Your SaaS Content Marketing Playbook to help you build a stronger B2B B2B market

Most SaaS (software as services) firms focus on rapid outcomes. Actually, we're trained to concentrate on what's in the near-term: more customers as well as faster sales. in the case of certain companies...sheer volume! Volume was the king (yes it was just like content).

The world has changed. SaaS firms are faced with tighter budgets, as well as a volatile climate where every effort counts. That means B2B marketers are able to do better with little. The truth is that volume-based marketing is nota lasting, intention-driven marketing strategy .

The time is now to consider an alternative approach to SaaS Content Marketing. In this post will discuss the top mistakes made in the field of content marketing. We will also share the experiences of real marketers who have tested the waters with new and tested channels along with strategies are possible to experiment using.

The B2B content marketer's playbook

1.     What's old in SaaS the world of marketing content
2.     The most efficient channels to use for SaaS Content Marketing
3.     SaaS Content Marketing instances to keep track of
4.     Marketing video content for B2B SaaS
5.     Content strategy strategies for SaaS companies
6.     wrapping up

What's been stale in SaaS content marketing

We'll look at a few dated media marketing techniques that aren't ones we would recommend.

Cold email sent out in cold format that contains no contents to justify it.

If you're not sure the term, it's usually sent out as an outreach email , but it doesn't contain any kind of content or something worth offering. The receiver doesn't understand the reason or how to reply to the email and doesn't have any incentive to pay for the product or service.

This strategy might have been successful at a time when people were more open to sales messages and constantly enticed to purchase, but it doesn't work now. Today, prospects are inundated by these kinds of messages, and many do not care because they do not provide real value or offer any information about how your product can do to them.

Phil Strazzulla, co-founder of SelectSoftware Reviews, a website designed to assist HR departments to find and purchase the top SaaS platforms. He agrees with:

"The most unproductive method in 2023 is cold-outbound email with no assistance. We all receive too many emails sent from unknown people who we've never met thanks to applications like Outreach, Apollo, and SalesLoft that make it simple to automate and grow outbound email campaigns."

The author also stated that "Marketing teams should combine this method with advertising specifically targeted at specific customers. They should also combine attempts to contact them or mail out campaigns in offline mode when you have funds for it."

Content that is generic and doesn't target any specific target audience

It is tempting to believe the same article is suitable for your entire audience however it's not the case. People you are targeting have diverse needs which is the reason it is necessary to tailor the content you create to meet or exceed the audience.

B2B clients want to know what they can do with your product or service to address their needs. They would like proof to prove that the service is effective, however they are looking for tips to make it work more effectively.

An excellent example is HubSpot. The HubSpot blog HubSpot blog has posts that address the most many of the common issues faced by their customers, which include salespeople, digital marketers as well as customer service specialists.

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The content in long-form is to make a point

The long-form format of content won't go away any time soon, however, it's difficult to distinguish from those who have many things to complete and who aren't as active. Unfortunately, many B2B companies create similar guides, and gated offers and nurture sequences do not have the impact they used to.

The same goes for longer chunks of information like white papers or research reports. They are also difficult reads because they are highly technical and only appealing to select prospects. Long case studies are valuable as social proof but they can lose prospects' attention. Do you really want to appear as another tab open in a marketing professional's busy screen?

If you've spent money producing long-form content, consider making it short video clips in order to have it easily accessible and circulated.

As an example, the Content marketing company Omniscient Digital offers short, video-based cases studies to add to their regular written case study. It is a great opportunity to show the results of your work without requiring folks to go through the whole article to see if they enjoy video (which most individuals are).

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Emulating invisibly rivals

It happens all the time that a business writes blogs that then copy the content of competitors one by one. This is a typical SEO play and is typically seen in companies that offer software to other business because these companies often see other SaaS businesses as rivals in spite of the fact that they compete with each other in various market segments and sectors.

Yash Chavan, who is the founder of the SaaS-based platform for influencer marketing Saral is of the opinion that copying businesses or marketing blogs isn't an effective strategy. Chavan suggests:

"Understand that each product's marketing and product differ... so you can find different strategies to tackle every product. Make use of your strengths to the maximum. If, for example, your product can collect great unique data (e.g. Survey tools) Use it to create new content. If your product requires making others aware of it, make the most of referrals to make it a viable strategy. Be sure to not go with what blog posts on marketing suggest - you do you!"

The most effective channel to use for SaaS content marketing

The best ways for interacting with customers depend on your audience's interests and requirements, but these are the most popular four platforms to use for SaaS content marketing, which includes video!

