Several years ago during my last role, we made the strategic decision to ungate all our core content, which significantly transformed our entire marketing approach. This shift led to improved user engagement metrics, including increased time spent on pages and reduced bounce rates. More importantly, it allowed us to move away from traditional funnel categorizations and create a more fluid experience where our ICPs could engage with valuable content at any stage without friction.

We further evolved this approach by developing what I call a "choose your own adventure" style experience, that would allow visitors to self-identify through their content interactions. We also streamlined our demo experience by introducing on-demand demo videos, which required only an email address rather than scheduling a live sales demonstration. This approach dramatically improved the lead funnel – in our best-performing month, approximately 85% of our leads came from these on-demand demo views. While these leads weren't necessarily sales-ready, as they specifically chose this route to avoid direct sales interaction, it gave us the opportunity to nurture these relationships and develop a deeper understanding of where they were in their buying process.

I employ a multi-faceted approach to customer advocacy that goes beyond traditional case studies. For example, sponsoring sessions at events where customers can share their stories face-to-face, positioning the company as supportive partners rather than the focus of the narrative. I also helped launch a fireside chat series that not only showcased the solution’s impact on the customers' businesses but also gave the customers a platform to tell their own stories and build their personal brands.

Highlighting the diverse customer base allowed us to present varied perspectives while reinforcing the brand's credibility. For instance, when working with a large health insurer, they can demonstrate how they're implementing new strategies to bring value-based care and improve quality across their patient panels. This format made it easy for customers to share their experiences while ensuring these interactions remain meaningful for all stakeholders through thoughtful engagement guidelines. This approach proved particularly effective as it allowed potential customers to see themselves in these success stories, creating more authentic and relatable connections.