Your SaaS content marketing toolkit for more effective B2B marketing
Many SaaS (software as an service) firms focus on short-term successes. We've all been taught to do everything in the short term: more customers, faster sales, and for some companies...sheer volumes! Volume was King (yes as was content).
However, the landscape is changing. SaaS firms are faced with tighter budgets as well as a volatile climate where every effort counts. This means that B2B marketers have to do better with less. Volume plays do nota sustainable, intent-driven marketing plan make.
There's a better approach to SaaS content marketing. In this post will discuss the most common mistakes in the field of content marketing. We'll also hear the experiences of real marketers who have tested and proven new channels and tactics that your brand will be able to adopt and use.
The B2B content marketer's playbook
- What's tired in SaaS the world of content marketing
- The most effective channels for SaaS advertising and content
- SaaS content marketing Examples to study
- Content marketing using video to B2B SaaS
- Content strategy strategies for SaaS companies
- Closing up
What's tired in SaaS content marketing
Let's look at some of the most abused content marketing strategies that we do not advocate.
Cold, outbound emails with no content to support it.
For those who aren't familiar with the concept, a cold pitch is generally sent out in the form of an email to reach out without any supporting material or worth offering. Prospects don't understand why or how to react and hasn't been given any incentive to buy the product or service you offer.
It may have worked at a time when consumers were more open to sales pitches and were immersed in the buying process However, this strategy doesn't work now. Today, prospects are inundated with such emailsand many of them aren't interested because they do not provide real worth or provide any insight about how your product can do to them.
Phil Strazzulla, the creator of SelectSoftware Reviews, a website that aims to help HR professionals identify and select the most suitable SaaS platforms.
"The least effective method in 2023 will be cold outbound mail with no help. Everyone gets too many emails from people we don't know because of tools such as Outreach, Apollo, and SalesLoft, making it so simple to automate and expand outbound email campaigns."
He added "Marketing teams should pair this method with advertising for brand focused on the same target clients, as well as calling campaigns and mail-out campaigns offline if you have the funds to support it."
Generous content that doesn't speak to a specific audience
It's tempting to think that any content will work across your entire audience, but that's not the reality. Each audience will have their own needs and therefore you need to tailor your content to satisfy the needs of your audience, or perhaps even push them to the limit.
B2B audiences want information on how they can use your product or service to address their needs. They want proof that it does what it says, but they require tips on how to make it work more efficiently.
A classic example of this is HubSpot. HubSpot's blog HubSpot blog is a resource for posts that address the common problems of their target readers, who are online marketers, salespeople as well as customer service specialists.
The long form content is for the love of it
Long-form content won't go away any time soon, but it doesn't always stand out in the eyes of consumers who have a lot to do and aren't as busy. Unfortunately, many B2B businesses produce similar guides, so nurture sequences and gated offers do not have the impact they did in the past.
The same goes for longer pieces of content like white papers or research reports. They can be difficult reads as they can be highly technical--and only interesting only to select prospects. Long case studies, while valuable social proof, can lose prospect's limited attention. Are you looking to become just another tab open in a busy marketer's screen?
If you've invested money in writing long-form content, consider repackaging the copy in short video clips for speedy access and circulation.
As an example, the Omniscient Digital, a content marketing agency Omniscient Digital provides videos of their case studies in an alternative to their standard written case studies. This is a great way to showcase results without having people go through the whole article in case they like video (which the majority of people do).
Emulating blindly competitors
It happens all the time it happens that a company starts an online blog, and it copies their competitors' blog posts in a series of one after another. It's a common SEO play and is most common for companies that offer software to other companies because those businesses often view different SaaS companies as competitors even though they're in different markets and niches.
Yash Chavan, the founder of the SaaS-based platform for influencer marketing Saral believes using other brands and blogs on marketing isn't an ideal idea. Chavan suggests:
"Understand that all products marketing, market, and products are different... therefore there are different ways to work for each. Make use of your strengths. If, for instance, your product gets great unique data (e.g. surveys, tools for surveying) Use it to make original content. If the product you are selling involves inviting other people to it, go all in on referrals as a strategy. Do not follow what the marketing blogs tell you to do - it's up to you!"
The most effective channels to use for SaaS marketing content
In the end, the most effective ways to reach your clients are contingent the interests of your customers and pain points, but here are four powerful channels for SaaS content marketing--yes, including video!