1. SEO and the content are evergreen

A few examples of evergreen content are:

• Content of the product
• How-to-guides
• Best practices in the industry
• Stories of customer success and reviews

In order to improve the searchability of your website, you have to improve the visibility of your content on search engines through the use of engines like Google and YouTube. It's about building backlinks (links to other websites) and writing content that is compelling as well as including keywords within your article's title and body to enhance the relevance of your search engine.

2. Email

Marketing via email is among the oldest ways of marketing through content and is one of the oldest and one of the most effective. It was discussed before, but how the methods used to sell email have changed through the time (bye cold pitch, bye) However, this method continues to be a valuable tool for SaaS marketing.

When you produce appropriate blog content that fulfills the demands in each stage of the lifecycle of a customer, from guiding your readers' blogs to help them onboard and informing new customers through videos, to reminding them about coming renewal dates to offering discounts on upgrade discounts -- email lets send out targeted emails.

Email also provides a unique one-on-one experience between you and your prospects or customers...something SEO and social media lacks.

The next example of Zoom illustrates the different ways SaaS businesses can take advantage of email for upgrade requests or renewals.

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3. Evenings (IRL as well as virtual)

Events that are held in person, such as networking gatherings or conferences, though they were not as well-known during the epidemic, are back on the rise as people seek community and live events.

Events help you build connections with potential customers and clients and gain new insights on your market, and verify the new brand or product ideas . You can also connect with potential partners, influencers, and experts from the industry.

4. Social media

• Utilize your company's Facebook Page or Twitter profile to share valuable information with your target customers. The people who are following your company's profile on social media are opting to be loyal to you and might make purchases from your business in the near in the future.
• Post images (videos!) from people who use your service or product. Genuine content written by users can make users feel more connected to your brand and a desire to learn more.
• Engage with people who have left remarks on your posts or have questions on social media websites. Engage them directly via direct messaging and create more affluent relationships with prospects.
• Be sure to keep in mind influencers and business experts! Connect with them on social media sites and request to agree to share their expertise with other people by writing blogs, videos and blog posts or speaking at conferences.

SaaS an example of marketing content to draw lessons from

HubSpot

Hubspot produces blog articles since 2014 and is now one of the top storytelling stories of success in the field of content marketing.

The company uses its blog content to generate new customers as well as to provide value to its existing clients. The Marketing blog provides an excellent resource on topics such as marketing automation as well as social media marketing. blogging.

But, what that makes HubSpot stand out is its use of various kinds of formats.

In this case, HubSpot uses a mixture of HubSpot ultimate guides, podcasts, as well as videos on blog posts to give their readers the option of choosing.

HubSpot Academy is another critical element of HubSpot's strategy for content. Its online academy offers quick courses on everything from basic marketing strategies like finding potential leads through social media, as well as creating an email drip marketing campaign, all the way up to more sophisticated certificates like the Certified Inbound Marketing certification.

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The reason it works:

• An emphasis on helping customers solve actual difficulties
• Different types of content to draw in different viewers and their interests
• Real voice, not trying to work too difficult to be clever or funny.

Microsoft

In the Office 365 blog, Microsoft has put together a library of valuable content that helps customers understand their options and use scenarios. It offers advice on ways to make maximum value from the services they subscribe to.

Microsoft has done a great job with their Microsoft 365 University website. Microsoft has built online communities for students and teachers where they can discover more about Microsoft 365 features and services.

There is also an online class called " Create Your First App," where you will learn create apps with Visual Studio Code and Azure DevOps services.

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What makes it work:

Microsoft wanted to create an book or video which would be available for 18 months, allowing users to browse the collection at any time. This approach eliminates the need to create new content and permits Microsoft to concentrate on meeting the demands of the customer.

Adobe

Adobe has created CMO.com, a publication/magazine that offers worth to its readers with posts that focus on the most crucial subjects for digital managers. It includes essays from experts on the topic and viewpoints from Adobe on technology, products and business developments.

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It's an excellent instance of how SaaS businesses can harness content marketing to drive the customer-customer relationship, which may result in increased sales.

What is the reason it works?

The reason this works is because the content of CMO is non-product-specific, which means that they aren't focused on the products or services. Its content is solely about trends, problems and possibilities to stay ahead of the disruption of digital technology.

SARAL

SARAL is an influencer marketing platform that connects influencers with brands. Their blog is a valuable resource for information on the specifics of influencer marketing. This isn't just to advertise the product but also to help its customers (marketers) to create efficient campaign.

The founder of the business isn't content to just post blog entries. In addition, he promotes two different concepts on 50 different social media channels per week that means he's able to connect with an even larger audience.

Its purpose

Yash Chavan the founder of Saral said that shifting his attention not writing two blogs every week, and promoting two ideas on 50 social media platforms significantly affected his strategy for advertising content.

