Your SaaS Content Marketing Playbook to help you create greater B2B B2B marketing
A lot of SaaS (software as services) businesses focus on quick results. In fact, we've been taught to focus on the short-term: more subscribers, faster sales, and in the case of some companies...sheer quantity! Volume was the king (yes it was just like content).
The times have changed. SaaS businesses are facing tighter budgets as well as a volatile climate where every effort counts. This means that B2B marketers can do more with less. It is true that volume-based marketing are nota lasting, intention-driven marketing strategy .
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 the experiences of real marketers who have tested the waters with new and tested channels as well as strategies that you can take and run with.
The B2B content marketer's playbook
- What's old in SaaS the world of content marketing
- The most effective channels for SaaS Content Marketing
- SaaS Content Marketing instances to take note of
- Video content marketing to B2B SaaS
- Content strategy strategies for SaaS companies
- Wrapping up
What's been stale in SaaS content marketing
Let's examine a few exhausted media marketing techniques that we wouldn't advocate.
Cold outbound email that has no content to support it.
If you're not familiar, a cold pitch is typically sent as an outreach email that isn't accompanied by any content or worth offering. The recipient doesn't know the reason or how to respond to the email and doesn't have any incentive to buy your product or service.
The strategy may have been successful at a time when consumers were more open to sales messages and constantly enticed to purchase, but it doesn't work now. Today, prospects are inundated with these types of emailsand many of them aren't interested because they don't provide any real worth or provide any insight about how your product can do to them.
Phil Strazzulla, the co-founder of SelectSoftware Reviews, a website dedicated to helping HR teams to find and purchase the best SaaS platforms, agrees:
"The most ineffective method of 2023 will be cold-outbound emails with no assistance. Everybody receives too many emails that come from strangers we've never met thanks to software like Outreach, Apollo, and SalesLoft which makes it easy to automate and grow outbound email campaigns."
The author added that "Marketing teams must combine this method with advertising for brand focused on the same target customers, efforts to call, and mail-out campaigns offline if you have the funds to support it."
Generic content that doesn't address a specific audience
There is a temptation to think that that any piece of content is a good fit for your entire audience however this isn't the reality. The people you target have different requirements which is why you have to customize the content you create to accommodate or even challenge them.
B2B customers want to know how they can use your service or product to solve their problems. They want proof that it is effective, however they want tips on how to make it work more efficiently.
An excellent example is HubSpot. HubSpot's blog HubSpot blog has articles that directly solve 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
Long-form content isn't going anywhere anytime soon, but it's difficult to distinguish to consumers who have a lot to do and aren't as busy. Unfortunately, a lot of B2B businesses produce similar guides, so gated offers and nurture sequences do not have the impact they once did.
The same goes for longer pieces of content such as white papers and research reports. They are also difficult reads as they can be extremely technical and only appealing to a select few prospects. Long case studies are valuable for social proof, can lose prospects' attention. Who wants to be just another tab open on a marketer's crowded screen?
If you've invested money in writing long-form content think about repackaging it into short videos for quick access and circulation.
As an example, the Content marketing company Omniscient Digital provides short video case studies as a complement to their regular written case study. This can be a wonderful way to showcase results without requiring folks to go through the whole article in case they like video (which the majority of people do).
Emulating invisibly rivals
It happens all the time when a business creates blogs and then copies the posts of its competition one by one. This is a typical SEO conten tplay and is most common for companies that sell software to other businesses because those businesses often view other SaaS businesses as rivals, even though they're competing in different market segments and markets.
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 a good idea. Chavan suggests:
"Understand that every product marketing, market, and products are different... so there are different ways to work for each. Use your strengths to the fullest. If, for instance, your product is able to collect great unique data (e.g. Survey tool), then use it to make new material. If your product requires making other people aware of it take full advantage of referrals as a strategy. Do not follow what the marketing blogs recommend - you do you!"
The most effective channels for SaaS content marketing
Ultimately, the best methods to connect with your customers will vary depending on your audience's interests and needs, however these are the top four channels for SaaS content marketing--yes, including video!
1. SEO and content that is evergreen
A few examples of evergreen content include:
- Product content
- How-to-guides
- Best practices in the industry
- Customer success stories and testimonials
In order to make your content search-friendly, you have to improve its search engine visibility by utilizing engines, such as Google and YouTube. It is a matter of building backlinks (links from other websites), writing compelling content, and including search phrases in your articles' title and body to enhance the search engine's relevancy.
