Your SaaS content marketing toolkit for more effective B2B marketing
A lot of SaaS (software as services) firms focus on short-term successes. We've all been taught to do everything in the short-term: more subscribers as well as faster sales. in the case of some companies...sheer volume! Volume was King (yes as was content).
However, the landscape is changing. SaaS businesses are facing decreasing budgets, and an uncertain market where any effort is counted. In other words, B2B marketers can do better with less. The volume plays don'ta sustainable, intent-driven marketing plan make.
It's time to think about a different approach to SaaS Content Marketing. In this post will discuss the most common mistakes in content marketing and hear about real-world marketers who've tried and proven new channels and tactics that your brand will be able to adopt and use.
A B2B Content Marketer's Playbook
- What's the problem with SaaS Content Marketing
- The most effective channels for SaaS Content Marketing
- SaaS content marketing Examples to study
- Marketing of video content to B2B SaaS
- Content strategy suggestions for SaaS businesses
- wrapping up
What's tired in SaaS content marketing
We'll look at a few tired content marketing strategies that we do not advocate.
Cold, outbound emails with no content to support it.
For the uninitiated the cold pitch usually sent out as an email to reach out that isn't accompanied by any content or worth proposition. The prospect doesn't know why or how to react or respond, and isn't given an incentive to purchase the product or service you offer.
The strategy may have been successful in the past when people were more open to sales offers and immersed in the buying process However, this strategy doesn't work any longer. Prospects today are constantly bombarded by these kinds of emails, and most do not bother to read them as they aren't providing any genuine worth or provide any insight about how your product is able to do to them.
Phil Strazzulla, the co-founder of SelectSoftware Reviews, a website dedicated to helping HR teams identify and select the most suitable SaaS platforms, agrees:
"The most effective strategy in 2023 will be cold-outbound email with no support. We all receive too many messages that come from strangers we've never met due to tools like Outreach, Apollo, and SalesLoft, making it so simple to automate and expand outbound email campaigns."
He added "Marketing teams must combine this approach with brand advertisements focused on the same target customers, efforts to call, and offline mail campaigns where the budget allows the effort."
Content that is generic and doesn't target a specific audience
It's tempting to think that any content will work across your entire audience However, that's not the reality. The people you target have different requirements and therefore you need to tailor your content to satisfy and even exceed their expectations.
B2B customers want to know the best way to use your product or service to solve their problems. They are looking for proof of how it does what it says, but they want tips on how make use of it better.
A classic example of this is HubSpot. The HubSpot blog is a resource for content that solve the most typical problems for their readers, who are digital marketers, salespeople and professionals in customer service.
The long form content is for the love of it
Long-form content isn't going anywhere anytime soon, but it's difficult to distinguish before people who are busy and even casual readers. Unfortunately, a lot of B2B companies produce similar guides, so gated offers and nurture sequences do not have the impact they did in the past.
It's the same for long documents such as white papers and research reports. They can be difficult to read as they are highly technical--and only interesting to a select few prospects. Even lengthy case studies, while valuable social proof, can lose prospect's limited attention. Are you looking to become just another tab open on a marketer's crowded desktop?
If you've already invested in lengthy written material think about repackaging it into short videos for quick use and dissemination.
As an example, the Content marketing company Omniscient Digital provides brief video case studies a complement to their regular written case studies. This is a great way to showcase results without the need for people to read the entire article in case they like video (which most of people do).
Emulating blindly the competitors
This happens every day it happens that a company starts a blog and starts copying the posts of its competition each one at a time. It's a common SEO play and is most common for companies that sell software to other businesses since they companies often look at different SaaS companies as competitors even though they're different market segments and markets.
Yash Chavan, founder of the SaaS-based Influencer Marketing Platform Saral is of the opinion that copying other companies or marketing blogs isn't an ideal idea. Chavan suggests:
"Understand that every product as well as markets and marketing differ... therefore there are different ways to work for each. Make use of your strengths. For instance, if your product is able to collect great original data (e.g., survey tool) Use it to create unique material. If your product 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 top channels to use to use for SaaS marketing content
Ultimately, the best ways to reach your clients depend on your audience's interests and needs, however these are the top four channels to use for SaaS content marketing that include video!
