video or website schema markup, sending your website/video sitemap to Google and creating an SEO-friendly structure for your website, as well as fixing content that is duplicate.

Some of these methods (like improving site speed or making your website responsive on all devices) ranking factors, but they also aid Google to crawl and rank your site.

Pro tip: Make your videos usable to people as well as search engines, through accurate transcriptions and closed captions.

Best practices to ensure that videos are not censored

If you're creating video content that is gated These are the top techniques to remember:

Maintain videos at an optimal length

It's impossible to regulate every aspect, however there are some that you can optimize, including your sales funnel as well as the type of content you choose to use.

For example, prospects in the Awareness stage of your funnel could have heard about your company for the first time therefore they're not likely to sit through a long video. People in this stage often benefit more from ungated material, like blog posts or short videos posted on social media.

But, those who are considering a product from you or weighing up your products' worth against those of the competition will be willing to attend your professional-led webinars, purchasing online courses or watching successful stories or booking demos of your product.

The lengths for these different video content formats differ, too. As an example, videos in an online course could be three to 20 minutes in length and the whole course taking a bit longer. Webinars and exclusive interviews often run for 1-2 hours. Likewise, cases study videos usually run 5-10 minutes long.

Pro tip: Create multiple edits. Following your initial recording, you'll end up with an abundance of video. You'll need to edit repeatedly to remove any unnecessary the fluff, off-the-tangent comments and filler words. It is also possible to create animations and additional interactive and engaging elements to the video.

Create appealing thumbnails and titles

Your title and thumbnail are the first elements users see upon visiting your landing page or the blogs where you have embedded the video you have gated. These elements need to grab the attention of your viewers and encourage users to sign-up to gain access to the video.

Create your thumbnail yourself if you have great graphic design skills. If you don't, it's better to find a graphic artist or a marketer who has design expertise to help you.

Pro tip: Don't use clickbait titles. Your title should accurately represent the content in the video. If it's not accurate, it will create an unfavorable user experience affecting your brand's credibility as well as image.

Streamline your lead capture form

A lot of companies ask users to provide their personal information as well as email address to gain access to restricted content however, some require additional information such as the title of the job or organization's size as well as industries. They may even require visitors to complete a short survey before they can gain access.

The method of using a name and email address is pretty effective because it allows you to send personal (by name) messages to subscribers' inbox. But, if you're looking to group your email recipients according to their profession and the title of their job, it is best to request that information also. This allows you to create content that is tailored specifically to each segment, which increases the chances of people engaging with your company and purchasing your products.

Tips: An overly long questionnaire can turn people off. So if it's not necessary use the name-and-email-address approach.

With clear calls to action

On your landing page, use persuasive and direct words to stimulate action. e.g. "Access professional insights right today" or "Download the course right now". In your video, you can prompt viewers to visit your social media site or website, or to subscribe on your channel in accordance with the goals you're trying to reach.

Whatever the CTA is, ensure that it's specific, actionable, and accessible. Put them in strategically placed places on your landing pages and video, especially if those materials are lengthy.

Pro suggestion: Consider offering incentives like discounts, downloadable content, or access to an exclusive community, to increase the value and encourage people to opt-in.

Run A/B tests

When you are evaluating your performance, run A/B tests on different elements of your gated video content strategy, which includes the titles, thumbnails, messages, formats for content and CTAs. This will give you insight into what variations work most well with your target audience. It will also assist you in optimizing the conversion rate over time.

Gated video platforms

If you're wondering which software you could use for creating gated videos this article will provide a list of four of the best platform for gated videos, including their pricing and features.

Selecting the best security-enabled video platform

If you're confused about which security-related video streaming platform you should use, here are some guidelines to help you choose the best one for your goals and needs:

Determine your requirements

Prior to deciding on a video platform consider what it is you want the platform to help you accomplish. Your answers will help you pick the best tool to meet your specific needs.

If, for instance, you're looking to build leads Vimeo can be a good choice because it has lead generation tools and can integrate perfectly with marketing tools for email. But if your priority is to drive organic traffic via SEO, Brightcove and Sproutvideo might be better choices.

Consider your budget

The pricing levels offered by the platform are a great starting point to figure out whether you are able to afford it, but you should also factor in potential additional expenses like bandwidth costs or transaction fees, as these could impact the price of the service.

Look into possibilities for customization

The platform for video you select must allow you to have control over the look and performance of the player. Also, look for options that permit you to customize the branding, player design as well as interactive features like CTA buttons.

Consider integration capabilities

If you're planning to execute a gated video content strategy, chances are you have many other tools within your technology stack. To streamline your process, you'll have select a platform that is compatible with your existing tools and platforms.

This is your website, your content management software (CMS), CRM software, customer relationship management (CRM) software and email marketing solutions, marketing automation software payments gateways and the other essential software for your business.

Review privacy and security features

If you're handling confidential or sensitive data, be sure that the media platform you pick has adequate security features. SproutVideo is one of them. It is an excellent tool to use for this as it comes with features such as security for passwords, geo-restriction protection, IP address limitation, and encryption protocols to protect your information.

Review analytics and report

Comprehensive analytics and reports are essential for monitoring the performance of your gated content as well as understanding how your customers interact with your brand.

Look out for platforms that offer details viewer insight, like the duration of a view, click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, audience demographics as well as other KPIs that are relevant to your business. This information will help you refine your content strategy and improve engagement.