2. Email
Marketing via email is among the oldest methods of marketing through content and is it is among the most efficient. We've discussed it before the tactics used to market email have changed over the years (bye, bye cold pitches) however, the method 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 educating new customers with videos to reminding them of upcoming renewal dates, to offering discounts on 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.
The following example of Zoom shows the ways SaaS companies can make use of emails for upgrade or renewals.
3. Events (IRL or virtual)
In-person events like networking events or conferences even though they were not as popular during the pandemic, are back in a big way as people seek communities and live events.
Events help you build connections with prospects and customers, gain fresh insights into your marketplace and validate your new product or brand ideas and connect with potential collaborators, influencers and industry experts.
4. Social media
- Use your company's Facebook page or Twitter profile to communicate valuable information with your target customers. The people who are following your company's profile on social media are opting to trust you and may make purchases from your business at some point in the future.
- Post images (videos!) from people who use your product or service. The genuine content created by users can make users feel more connected to your brand and desire to know more.
- Connect with those who leave comments on your posts or have queries on social media websites. Respond with directly messaging to establish more intentional relationships with prospects.
- Don't forget about influencers and business experts! Reach out to them through social media platforms and ask to agree to share their expertise with other people by writing blog articles and videos or speaking at events.
SaaS example of content marketing to learn from
HubSpot
Hubspot is producing blog posts since 2014, and has grown into one of the most successful story-telling success stories in content marketing.
The company makes use of its blog content to generate customers and also to offer value to its existing customers. The Marketing blog is a resource for topics including marketing automation and social media marketing. blogging.
However, what is what makes HubSpot stand out is its use of various types of formats.
As an example, HubSpot uses a mixture of HubSpot ultimate guides, podcasts, and videos in blog posts to give their readers a choice.
HubSpot Academy is another critical element of HubSpot's strategy for content. The online academy provides quick courses on everything from basic marketing techniques like identifying leads via social media and making an email drip marketing campaign, all the way up to more advanced certificates like Certified Inbound Marketer certification.
The reason it works:
- A focus on helping customers solve actual problems
- Different types of content to appeal to different audiences and interests
- Genuine voice that doesn't try too too hard to come off as humorous or smart.
Microsoft
In its Office 365 blog, Microsoft has created a hub of valuable content that helps customers comprehend their options and usage scenarios and also provides customers with advice on ways to make maximum value from their subscriptions.
Microsoft has done a fantastic job with its Microsoft 365 University website. Microsoft has created online communities for schoolchildren and teachers where they can learn about Microsoft 365 products and services.
There is also an online coursecalled " Create Your First App," where you can learn how to build apps using Visual Studio Code and Azure DevOps Services.
Why it works:
Microsoft was focused on creating an eBook or video collection that would live for 18 months and allow customers to peruse the contents at any time. This method eliminates the requirement to produce every day new content and allows Microsoft to focus on addressing demands of the customer.
Adobe
Adobe created CMO.com, a publication/magazine that offers value to readers through articles that cover the most crucial subjects for digital executives. It encompasses articles from thought leaders on the subject and viewpoints of Adobe regarding technology, product and business trends.
It's an excellent instance of how SaaS businesses can leverage content marketing to drive the customer relationship which can lead to increased sales.
Why it works
The reason it works is because the content of CMO is product-agnostic, meaning they don't focus on their business's products and services. Its content is solely focused on trends, issues, and opportunities to avoid the digital disruption.
SARAL
SARAL is an influencer marketing platform that connects brands and influencers. Their blog is a valuable source of information regarding the specifics of influencer marketing, not just to promote the products but also to help its target audience (marketers) to run effective campaigns.
The founder of the company doesn't simply post blog posts He also promotes two concepts across 50 social channels weekly which means he can reach a larger population.
The reason why it works
Yash Chavan the founder of Saral, says that shifting his attention from writing two blogs per week , to promoting two ideas across 50 channels on social media significantly affected his strategy for marketing content.
Chavan carried out an experiment that demonstrated that the site's traffic fell by 35% after he stopped distributing content for a month. Chavan also suggests the upcoming SaaS founders and marketers to create high-value content instead of a lot of content that is low quality and share it as much as they can.