1. SEO and content that is evergreen
Examples of content that is evergreen include:
- Content of the product
- How-to guides
- Best practices in the industry
- Customer success stories and testimonials
In order to make your content more search-friendly, you must make it more visible to search engines such as Google as well as YouTube. This includes building backlinks (links from other sites), writing compelling text, and including common search terms in your article's titles and bodies to increase its relevance to search engines.
2. Email
Email marketing is one of the oldest types of content marketing--and still among the most efficient. Like we mentioned earlier, email marketing tactics have evolved over time (bye, bye cold pitches), but the medium remains invaluable for SaaS marketers.
When you produce appropriate content that meets the requirements of each phase of the customer's lifecycleincluding nurturing your blog's readers to onboarding and informing new customers with videos and reminding them about renewal dates and offering exclusive 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 of Zoom showcases how SaaS businesses can benefit from emails to upgrade and renewals.
3. Event (IRL or virtual)
Networking events in person like or conferences even though they were not as popular due to the outbreak they are now back and with a bang as the people are hungry for social gatherings and celebrations that are live.
Events help you build and strengthen relationships with your customers and potential clients, gain fresh insights into your marketplace and validate your concepts for new products or brands as well as network with prospective customers, influencers, partners and industry experts.
4. Social media
- Make use of your company's Facebook page or Twitter account to share useful information to your targeted audience. The people who are following your company's page through social media have a tendency to trust you and may make purchases from your business later on.
- Upload content (videos!) from people who use your product or service. The genuine content created by users can make users feel more connected to the brand and want to find out more.
- Connect with those who leave comments on articles or post queries on social media websites. Respond with an email to create deeper relationships with potential customers.
- Do not forget to mention influencers as well as the industry's top experts! Reach out to them through social media platforms and ask whether they'd be interested to impart their knowledge to others by writing blog posts making videos, writing blog posts, or speaking at events.
SaaS Content Marketing examples for you to learn from
HubSpot
Hubspot has been publishing blog articles since 2014 and has since become one of the most successful examples of content marketing's success.
The company makes use of its blog posts to attract new leads and provide value for current customers. Its Marketing blog covers topics such as marketing automation, social media marketing, blogging.
But what is what makes HubSpot distinct is its use of different types of formats.
As an example, HubSpot uses a mixture of HubSpot ultimate guides, podcasts, and videos embedded in its blog posts, to offer their readers a choice.
HubSpot Academy is yet another vital component of HubSpot's content strategy. The online academy provides quick lessons on everything from fundamental marketing skills like finding leads through social media or making an email drip marketing campaign to getting to more advanced certificates like The Certified Inbound Marketer designation..
Why it works:
- An emphasis on helping customers solve actual problems
- Different types of content to appeal diverse audiences and broadens the range of interests
- Genuine voice that doesn't try to try too difficult to appear funny or clever
Microsoft
Through its Office 365 blog, Microsoft has built a website with valuable content that helps customers comprehend their options as well as use-cases and supplies them with tips on how they can get maximum value from the subscriptions they have.
Microsoft has done a fantastic job with its Microsoft 365 University website. Microsoft has created an online community for students and teachers to learn about Microsoft 365 products and services.
Additionally, they offer an online class " Create Your First App," where you can learn how develop apps using Visual Studio Code and Azure DevOps Services.
Why it works:
Microsoft concentrated on creating an eBook or video-based series that could live for 18 months and allow customers to peruse through the content at their own pace. This method eliminates the requirement to develop constantly new content and lets Microsoft to concentrate on meeting demands of the customer.
Adobe
Adobe has launched CMO.com, a publication/magazine that offers worth to its readers with information that covers the most important topics to digital leaders. The magazine includes articles written by thought leaders in the field and more perspectives of Adobe regarding technology, product, and industry developments.
It's a fantastic illustration of the way SaaS businesses can utilize content marketing to increase and strengthen customer relations, leading to more sales.
The reason why it works
The reason it works is because the content of CMO is product-agnostic, meaning they don't focus on their company's products or services. Its content is solely focused on trends, issues, and opportunities to avoid the digital disruption.
SARAL
SARAL is an influencer marketing platform that brings together influencers and brands. Their blog offers valuable info regarding the specifics of influencer marketing, and not only for promoting the products but also for helping its customers (marketers) to run effective campaigns.
The founder of the company doesn't simply write blog articles He also promotes two concepts through 50 channels on a weekly basis which means he can reach a larger population.
Why it works
Yash Chavan the Saral's co-founder and CEO, has stated that changing his attention from writing two blogs per week , to promoting two ideas across fifty social networks significantly changed his content marketing strategy.
