Hidden content is the pages, emails and messages that customers and your audience see after they’ve taken action. It could be signing up for a lead magnet or workshop, buying a product or sending you an email. It’s not necessarily your gated content, but those extra touches you make to someone’s experience that help them to feel valued.
What is hidden content?
I like to think of hidden content as being different to gated content. It is things like:
- The out of office
- Thank you pages
- Welcome pages
- Direct messages
- The microcopy that people see when they buy something
It’s the special bits of content that are only for those who are definitely curious about what you do.
Let’s dig deep into some of these examples to show you how you can make the most of your hidden content.
Out Of Office Emails That Help You Build Relationships
The humble out of office is one of the most overlooked pieces of content. You only see someone’s out of office when they are well, not there. So when most people leave a short, curt message with the basics of when they will be back, you can take a great opportunity here.
My out-of-office last summer got mentioned on social media, made two people laugh and had someone contact me to tell me how brilliant it was after I’d come home. These are all people who don’t normally send me a conversational email.
So why do it for the out of office?
We’re used to seeing these emails ping back into our inboxes. We don’t usually read them, but when something does catch our eye – usually a funny return subject line – we take a look.
And there, in last summer’s out of office, was a story with a punchline. Then I linked out to one of my blog posts on camping. Plus, some other things that I help with.
I used this much-maligned email automation as a chance to build a relationship with the people in my inbox. And for each of those who took the time to reply, there are others who I made smile without even realising.
When it comes to an out-of-office, people tend to fall into one of two camps. The OOO is on, and they are outta here. Or the other kind who never use one because they are checking their emails when they are away. The latter makes me feel a little sad. We all need a week off. No one will begrudge a holiday, no matter what the work emergency. So stick your OOO on and make it work for you.
Plus, an autoresponse email can be used while you’re working. If you’ve got a packed day of meetings, it can help control the expectations on when you reply while also nudging people to your other content.
Out of Office Templates You Can Steal
Use these fill-in-the-blank out-of-office templates to use next time you’re taking time off.
Option 1:
Hello [NAME],
Thanks for your email, but I’m away until [DATE]. Here are three things you can do while waiting for a reply:
- [READ THIS BLOG]
- [GET THIS LEAD MAGNET]
- [CONTACT THIS PERSON]
I’ll get back to you when I’m back at my desk.
Option 2:
Hello [NAME],
I’m sorry you missed me. I’m getting some much-needed downtime and will be back to reply to your email with gusto on [DATE].
If it’s urgent, go ahead and contact [CONTACT DETAILS]. While you’re there, you may also want to check out my latest article on [TITLE]. It’ll take you about [TIME] to read. While I won’t be back by the time you’ve read it, it will give us something to talk about when we do chat.
Unless you’re a marketing email. In which case, we probably won’t talk, but I’m always open to a conversation. You never know where it might lead.
What should go in an out-of-office email?
Your out-of-office emails need to contain the basic contact info, like when you’ll be back at your desk, when they can expect a reply and who to contact in an emergency. But it also should contain links to your latest content, a lead magnet or freebie and any events that you’re running.
How you write your out-of-office is up to you. Want to make them laugh? Then do it. Feel more comfortable in the brand tone of voice, then write in that style. Ultimately, what you put in an out-of-office is up to you. I once worked with a guy whose OOO was simply “back 5 jan”, and that’s it. This was also someone who thought they’d deleted the internet for the entire business because they accidentally removed the browser shortcut from their desktop. So, I’ll let you judge how much of an impact they cared to make on their POOO.
Thank You Pages Help Customers Feel Valued
I tell all my mentoring clients to build a thank-you page for everything they do. These are the pages that you get sent to, usually after you sign up for a freebie. Better yet, send them there when they’ve bought something from you.
A thank-you page is a great way for a potential client to get to know you. And for a new client to feel like they’ve bought the right thing.
Here are some ideas of what you can put on a thank-you page:
- A video of you explaining who you are, what you do and what happens next.
- Signpost them to another piece of content that will help them in their next step.
- A funny song or video to entertain them.
I love a good thank-you page. Every time I land on one – and that’s not as often as I’d like – I make a note of what they’ve done and what I think is quite clever.
I’ve even had people try to upsell me on a thank-you page. A sort of thank-you discount, and you’ve got 24 hours to buy this thing that you’re interested in.
All of it is very clever and converts your leads into sales.
When to use a thank you page
Here are some examples of when a thank-you page will make someone feel valued:
Welcome Pages That Create The Best Onboarding Experience
Similar to the thank you page is the welcome page. Now, this is for people who deliver memberships, digital products and online courses. But if you’re taking any kind of payment through your site, you could build a welcome page.
These are a bit trickier to do without an expensive plug-in, especially if you’re going to personalise it. But a good welcome page should be like a map that shows your client what they need to do next. It needs to explain how everything works and where they can find what they need.
This page is going to make their experience with you as frictionless as possible. So you need to test it as much as possible. But it’s also your golden opportunity to upsell. They already trust you enough to buy from you, so show them what else they can buy and why.
Direct Messages Fuel The Buyer Journey
You need to think about direct messages as content as well. You may well be doing your best customer service on DMs, but it’s also a chance to share something extra with them.
My very first LinkedIn voice note came from the lovely Mitali Deypurkaystha. It prompted a conversation about her accent as I couldn’t place it other than it being somewhere from the north. Being from the north, there is nothing worse than someone asking to “speak to that nice Scottish girl”, when they mean me with my Yorkshire accent. Not wanting to get it wrong, it’s always best to ask (and I’m glad I did because the answer was not straightforward).
Mitali asked me if I wanted to write a book. Of course, I want to write a book; I write for a living. But actually, I’d never gone past that first thought for anything other than fiction. Mitali then sent me her guide, which was flipping brilliant and got my brain turning on all the ideas I could write about.
Now I have a little list of ideas, and when I’m ready to write that book, guess who I’ll be working with?
DMs have a bad press for being a bit sleazy and overly salesy. Goodness knows, there are messages on my LinkedIn that I look at, eye-roll and delete. But there is nothing wrong with having a clear DM plan and customer journey if that’s how you want to roll. And thanks to Mitali’s DM strategy, we now talk on a regular basis, and she is one of the most wonderful people I’ve had the pleasure to meet.
Find your hidden content opportunities
There are plenty of opportunities to make the most of this hidden content; you just need to look for them. Next time you set up a new lead magnet, sign-up page or sales page, look at the journey your customer will take. How can you improve this? What can you add to it? How can you make them feel special for getting to this place?
Remember, those who see your hidden content are the people who have already taken action on your website. You want to treasure these wonderful people and build your relationship with them.