Beyond gated forms: how ghost marketing is reshaping B2B buyer journeys

As a tech marketer, I've spent countless hours crafting campaigns, strategizing, and optimizing every step of the B2B buyer's journey. However, there's one aspect of our approach that has always bothered me, causing frustration and frankly, a lot of lost time and hassle.

It's the pervasive use of gated forms. In today's buyer-centric landscape, where B2B buyers conduct extensive research before engaging with sales, it's time to break free from the chains of these outdated tactics and embrace a new concept... something I call, "Ghost Marketing."

Why I'm mostly done with gated forms in the B2B buying funnel

In the past, gated forms were a staple in B2B marketing. They acted as barriers, forcing potential customers to provide personal information before accessing valuable content. However, times have changed. B2B buyers have evolved. They are savvier, more independent, and conduct extensive research before even considering reaching out to sales.

Gated forms, once seen as a gateway to lead generation, now hinder the buyer's journey. They create frustration, disrupt the flow of information, and erode trust. Today's buyers are reluctant to share personal details, and who can blame them? We're bombarded with data breaches, spammy emails, and unwanted solicitations. Even as we've made it easier to fill in forms with Google, Linkedin and other easy form options, it's no wonder they avoid filling out forms like the plague.

Form stats speak louder than words:

Let's look at some numbers to support this notion. According to recent studies, a staggering 80% of B2B buyers find gated forms frustrating and intrusive. Even more concerning, form submission rates have been on a steady decline, with only 10% of visitors actually bothering to complete them. It's clear that our old tactics are failing us.

Introducing "Ghost Marketing": An alternative approach:

So, what's the alternative? Allow me to introduce you to what I call "Ghost Marketing." This concept revolves around leveraging online customer signals to serve up targeted content and engagement opportunities in place of online forms (yes, you heard that right). Instead of forcing potential customers to comply with forms when they aren't ready to talk, "Ghost Marketing" empowers them to educate themselves, guiding them along their buyer's journey until they're ready to reach out for more information.

In a world where information is at our fingertips, "Ghost Marketing" embraces transparency and builds trust by providing the best content we can and lets it loose among our digital visitors. Ghost marketing is just what it sounds like. It means being a ghost while the customer is researching your company.

Yes, it means ditching the gated forms and focusing on delivering value through educational resources, thought leadership pieces, and interactive experiences.

The power shift

In the realm of ghost marketing, the power shifts from the marketer to the customer. We recognize that the place for a gated form is not when we think the customer wants one, but rather when they explicitly ask for it. By empowering customers to navigate their own journey and consume content at their own pace, we create an environment of trust and respect.

When a customer reaches the point where they actively seek more information or express a desire to engage further, that's when the gated form becomes a relevant and valuable tool. In this approach, we prioritize the customer's needs and preferences, ensuring that every interaction is meaningful and based on their individual readiness, leading to more meaningful conversions and long-lasting relationships.

How to make sure your peers and execs don't think you're crazy

Ok, I realize this might be a hard sell to old-school members of your team that really want to rely on older tactics. That's expected. When it comes to positioning the use of the ghost marketing concept to individuals in your organization who are set on using gated forms, it's essential to tailor your approach to their specific concerns and priorities. Here's a strategy to convince different stakeholders of the benefits and effectiveness of ghost marketing:

Management/Leadership:

• Emphasize the customer-centric nature of ghost marketing and its alignment with the evolving B2B buying landscape.
• Highlight the potential for increased customer satisfaction, trust, and long-term loyalty through personalized and valuable content.
• Present data-driven insights and success stories from other companies that have transitioned to ghost marketing, showcasing improved conversion rates and ROI.
• Demonstrate how ghost marketing can position your organization as an industry leader and innovator in meeting customer needs.

Sales Team:

• Showcase how ghost marketing can generate higher-quality leads by nurturing prospects until they are ready to engage with sales.
• Explain how ghost marketing provides sales teams with more informed and educated leads, making the sales process smoother and more efficient.
• Share success stories of other sales teams that have seen increased engagement and higher close rates as a result of ghost marketing.
• Offer to collaborate closely with the sales team, providing them with relevant data and insights to help them tailor their approach to individual prospects.

Marketing Team:

• Highlight the potential for increased engagement and brand awareness through valuable content that resonates with target audiences.
• Illustrate how ghost marketing allows for more personalized and targeted messaging, resulting in higher conversion rates and improved campaign performance.
• Emphasize the opportunity to gather valuable customer data and insights through online customer signals, enabling data-driven decision-making and continuous optimization.
• Suggest conducting A/B testing to compare the effectiveness of ghost marketing versus gated forms, providing concrete evidence of its superiority.

IT/Technical Team:

• Explain how ghost marketing can reduce the burden on IT resources by eliminating the need to build and maintain complex gated form systems.
• Highlight the ease of implementation and integration of ghost marketing tactics with existing marketing automation tools and customer data platforms.
• Address any security concerns by discussing data privacy measures, such as anonymization and compliance with relevant regulations.
• Offer to collaborate closely with the IT team to ensure a smooth transition and provide any necessary technical support.

Overall, it's important to present a compelling case for ghost marketing by focusing on the benefits it brings to each stakeholder's specific role and concerns. By addressing their unique perspectives and aligning ghost marketing with their goals, you can foster buy-in and create a shared understanding of its value within your organization.

Best Practices for Implementing "Ghost Marketing":

At the end of the day, implementing "Ghost Marketing" requires a shift in mindset and strategy. The use of gated forms won't stop until we start to think differently. In that spirit, here are some best practices to get started:

1. Customer-Centric Content Creation: Conduct a thorough content audit, identify knowledge gaps, and develop a content strategy that aligns with the buyer's journey. Make education the cornerstone of your approach.
2. Embrace Marketing Automation: Utilize marketing automation tools and customer data platforms to track online customer signals. This will enable you to deliver personalized content based on their interests and preferences.
3. Offer Multiple Engagement Channels: Embrace chatbots, personalized recommendations, and interactive experiences to create meaningful interactions and provide additional avenues for engagement.
4. Collaborate with Sales: Align marketing and sales efforts by nurturing leads until they're ready to engage with the sales team. Foster a seamless handover process that ensures a cohesive customer experience.
5. Monitor and Optimize: Continuously monitor key performance indicators to gauge the success of your "Ghost Marketing" initiatives. Tweak and optimize your strategies based on data-driven insights.

In today's buyer-centric B2B landscape, the traditional approach of using gated forms is ineffective and frustrating for potential customers. As a frustrated tech marketer, I urge you to embrace "Ghost Marketing." If you want to discuss this concept more, let us know.

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