Your SaaS content marketing playbook for more effective B2B marketing
A lot of SaaS (software as services) companies focus on short-term wins. Heck, we've been trained to achieve everything in the short term: more customers more sales and faster revenue growth, but for certain companies...sheer quantity! Volume was the king (yes as was content).
The times have changed. SaaS firms are faced with tighter budgets as well as a volatile environment where each effort is valued. Translation: B2B marketers can do more with less. It is true that volume-based marketing do nota long-lasting, purpose-driven marketing plan make.
A better way to approach SaaS content marketing. In this article, we'll discuss what's tired in the field of content marketing. We'll also hear from real marketers who've tested and proven new channels and tactics that your brand could adopt and implement.
The B2B content marketer's playbook
- What's old in SaaS Content Marketing
- The most effective methods for SaaS advertising and content
- SaaS content marketing instances to take note of
- Video content marketing to B2B SaaS
- Content strategy tips for SaaS companies
- wrapping up
What's been stale in SaaS Content Marketing?
Let's look at some of the most abused content marketing strategies that we do not recommend.
Cold outbound email that has no content to support it.
For those who aren't familiar with the concept an initial cold pitch usually sent out as an email to reach out without any supporting material or worth proposition. The recipient doesn't know the reason or what to do and hasn't been given any reason to care about your service or product.
This approach may have worked in the past when people were more open to sales messages and always primed to buy however, it's not working now. Prospects today are constantly bombarded by these kinds of messages, but they tend to do not bother to read them as they aren't providing any genuine benefit or information about what the product you offer can provide to them.
Phil Strazzulla, the co-founder of SelectSoftware Reviews, a website that aims to help HR professionals identify and select the most suitable SaaS platforms. He is in agreement:
"The least effective method in 2023 will be cold-outbound email with no support. Everyone gets too many emails that come from strangers we've never met thanks to software like Outreach, Apollo, and SalesLoft, making it so easy to automate and grow outbound email marketing campaigns."
He added "Marketing teams should pair this method with advertising for brand that are geared towards the same audience accounts, calling efforts, as well as offline mailer campaigns if your budget supports it."
Generic content that doesn't address an audience in a particular way
It's easy to believe that that any piece of content is a good fit for your entire audience however this isn't the case. Each audience will have their own needs, so you must tailor your content to meet or even challenge them.
B2B customers want to know how they can use your product or service to address their needs. They need proof to prove that the product works, but they also require tips on how to make it work more efficiently.
A classic example of this is HubSpot. The HubSpot blog is a resource for posts that address the common problems of their target customers, which include digital marketers, salespeople, as well as customer service specialists.
Content in long-form for the sake of it
Content that is long-form won't disappear in the near future, however it's difficult to distinguish to consumers who have a lot to do and aren't as busy. Unfortunately, many B2B businesses create similar guides, and so nurture sequences and gated deals aren't as effective they did in the past.
The same goes for longer articles like white papers or research reports. These can also be challenging to read as they are extremely technical and only appealing for a small number of potential customers. Even lengthy case studies, while valuable social proof can be a waste of a prospect's limited attention. Do you really want to appear as another open tab on the marketer's busy screen?
If you've invested money in lengthy written material, consider repackaging the copy in short video clips for speedy consumption and distribution.
For instance, the Content marketing company Omniscient Digital provides videos of their case studies in an addition to their usual written case study. This is a great way to showcase results without the need for people to read the entire article for those who prefer video (which majority of people do).
Emulating blindly rivals
This happens every day when a business creates an online blog, and it copies its competitors' posts in a series of one after another. It's an incredibly common SEO tactic and it's most common for companies that offer software to other companies due to the fact that they businesses often view different SaaS businesses as rivals, even though they're different markets and niches.
Yash Chavan, who is the founder of the SaaS-based platform for influencer marketing Saral believes with the idea that copying other businesses or marketing blogs isn't an ideal idea. Chavan suggests:
"Understand that all products, markets, and marketers differ... so different things work for each. Use your strengths to the fullest. For instance, if your product is able to collect great original data (e.g. Survey tool) make use of it to create original material. If your product involves the inviting of others to your product take full advantage of the idea of referrals. Don't try what marketing blogs advise you to do. you do you!"
The most effective channels for SaaS content marketing
In the end, the most effective ways to reach your clients are contingent on the preferences of your target audience as well as their needs. However, these are the top four channels for SaaS content marketing, yes, even video!