Marketing via video content to B2B SaaS
Marketing via video is a powerful tool to use for B2B and B2C firms. However, the material created by you may not meet the objectives for B2C and B2B (i.e. education or. engage).
Actually, HubSpot Blog Research found that 15% of B2B marketers make establishing thought leadership a primary objective in their video marketing plan compared to only 9 per cent of B2C marketers.
Here are some more methods that B2B SaaS companies use video videos more frequently than B2C businesses:
- Explainer videos
- Product demos
- Live streamed events
- Video clips of product
- Behind-the-scenes videos
- Customer testimonials and stories
If you're running the distinction of a B2C company the strategy for social media will also differ from those of a B2B SaaS firm. This type of business is more dependent on TikTok and Instagram as opposed to the latter which is likely to use Twitter and LinkedIn most often.
These channels are more suited for their audience: B2C brands want to interact with customers in person and directly, while B2B SaaS firms are looking to connect with industry professionals that have longer sales cycles , and are larger decision makers.
Tips on content strategy for SaaS companies
Let's discuss some content strategy tips for SaaS marketers in 2023.
Find out more about the people you are targeting
Prior to making content, it is essential to understand who you're talking to and what they want from your company. In order to do that, conduct market research and speak to potential clients or customers of your product or service. Discover what information they need and how they prefer consuming it, through audio, video, or text.
Then create personas that reflect your intended audience's preferences and requirements. Use those personas to guide how you develop, design and format your content.
Running feedback surveys is another way to learn about your customers. Surveys on feedback are helpful because they allow you to get the views and ideas of real users to shape the design of future products and services.
Pro Tip:Look at Google Trends for keywords in your industry and this information to inform the topics you'll be covering in your blog posts or social media posts.
Updating what you have
For SaaS organizations, re-creating your content is an excellent option to keep your high-value content that is relevant and searchable.
If you are publishing written and videos, be aware of the date it becomes live, and track its usage and impact. Each quarter, you should review your library to spot any declines in user engagement and prioritize those resources for updates. As your product evolves and grows ensure that your website corresponds to the appropriate features and imagery.
Also, you can update the content you have already created by adding more data and resources. This makes it more valuable to those who might have looked for similar information in the past but didn't find what they were looking for in your website.
Prioritize distribution
If you don't have a plan to distribute your content, it will not be seen by people who need it most. It's essential to identify the places where your intended audience hangs around online, whether that's blogs, social media platforms or even discussion forums- then develop strategies for getting them to visit your site.
Find out which metrics are important to you
It's crucial to determine the metrics that matter to you and the best way to gauge them.
If your objective is to increase brand recognition that will benefit the people who visit your site and to increase retention. Content marketing can be a great way to achieve these goals, especially in the event that you employ a well-planned strategy and develop top-quality content that is able to resonate with the people you want to reach.
If your goal is to drive leads the content you create for marketing focus on bottom-of-the-funnel (BOFU) material that includes product details and opens up the conversion point (e.g., demo requests or free trial sign-ups). You can also complement your content strategy with paid advertisements to increase visitors to these resources and help drive leads that are qualified.
Produce unique, data-driven content
Data-driven content is an effective method of sharing insights with your audience. This is also an excellent method to distinguish yourself against your competitors.
SaaS firms have an edge in this area since they are able to access an array of details regarding their customers and potential clients. By leveraging that data they can develop content that speaks directly to their needs and aids them in solving their issues.
SaaS marketer and co-founder of AdEspresso Massimo Chieruzzi believes that AI-based writing tools will soon commoditize content production. In many cases, the output quality of these tools will be better than the work of most copywriters. One way of beat the AI is to make unique content.
"Quality could refer to a range of aspects. It can include thought leadership with a unique (and why not controversial) perspective regarding the field. This could also include writing the content that is driven by data using SaaS internal databases ."
Massimo mentions that in AdEspresso it was their first time investing in the writing of content that analyzed the billions of dollars of Facebook Ads managed through the platform. This approach paid off in creating a brand image which earned trust as well as return visitors and also attracting lots of backlinks.
The wrapping around
2023 is all about giving your clients and prospects with relevant and unique content in multiple formats--including, and especially video. SaaS customers are active and require content that has a shelf-life and a unique POV.
Videos are a way to promote your brand and help you stand out from competitors, but remember to provide specific, targeted content that provides someone with genuine benefit, you'll beat your competition with content marketing.