Download

In marketing context, a download (or downloadable) is content offered to prospects in exchange for contact information. Downloads are core lead generation tools for financial services, trading valuable resources for email addresses and prospect data.

Types of Downloadable Content

Financial advisors offer

• Planning guides and ebooks
• Checklists and worksheets
• Financial calculators and tools
• White papers and research reports
• Templates and frameworks
• Case studies
• Webinar recordings

Creating Effective Downloads

Valuable downloads

• Solve specific prospect problems
• Provide actionable information
• Demonstrate your expertise
• Are professionally designed
• Match specific buyer journey stages
• Align with your services

Download Strategy

Strategic download implementation

• Create downloads for different persona and journey stages
• Gate substantial content, leave blog posts ungated
• Keep forms short (name and email minimum)
• Deliver immediately via email
• Follow up with nurture sequence
• Track conversion rates and lead quality

What to Gate

Good candidates for gating

• Comprehensive guides (20+ pages)
• Proprietary tools and calculators
• Research and data
• Templates and frameworks

Bad candidates

• Basic blog posts (hurt SEO)
• Thin content that doesn't warrant gate
• Information available elsewhere Downloads serve dual purpose—providing genuine value to prospects while generating leads for your pipeline. Balance value delivery with lead generation goals.

Examples

• A financial planner offering comprehensive 'Retirement Income Planning Guide' generating 50+ qualified leads monthly
• An RIA creating Excel-based retirement calculator requiring email to download, capturing prospects researching retirement readiness
• A wealth manager gating detailed 'Business Owner's Exit Planning Checklist' generating high-quality business owner leads