Chavan conducted an experiment that demonstrated that traffic to the website dropped by 35% following the time his decision to stop distributing content after a month. Chavan is also advising the next generation of SaaS marketing and founders to create high-value content instead of material that's low quality and share the content as often as they are able to.

Marketing through video content B2B SaaS

The use of video marketing can be an effective tool for B2B and B2C businesses. The content produced by you may not meet the objectives for B2C and B2B (i.e. education or. engage).

In reality, HubSpot Blog Research discovered that 15% of B2B marketers make establishing thought leadership their main goal for their video marketing plans compared to only 9 percent of B2C marketers.

There are other ways which B2B SaaS companies use video videos more frequently than B2C companies:

• Explainer videos
• Product demos
• Live streamed events
• Videos of the product
• Behind-the-scenes videos
• Testimonials from our customers and personal stories

If you're operating the distinct of being a B2C firm, your strategy for social media is different in comparison to an B2B SaaS company. This type of business is more dependent on TikTok and Instagram and not the latter , which tends to utilize Twitter and LinkedIn more often.

These channels are more suited to their target audience: B2C brands want to communicate with customers in-person and directly, while B2B SaaS businesses are trying for opportunities to communicate with professional professionals who have long selling cycles, as well as larger decision makers.

Tips on content strategy to SaaS companies

Let's discuss the best content strategies for SaaS marketers in 2023.

Learn details about the individuals that you're aiming at

When creating content, you need to be aware of who you're talking about and what they're expecting from your company. In order to do that do market research, interview potential customers or consumers of your service or product. Discover what information they need and how they would prefer to consume it, through audio, video or through text.

Create personas that represent the preferences of your audience and needs. Use those personas to guide the way you design, develop and structure your content.

The conduct of feedback surveys is another way to learn about your customers. Feedback surveys are beneficial since they permit you to gain the perspectives and opinions from real customers to help shape the design of future products and products and.

Pro TIP:Look at Google Trends for your industry's keywords and use this data to help you decide your topics to cover in your blog posts and social media content.

Update what you already have

For SaaS companies, creating new content can be a good alternative to maintain your highly-valued content that is relevant and accessible to search.

If you're publishing writing and videos, be aware of the day it goes live, and track the use and impact. Every quarter, it is important to check your library and spot any decreases in engagement and prioritize those resources to be updated. When your service evolves and grows ensure your website is compatible with your needs in terms of features and graphics.

Also, you can make changes to the content you've previously created by adding new information and sources. It is more useful for those who may had similar information before but didn't find what they were looking for in your site.

Prioritize distribution

If you don't have a plan to distribute your information, it'll never be read by the users that need it the most. It's essential to identify those places that your target users are online, whether that's websites, social media platforms or discussion forums. create strategies to encourage visitors to your site.

Learn about the metrics that are crucial to you

It is crucial to identify what metrics matter to you , and also the most effective method of assessing them.

If your objective is to increase brand recognition that will benefit the people who visit your website and increase your retention. Content marketing is an effective method to accomplish the goals you want to achieve, in particular in cases where you follow a carefully-planned plan and create high-quality information that will be a hit with those that you wish to connect with.

If your aim is to drive leads the content you create for marketing focus on the bottom of the funnel (BOFU) materials that include product details and opens up the conversion point (e.g. demo request or trial registrations that are free). It is also possible to enhance your content strategies with paid advertisements to increase visitors to these resources as well as drive leads who have the right qualifications.

Produce unique, data-driven content

Data-driven content is a great method of sharing insights with your readers. It is also a great way to differentiate yourself from the competition.

SaaS companies have an advantage on this front because they can access an array of details regarding their customers and potential clients. With the help of that information, they are able to create material that addresses their requirements and assists the company in resolving their problems.

SaaS marketer, co-founder and founder of AdEspresso Massimo Chieruzzi believes that writing software based on AI are set to become a commodity for content creation. Many times, the production quality of these programs is superior to what copywriters do. The best way to defeat AI is to create unique content.

"Quality could be a reference to many elements. It can include the ability to think with a distinctive (and certainly not controversial) perspective regarding the field. It could also involve the creation of content driven by data using SaaS internal database . "

Massimo states that in AdEspresso this was their first time investing in the writing of articles that examined the millions of dollars worth of Facebook Ads controlled through the platform. This strategy was successful in developing a brand image that has earned trust, as well as returns visitors as well as attracting numerous backlinks.

The wrapping the

2023 will be about providing your clients and prospects with pertinent and distinctive content that is available in a variety of formats, including especially video. SaaS customers are always active and require content that has an extended shelf-life as well as a distinct perspective.

Videos can help advertise your business and make you stand out from competitors Be sure to offer particular, specific content that provides someone with an actual advantage. This will help you beat your competition with content marketing.

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