1. SEO and evergreen content
Some examples of evergreen content are:
- Content of the product
- How-to-guides
- Industry-leading practices
- Success stories of customers and testimonies from testimonials
For your evergreen content to be more search-friendly, you must increase its visibility across search engines, such as Google and YouTube. This includes the creation of backlinks (links to other websites) and writing engaging text, and including common search phrases in your articles' text and title to boost the search engine's relevancy.
2. Email
Email marketing is one of the oldest methods of content marketing--and is one of the most efficient. We've discussed it before the tactics used to market email have been modified over time (bye cold pitching, bye), but the medium remains invaluable for SaaS marketers.
As you create appropriate content that meets the requirements of each phase of your customers' lives -including nurturing your blog's readers to onboarding new customers with videos to reminding them of upcoming renewal dates to offering special upgrade discounts -- email allows you to mail targeted campaigns.
Email also provides a unique one-on-one experience between you and your prospects or customers...something SEO and social media lacks.
The following example taken from Zoom showcases how SaaS companies can make use of emails to upgrade and renewals.
3. Event (IRL or virtual)
Events that are held in person, such as networking events, conferences, and seminars even though they were not as popular in the midst of the epidemic they are now back in a big way as people are hungry for community and live celebrations.
Events help you build and foster relationships with your customers and potential clients, gain insight into the market and validate your new product or brand ideas as well as network with prospective customers, influencers, partners as well as industry experts.
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 page on social media are opting to be loyal to you and might make purchases from your business at some point in the future.
- Upload content (videos!) from people who use your product or service. Content that is created by real users will help customers feel attached to the brand and want to learn more about it.
- Interact with users who post comments on posts or ask questions on social media sites. Respond with an email to create stronger relationships with prospective customers.
- Do not forget to mention influencers as well as the industry's top leaders! Contact them via social media, and ask to agree to share their expertise with others by writing blog posts making videos, writing blog posts, or even speaking at an event.
SaaS content marketing examples to gain knowledge from
HubSpot
Hubspot is producing blog content since 2014 and has since become one of the best story-telling success stories in content marketing.
The company uses its blog articles to draw new leads and provide value for current customers. The blog's marketing section covers subjects such as marketing automation and social media marketing. blogging, and more.
However, what distinguishes HubSpot stand out is the fact that it uses different formats.
As an example, HubSpot uses a mixture of HubSpot ultimate guides, podcasts, and videos within blog posts, to offer readers the option of choosing.
HubSpot Academy is yet another vital part of HubSpot's content strategy. The academy online offers short classes on everything from the basics of marketing skills like finding leads through social media or making an email drip marketing campaign, all the way up to more advanced certificates like Certified Inbound Marketer certification.
What makes it work:
- A focus on helping customers to solve the real issues
- A variety of different types of content to appeal to different audiences and interests
- Genuine voice that doesn't attempt too too hard to come off as amusing or clever.
Microsoft
In the Office 365 blog, Microsoft has created a hub of informative content that can help users to understand the range of products and use cases and provides customers with advice on ways to make maximum value from the subscriptions they have.
Microsoft has also done an excellent job on its Microsoft 365 University website. They have created online communities for schoolchildren and teachers that allows them to find out about Microsoft 365 products and services.
There is also 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 focused on creating an eBook or video series that could be available for an entire year while letting customers browse the contents at any time. This method eliminates the requirement to create constantly new content and allows Microsoft to concentrate on satisfying demands of the customer.
Adobe
Adobe created CMO.com, a publication/magazine that offers worth to its readers with information that covers the most important subjects for digital executives. The magazine includes articles written by experts within the field, as well as perspectives by Adobe regarding technology, product and business trends.
It's a fantastic illustration of the way SaaS companies can use content marketing to drive and nurture customer relationships which can lead to increased sales.
Why it works
The reason it works is because the content of CMO is not product-specific. This means that they don't focus on their company's products or services. Its content is solely focused on the trends, challenges and opportunities that can be avoided disruptive digital technology.
SARAL
SARAL is an influencer marketing platform that brings together influencers and brands. Their blog provides valuable information on the nuances of influencer marketing. It's not only to advertise the services but also for helping its users (marketers) run successful campaigns.
The founder of the company doesn't simply post blog posts He also promotes two concepts on 50 different social media channels each week and thus reaches a wider population.
Why it works
Yash Chavan the Saral's co-founder says shifting his focus from publishing two blogs a week to promoting two ideas across 50 channels on social media significantly affected his strategy for marketing content.