Chavan carried out an experiment that showed his site traffic dropped by 35% after he stopped distributing content for one month. He also advises the upcoming SaaS founders and marketers to create high-value content instead of lots of low-value content and to share it as widely as possible.
Video content marketing for B2B SaaS
Marketing via video is a powerful tool for B2B as well as B2C firms. The content that you produce may have distinct goals for B2B and B2C (i.e. educational or. to entertain).
In fact, HubSpot Blog Research found 15% of B2B marketers view establishing thought leadership a primary purpose of their video marketing strategy compared to only 9 percent of B2C marketers.
These are just a few more methods that B2B SaaS companies use video videos more frequently than B2C firms:
- Explainer videos
- Product demos
- Live streaming of events
- Video clips of product
- Behind-the-scenes videos
- Testimonials from our customers and personal stories
If you're the distinction of a B2C firm and you are a B2C company, your strategy on social media will also differ from one that is a B2B SaaS firm. 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.
These channels are better suited to their audience: B2C brands want to interact with customers in person and directly, while B2B SaaS firms want to reach industry professionals with long sales cycles as well as higher numbers of decision-makers.
Tips on content strategy for SaaS companies
Let's look at some content strategy tips to SaaS marketers for 2023.
Know all you can about your target audience
Before producing content, you must know who you're talking about and what they're looking for from you. To do this, do market research and talk with potential customers or users of your product or service. Discover what information they require and the way they would prefer to consume it through 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 make, 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 as they let you gather the thoughts and opinions from real customers to help shape future products and services.
Pro tip:Look at Google Trends to find keywords relevant to your field and this will help you decide the topics you'll be covering on your blog or in social media posts.
Updating what you have
For SaaS organizations, re-creating your content is a good option to keep your high-value content useful and easily accessible.
When you create written or video content, keep track of the date it becomes live, and track its usage as well as its impact. Every quarter, review your library for signs of declines in the number of people who are engaged, and then prioritize those content for changes. Similarly, as your product evolves and grows ensure that your website reflects the correct product features and imagery.
You can also update current content, by adding new content and information. This will make it more useful to visitors who have searched for similar information previously but couldn't find the information they were looking for in your website.
Prioritize distribution
If you do not have plans for how you will distribute your material, it's likely to never be seen by the people who need it most. It's crucial to know where your target audience hangs on the internet -- be it blogs, social media networks or even discussion forumsand then devise strategies for getting them to visit your site.
Be aware of the metrics that matter to you
It's important to know which metrics matter for you, and also how you can measure them.
It is possible that you want to increase brand recognition, provide value to your customers and improve retention. Content marketing is also a great way to achieve the goals you want to achieve, particularly if you follow a strategic strategy and develop high-quality content that will resonate with the target market.
If your goal is to increase leads the content you create for marketing hone in on bottom-of-funnel (BOFU) information that naturally includes product details and opens up your conversion points (e.g. Demo requests or sign-ups for free trials). It is also possible to complement your content strategy with paid ads to drive additional users to these pages and assist in generating qualified leads.
Produce unique, data-driven content
Data-driven content can be a great way to share the latest insights to your customers. It's also an effective method to distinguish yourself from the competition.
SaaS firms have an edge in this regard because they have access to an array of details about its customers and prospects. By leveraging that data it is possible to create content that speaks directly to their needs and aids them in solving the issues they face.
SaaS marketer and founder of AdEspresso Massimo Chieruzzi believes that AI-based writing software will be soon used to monetize creation of content. And often, the production quality of these software instruments will exceed those of copywriters. One way of beat this AI is to make unique material.
"Quality is a variety of items. It could be an opinion leader with a distinct (and certainly not controversial) point of view on the industry. It can also be writing the content that is driven by data using SaaS internal information ."
Massimo says that when he was at AdEspresso the company initially invested in writing content analyzing the millions worth of Facebook Ads managed through the platform. The strategy was successful in helping build the brand by establishing trust, attracting return visitors and also attracting lots of backlinks.
Wrapping up
2023 will be all about providing your prospects and customers with relevant and unique information in a variety of formats, including and especially videos. SaaS customers are busy and require content that has longevity and an original point of view.
Videos represent your brand and allow you to stand out from competitors, but remember to provide audience-focused, personalized content that offers someone real worth, you'll be able to beat content marketing.