6 tips on how to use content locker
Using a content locker on your website can significantly boost your social media engagement, grow your email list and make your visitors more interested in what you have to tell them.
This marketing tool uses basic human psychology and the theory that the forbidden fruit is the sweetest. A content locker is exactly what it sounds like – this is a tool that locks part of your content. In order to unlock it, the user has to complete a small task – share something on social media or give their email address. You can find out more about the specifics of a content locker plugin here.
If you are hesitating about adding a content locker plugin to your website, try our popups! They will deliver the right messages to the right people at the right time. Subscribe for Catchfull and get а 3-month free trial of our product.
Now let’s dive into content locking with some tips on how to put this plugin to good use!
- Do not overdo it
Content locking will work only if it creates a little mystery. Meaning that you should have some free for viewing content on your website interesting enough to make users want to see your locked one. When you spark people’s interest they will be more willing to share your content or give you their personal email.
There is no formula on how much of your content should be locked, but we recommend starting with a few locked posts and analyzing the results. You should have enough free content that users can read and enjoy. Although it can be tempting to lock everything you consider precious, leave something good for the public.
Most of the content lockers are integrated with google analytics and you can see all the data needed for your campaign.
- Do not disappoint your visitors
When a user gives you something valuable of theirs – an email or a “like” or a “share” in Facebook, Twitter or other social media, they expect something good in return. It is best to lock blog posts that took you more time to craft and/or are more than 1000 words long. This will guarantee you the interest of your users and that they will read your post until the last word.
It is not a good idea to lock content that can bring a lot of traffic to your website. Even though the content lockers are SEO friendly and search engines can access your content and rank it according to your strategy, do not hide the posts you want everyone to read.
Think of your hidden content as premium and create it in this manner. People like to know that they “paid” for something exclusive and this will make them do it again.
- Treat the content locker as part of your website
Be sure that all elements on your website are unified and branded. The content lockers are kind of popups that people see on your website. It is mandatory that they are all branded and blend into your page.
Use your visual guidelines when you create a content locker. Think of the plugin as part of your website. Everything is obeying certain design rules and the popups should not make an exception.
- Test and improve your assets
One of the best things about digital marketing is that you can change every part of your campaign while it is still going. So feel free to change the text, the visual or even the action you want from your users on your content locker. Analyse the results and find the best combination for your purpose.
Test every aspect of your regular popups, content lockers and other assets and see how the changes reflect on your social sharing, lead generation campaign and everything else. The digital world is so dynamic that if one thing works today, tomorrow it might not be the best solution for your business.
- Ask users to confirm their actions
When you are running a campaign to collect emails make sure that people want to subscribe to your newsletter or want to create a profile on your website. After you have prompted visitors to leave their email send them a confirmation letter just to let them agree once more that they want to receive news from you. This is an extra step that will guarantee you that they want to engage with your brand in the future and they are not doing it only because they are curious to see your locked content.
- Always be relevant to your target audience
Your website is a hub that offers different products or services. It is rare if one user is interested in all your content. Keep in mind what kind of content a user is interested in and send them more of the same.
You can create different groups in your email marketing campaign and send your fans useful information. They will be grateful and it is most likely that they will stay loyal to you.
One of the things users hate the most is receiving irrelevant information in their inbox. With the first email of this kind, they will reach for the “unsubscribe” button and will never look back. You want your visitors to be interested in your content, especially in your locked one but you want to keep that interest alive.
Nowadays, people have an “internal SPAM software” in and the moment they see something that is not for them they will flag it in their mind (and in their inbox) and it will be even more difficult to win them back.
In conclusion
Very often popups and content lockers are considered irritating and unnecessary. And they can be, if they are not used right. Be sure to follow the steps above and to always put yourself in the position of your prospective clients.
On one hand, your goal as a business is to grow your email list, generate more leads and increase your social media engagement. On the other hand, your clients want to find the best product or business solution and are willing to give something in return. Find where these two needs meet and build your campaign in the golden middle.
If you want tailor-made popups for your website – Catchfull is the right place for you! Subscribe for a 3-month free trial of our product and see how this will affect your business. If you have any questions about our service, contact us and we will give you the plugin support needed for our products.
We are in development of a content locker service that will help your business strategy even more. If you are eager to have content lockers on your website today you can use a WordPress plugin like onepress social locker and see if it is a right fit.
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