Chavan carried out an experiment that revealed that his website traffic decreased by 35% when his content distribution stopped for one month. He also counsels young SaaS entrepreneurs and marketing managers to produce high-value content instead of a lot of content that is low quality and distribute it as often as possible.
Marketing via video content to B2B SaaS
Content marketing via video can be an effective tool for B2B as well as B2C businesses. The content that you produce may have distinct objectives for B2C and B2B (i.e. education as opposed to. to entertain).
Actually, HubSpot Blog Research revealed that 15percent of B2B marketers view establishing thought leadership a primary purpose in their video marketing plan in comparison to only 9 per cent of B2C marketers.
There are many other methods that 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
- Customer testimonials and stories
If you have an B2C company, your social media strategy may differ from one for one that is a B2B SaaS business. This type of business is more dependent on TikTok as well as Instagram as opposed to the latter which is likely to use Twitter and LinkedIn most often.
The reason is that these platforms are more appropriate for their customers: B2C brands want to engage with customers directly while B2B SaaS businesses seek to engage with professionals in the industry that have long sales cycles as well as higher numbers of decision-makers.
Tips on content strategy for SaaS businesses
Let's talk about some tips on content strategy to SaaS marketing professionals in 2023.
Find out more about the people you are targeting
Before creating content, you need know who you're talking about and what they're looking for from your company. In order to do that, conduct market research and speak about potential buyers or consumers of your product or service. Learn what kind of data they are looking for and how they would prefer to consume it in the form of audio, video or even texts.
Then create personas that reflect your target audience's interests and needs and use those personas to help you create, design, and present your material.
The process of conducting feedback surveys is another method to gain insight into the people who use your product. Surveys on feedback are helpful since they permit you to gather the thoughts and opinions from real customers to help shape the design of future products and services.
Pro tip:Look at Google Trends to find keywords relevant to your field and this information to inform what topics you'll discuss on your blog or in social media posts.
Updating what you have
For SaaS companies, updating your content is an excellent option to keep your high-value content useful and easily accessible.
As you publish written and video content, keep track of the date it becomes live and monitor its traffic and impact. Each quarter, go through your library for signs of declines in user engagement and prioritize those assets for updates. Also, as your product grows and changes it is important to ensure your library corresponds to the appropriate features and images.
It is also possible to update your the content you have already created by adding more content and information. It will be more useful to visitors who might have looked for similar information in the past but weren't able to find what they wanted on your site.
Prioritize distribution
If you don't make plans for how you will distribute your content, it will never reach the people who need it most. It's essential to identify which areas your audience is hanging out online -- be it websites, social media sites, or discussion groups -and then devise strategies for getting them to visit your site.
Know which metrics matter to you.
It's important to know what metrics are important for you, and also how you can measure them.
If your objective is to increase brand recognition and provide value to the people who visit your site and to increase retention. Content marketing can be an excellent way to accomplish those goals -- especially in the event that you employ a well-planned approach and create high-quality content that will resonate with your target audience.
If you're looking to drive leads the content you create for marketing hone in on bottom-of-funnel (BOFU) information that naturally features product information and tees up your conversion points (e.g. demo request or trial registrations that are free). It is also possible to complement your content strategy with paid advertisements to increase traffic to these assets as well as help you generate qualified leads.
Produce unique, data-driven content
Data-driven content can be a great way to share insights with your audience. It's also an effective way to differentiate yourself from the competition.
SaaS companies have an edge in this area since they are able to access a wealth of information about its customers and prospects. By leveraging that data they can develop content that speaks directly to their needs and aids them in solving their problems.
SaaS marketer and founder of AdEspresso Massimo Chieruzzi believes that artificial intelligence-based writing software will be soon used to monetize the production of content. In many cases, the writing quality produced by these instruments will exceed that of most copywriters. The only way to defeat this AI is to create distinctive and original content.
"Quality is a variety of different things. It could be an opinion leader with a distinct (and certainly not controversial) point of view on the industry. You can also write data-driven content leveraging SaaS internal information ."
Massimo mentions that in AdEspresso the company initially invested in the writing of content that analyzed the millions in Facebook Ads managed through the platform. This strategy paid off by helping build the brand, creating trust and return visitors and also attracting many backlinks.
Wrapping up
2023 will focus on giving your clients and prospects with relevant and unique information in a variety of formats, including and especially video. SaaS customers are busy and need content with lasting value and a distinctive POV.
Videos are a way to promote your brand and can help you differentiate yourself from competitors, but remember that if you offer specific, targeted content that provides someone with genuine worth, you'll be able to beat content marketing.