If buyers aren't filling out forms, how do you know if your content is actually working?

Why are form-fills no longer a reliable measure of content performance?

Modern B2B buyers avoid forms because they want to research independently without entering a sales sequence. TrustRadius reports that 87% of buyers prefer a self-serve experience and avoid gated content whenever possible (Source: TrustRadius B2B Buying Disconnect). Meanwhile, Gartner estimates that 83% of the buying journey now happens before talking to sales (Source: Gartner Future of Sales).

As a result, form submissions have become a poor proxy for interest. Many high-intent buyers simply never identify themselves—yet still consume product pages, case studies, pricing content, and interactive experiences. To understand whether content is working, teams must move beyond form-fills to behaviour-based analytics.

The shift is clear: content is no longer judged by who fills out a form, but by who progresses through the journey.

What signals reveal whether your content is actually being consumed?

Signals that matter:

• Time on key pages – reveals interest and depth of evaluation.
• Scroll depth – indicates whether visitors are reading or skimming.
• Navigation sequences – showing which pages buyers choose next.
• Repeated visits – often the strongest early intent indicator.

These metrics help you understand whether content is engaging, relevant, and useful—without requiring identity.

How does interactive video unlock deeper behavioural intent?

Interactive video provides a uniquely high-resolution intent signal because buyers actively choose their path. Forrester found that self-directed content choices are 3x more predictive of purchase intent than passive viewing metrics (Source: Forrester Behavioural Intent Study). Unlike static pages, interactive videos reveal what buyers care about at a role, problem, or use-case level.

Interactive flows capture:

• Role selection – CMO, RevOps, Sales Leader, IT.
• Problem selection – engagement, clarity, conversions, pipeline.
• Depth of navigation – number of clips and branches viewed.
• CTA choices – pricing, demo, technical docs, proof points.

These signals help GTM teams understand whether content is resonating—even with fully anonymous traffic.

What frameworks help measure content effectiveness without form-fills?

Teams can use a simple three-layer framework to understand performance:

• Layer 1: Consumption – Did buyers watch/read it?
• Layer 2: Progression – Did they move deeper into the journey?
• Layer 3: Conversion – Did they take a next step, even anonymously?

For example, a homepage interactive video may show:

• 80% play rate
• 65% choose a role path
• 40% reach a product explanation
• 18% click into pricing

Even without a single form-fill, this data reveals journey health and message impact.

McKinsey data shows that buyers who self-educate via interactive, structured journeys are up to 2x more likely to convert later (Source: McKinsey B2B Sales Pulse).

How do you connect anonymous engagement to pipeline impact?

While many buyers remain anonymous, their behaviour can still tie to account-level insights via tools like Clearbit, 6sense, or first-party intent analytics. These systems match anonymous activity to account patterns without revealing personal identities. They help answer questions like: “Are high-fit accounts engaging?” or “Which buyer roles are exploring pricing content?”

Examples of pipeline-linked signals:

• Accounts repeatedly exploring pricing – strong mid-funnel intent.
• Multiple visitors from the same domain – committee exploration.
• Engagement spikes following outbound or paid campaigns – attribution.

This allows teams to quantify content impact on pipeline even when individuals remain unknown.

FAQ

Is anonymous engagement as valuable as form-fills?

Yes—often more. Behaviour reveals intent far earlier and more accurately than forms.

Do we still need gated content?

Only for high-value assets. Most education should be ungated to maximise engagement.

Can interactive video replace lead forms?

It can replace many early forms by capturing intent behaviourally instead of collecting personal info.

How do we report success without MQLs?

Shift toward metrics like progression rate, depth of engagement, and pipeline influence.