1. SEO and evergreen content
Some examples of evergreen content are:
- Content from the product
- How-to-guides
- Industry best practices
- Customer success stories and testimonials
To make your evergreen content search-friendly, you have to increase its visibility across search engines such as Google and YouTube. This means creating backlinks (links to other websites) and writing engaging text, and including common search words in your content's titles and bodies to increase its relevance to search engines.
2. Email
Email marketing is one of the oldest methods of marketing through content and is is among the most effective. As we discussed above strategies for marketing via email have evolved over time (bye cold pitching, bye), but the medium remains invaluable for SaaS marketers.
In the process of creating relevant content for every aspect of your customers' lives -such as nourishing blog users to onboarding and informing new customers with videos to reminding them of upcoming renewal dates to offering special upgrade discounts -- email lets you send targeted campaigns.
Email also provides a unique one-on-one experience between you and your prospects or customers...something SEO and social media lacks.
This example below of Zoom showcases the ways SaaS brands can leverage email content for upgrades and renewals.
3. Evenings (IRL as well as virtual)
Networking events in person like or conferences, while not as popular due to the outbreak but are returning with a vengeance as folks seek social gatherings and celebrations that are live.
Events can help you create and strengthen relationships with your clients and prospects, get new insights into your market as well as validate any concepts for new products or brands, and network with potential collaborators, influencers and experts from the industry.
4. Social media
- Make use of your company's Facebook page or Twitter profile to communicate important information to your intended audience. Users who like your profile on social media are choosing to be loyal to you and might make purchases from your business at some point in the future.
- Share content (videos!) from people who use your service or product. Content that is created by real users will help followers feel connected to your company and would like to learn more about it.
- Engage with people who comment on posts or ask questions via social media platforms. It is possible to respond with a an email to create deeper relationships with potential customers.
- Don't forget about influencers and industry leaders! Contact them via social media, and ask to agree to share their expertise with others by writing blog posts and videos or giving a talk at events.
SaaS content marketing examples to gain knowledge from
HubSpot
Hubspot has been publishing blog articles since 2014 and it has become one of the most successful story-telling success stories in content marketing.
The company makes use of its blog articles to draw new customers and also to offer value to its existing customers. The blog's marketing section covers subjects such as marketing automation as well as social media marketing and blogging.
But what makes HubSpot distinguish itself is the fact that it uses various styles.
As an example, HubSpot uses a mixture of HubSpot ultimate guides, podcasts, and videos embedded in its blog posts in order to provide their readers a choice.
HubSpot Academy is yet another vital part of HubSpot's content strategy. The online academy provides quick lessons on everything from fundamental marketing skills like finding leads on social media, or creating an email drip campaign, all the way up to higher-level certifications such as the Certified Inbound Marketing certification.
Why it works:
- An emphasis on helping customers resolve actual problems
- Variety of various types of content to appeal to different audiences and interests
- Genuine voice that doesn't attempt too hard to be humorous or smart.
Microsoft
With its Office 365 blog, Microsoft has developed a platform of informative content that can help users understand their product range as well as use-cases and supplies them with tips on ways to make the most out of the subscriptions they have.
Microsoft has also done amazing work with their Microsoft 365 University website. Microsoft has created an interactive community online for both students as well as teachers that allows them to find out the basics of Microsoft 365 products and services.
Additionally, they offer an online course " Create Your First App," where you can learn how create apps with Visual Studio Code and Azure DevOps Services.
What makes it work:
Microsoft was focused on developing an eBook or video series that could live for 18 months and allow customers to peruse the information at their leisure. This strategy eliminates the pressure to create new content all the time and allows Microsoft to focus on addressing the needs of customers.
Adobe
Adobe has launched CMO.com, a publication that provides value to readers through information that covers the most important subjects for digital executives. It encompasses articles from experts on the subject and perspectives from Adobe regarding technology, product and business trends.
This is a great example of the way SaaS businesses can utilize content marketing to drive and strengthen customer relations which can lead to increased sales.
The reason why it works
It's because CMO's content is product-agnostic, meaning they do not focus on the company's products or services. Content is focused on the trends, challenges and opportunities that can be avoided disruptive digital technology.
SARAL
SARAL is an influencer marketing platform which connects brands and influencers. Their blog is a valuable source of information regarding the specifics of influencer marketing. This is not just to promote the products but also to assist its intended customers (marketers) run successful campaigns.
The founder of the company doesn't simply publish blog entries He also promotes two concepts across 50 social channels weekly and thus reaches a wider population.
The reason why it works
Yash Chavan the founder of Saral and CEO, has stated that changing his focus from publishing two blogs per week , to promotion of two ideas on 50 channels on social media significantly affected his content marketing strategy.