Verify scalability

If you run or work in a company that is growing rapidly and you are looking for a video platform, the one you pick should be able to handle the increased uploads of videos and greater traffic volumes without compromising on the performance. In other words, the platform should scale according to your requirements.

Therefore, consider factors like the available storage space, bandwidth options, and support for high-definition (HD) video to ensure that your platform can be scalable and that your investment will remain relevant when your company grows.

Product demos and trial durations

Most video platforms have trials or product demonstrations that you can benefit from to gain firsthand experience of the platform. Not only will you be able to assess whether it is suitable for your needs as well, you'll learn how to navigate through the platform, should you decide to go ahead with it.

Evaluation of the performance of your content creation gated strategy

In order to measure the effectiveness of your gated video content strategy, here are three things you should be doing: keep track of key indicator of performance (KPIs) Utilize analytics tools and then constantly re-evaluate your strategies.

Monitor key performance indicators

Some commonly used KPIs to track comprise:

• Conversion rates: These measures the amount of viewers who supplied their information to access protected content.
• Click-through rate (CTR) on CTAs The CTR is the amount of time that viewers click on the CTAs on your landing pages or in your videos. This determines the efficiency of your CTAs to drive desired actions.
• Engagement metrics: Track the metrics of average time to watch as well as video completion rate as well as video interactions (likes comments, likes as well as shares). This shows how effectively your video content is engaging viewers.
• Lead generation is the amount of leads that are generated by the gated content. It indicates how compelling and persuasive your content.
• Quality of leads: It measures how likely your new leads will convert to paying customers. This can be assessed as a KPI via lead scoring or qualifying criteria.

Make use of analytics tools

Analytics tools can retrieve and categorize the data from different sources in order in order to provide you with a greater understanding of your overall operations. Some common analytics tools you can use include:

• Google Analytics (GA): It analyzes the user's behavior on your site, records the performance of landing pages and tracks the sources of traffic, among other things. GA allows you to set goals and events for your site. GA, you can define goals and create occasions to measure specifically the user interactions that are related to your content that is gated.
• Platforms hosting video: Video hosting platforms like Vimeo, Wistia, or YouTube give detailed insight into video's performance. If integrated to lead-capturing forms, these platforms can track parameters like play rates as well as engagement and the conversion rate.
• Platforms for marketing automation: Products like HubSpot, Marketo, or Pardot offer analytics tools which allow you to monitor the behavior of leads after they interact through your content that is gated.
• CRM systems: CRM tools like Pipedrive and Salesforce will help you monitor leads that come from gated videos and follow their development through the sales funnel.

Continuous optimization and iteration

Establish regular intervals of reporting for monitoring the success of your gated video content strategy. Compare your data across the course of time (including the results of A/B testing) to identify trends and patterns.

Utilize the information you get through your analysis to make informed adjustments to your approach such as optimizing the lead capture form by using various types of video content or changing distribution channels.

Change the way you do business by using gated video content

The use of gated videos is an excellent way to supercharge your marketing strategy. In offering quality information in exchange for data, you're not just making leads, you're also creating the possibility of direct communication with an engaged audience. This allows you to deliver personalized messages and nurture prospective customers throughout the buying journey.

The content you create with your gated videos lets you show off your expertise to establish your company as an expert, and create an impression of exclusivity and the value to your customersand ultimately, this drives sales and brand loyalty.

Plus also allows users to create and manage exclusive communities to help build an even deeper relationship with your prospects, upsell your product, increase conversion as well as generate income for your company.

FAQ

    What is gated video content and why is it crucial?

Gated video content refers to content that is accessible only after viewers provide details about themselves such as their email address, or other information about their demographics. This strategy for marketing lets businesses to acquire and maintain lead prospects with high-quality, specific emails as well as specific marketing campaigns.

    What are the benefits of gated video to promote your business?

Using gated videos in marketing allows businesses to capture leads, gather vital customer information and deliver personalized content which builds trust in their target audience, which increases the number of conversions.

    How do I design an effective gated-video strategy?

This is a step-bystep outline of how to create a winning guarded video strategy

• Define your goals
• Identify your target audience
• Choose the appropriate video content and the appropriate type (e.g. webinars, video courses, product demos, etc. )
• Create compelling videos
• Create a dedicated landing page
• Promote your gated video content
• Iterate and analyze based on insights collected

    What are some best methods to create captivating gated videos?    

When you are creating restricted videos Here are the best techniques to remember:

• Make sure videos are at the optimal length
• Make captivating thumbnails as well as titles
• Streamline your lead capture form
• With clear calls to action
• Conduct A/B test to help you improve your strategy

    Which gated video platforms would be the best for me?    

The most popular platforms for creating video content that is gated and resonates with your viewers can be:

• Vimeo is a well-known site with a variety of customization options and high-quality video playback.
• Wistia offers customizable video players, capture email forms and more detailed analysis.
• Brightcove: Comprehensive platform with robust options for large companies and media businesses.
• SproutVideo: Video hosting platform with an focus on security. It comes with options like domain restriction as well as password protection.

    What can I do to gauge the success of my gated video content strategy?    

There are two methods to track and analyze the results of your gated videos:

• Monitoring key indicator of performance (KPIs) such as the conversion rate, click-through rates (CTR), and engagement metrics (likes shares, likes, and comments)
• Utilizing analytics tools for example Google Analytics , video hosting tools CRM tools, as well as marketing automation tools
• Comparing KPIs with industry averages for more context regarding your performance