Chavan conducted an experiment which showed his site traffic dropped by 35% after the content was not distributed for a month. He also advises new SaaS founders and marketers to produce high-value content instead of tons of lower-value content and share it as much as possible.
Marketing via video content for B2B SaaS
Marketing via video is an effective tool for B2B and B2C firms. The content you create might have different goals for B2B and B2C (i.e., educate as opposed to. entertain).
In actual fact, HubSpot Blog Research found that 15percent of B2B marketers make creating thought leadership to be a major objective of their video marketing strategy as opposed to just 9% of B2C marketers.
These are just a few more ways in which B2B SaaS companies use video videos more frequently than B2C businesses:
- Explainer videos
- Product demos
- Live streaming events
- Videos of the product
- Behind-the-scenes videos
- Stories and testimonials from customers
If you're a B2C company and you are a B2C company, your strategy on social media is likely to differ from that of those of a B2B SaaS firm. This type of business is more dependent on TikTok as well as Instagram, while the latter will likely use Twitter as well as LinkedIn more often.
The reason is that these channels are better suited to their target audience: B2C brands want to communicate directly with their customers and directly, while B2B SaaS companies want to reach industry professionals who have longer sales cycles and larger decision makers.
Content strategy tips for SaaS companies
Let's discuss some tips on content strategy to SaaS marketers for 2023.
Know all you can about your target audience
Before producing content, you must be aware of who you're speaking to and what they want from your company. To do this, conduct market research and speak with potential customers or users of your products or services. Find out what type of information they need and how they would prefer to consume it in the form of audio, video or via text.
Then create personas that reflect your target audience's interests and requirements. Use those personas as a guideline for how to develop, design and format your content.
The process of conducting feedback surveys is another method to gain insight into the people who use your product. Surveys on feedback are helpful as they let you get the views and ideas from real customers to help shape the future of your products and services.
Pro tip:Look at Google Trends to find keywords relevant to your field and this will help you decide what topics you'll discuss in blog posts or social media posts.
Updating what you have
For SaaS companies, updating your content is a great method to ensure that your content is relevant and discoverable.
When you create written or video content, keep track of when the content goes live, and track its usage and impact. Every quarter, review your library to spot any declines in engagement, and prioritize those resources for updates. Also, as your product grows and changes, make sure your content corresponds to the appropriate features as well as the appropriate imagery.
You can also update existing content by adding fresh data and resources. This will make it more useful to visitors who have searched for similar information in the past but couldn't find the information they needed in your website.
Prioritize distribution
If you do not have a plan to distribute your material, it's likely to never be seen by the individuals who are most in need of it. It's crucial to know the places where your intended audience hangs out online -- be it websites, social media sites, or discussion groups -create strategies to getting them to visit your site.
Know which metrics matter to you
It's important to know the metrics that matter to you and the best way you can measure them.
If your objective is to increase brand recognition, provide value to the people who visit your site and to increase retention. Content marketing is an effective way of achieving the goals you want to achieve, particularly in the event that you employ a well-planned strategy and develop quality content that resonates with your target audience.
If your aim is to drive leads, your content marketing should concentrate on bottom-of-the-funnel (BOFU) content that naturally features product information and tees in your points of conversion (e.g. Demo requests or trial registrations that are free). It is also possible to supplement your content strategies with paid ads to drive additional traffic to these assets and assist in generating leads that are qualified.
Produce unique, data-driven content
Data-driven content is an effective method of sharing information with your followers. This is also an excellent way to differentiate yourself against your competitors.
SaaS companies have an edge in this regard since they are able to access an abundance of data regarding their customers and potential clients. With this information they can develop information that directly addresses their needs and aids them in solving their issues.
SaaS marketer and co-founder of AdEspresso Massimo Chieruzzi believes that artificial intelligence-based writing software will be soon used to monetize creation of content. The production quality of these software instruments will exceed the work of most copywriters. Only way for you to defeat this AI is to create original material.
"Quality could refer to a range of items. It can include an opinion leader with a distinct (and certainly not controversial) viewpoint regarding the field. You can also write information-driven content using SaaS internal databases ."
Massimo mentions that in AdEspresso, they initially invested in writing content analyzing the millions in Facebook Ads managed through the platform. The strategy was successful in building the brand's image which earned trust as well as regular visitors. It also attracted many backlinks.
The wrapping up
2023 will be all about offering your customers and prospects with unique and relevant content in multiple formats--including, and especially videos. SaaS customers are busy and need content with lasting value and a distinctive perspective.
Videos reflect your company's image and help you stand out against your competition, but keep in mind that if you offer specific, targeted information that gives someone real value, you'll crush your competition with content marketing.