Your SaaS content marketing toolkit for better marketing for B2B
A lot of SaaS (software as a service) firms focus on short-term successes. Heck, we've been trained to focus on the short-term, like more subscribers, faster sales, and for some companies...sheer volume! Volume was King (yes as was content).
The times have changed. SaaS firms are faced with shrinking budgets and a turbulent environment where each effort is valued. Translation: B2B marketers can do much more for less. Volume plays do nota sustainable, intent-driven marketing strategy make.
A better way to approach SaaS content marketing. In this article we'll look at what's been discarded in the field of content marketing. We'll also hear from real marketers who've tested and proved new channels and strategies that you could adopt and implement.
The content marketer's guide for B2B
- What's old in SaaS Content Marketing
- The top channels for SaaS Content Marketing
- SaaS content marketing examples to learn from
- Video content marketing to B2B SaaS
- Content strategy suggestions for SaaS businesses
- Wrapping up
What's the issue with SaaS Content Marketing?
We'll look at a few tired media marketing techniques that we wouldn't recommend.
Cold outbound email that has no supporting content
For the uninitiated an initial cold pitch generally sent out in the form of an email to reach out with no supporting content or value proposition. The prospect doesn't know why or what to do and hasn't been given any reason to care about your service or product.
It may have worked at a time when consumers were more open to sales pitches and were constantly enticed to purchase, but it doesn't work now. Today, prospects are constantly bombarded by these kinds of emailsand many of them ignore them because they don't provide any real value or insight into what the product you offer can provide for them.
Phil Strazzulla, the creator 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 email with no support. Everybody receives too many emails from unknown people because of tools such as Outreach, Apollo, and SalesLoft which makes it simple to automate and expand outbound email marketing campaigns."
He also said "Marketing teams should pair this strategy with ads for brands that are geared towards the same audience clients, as well as calling campaigns and offline mail campaigns where the budget allows the effort."
Content that is generic and doesn't target any specific target audience
There is a temptation to think that all content will work across all your audience members however this isn't the case. Your audience has different needs which is why you have to customize your content to satisfy or even challenge them.
B2B customers want to know how they can use your service or product to solve their problems. They need proof to prove that the product does what it says, but they need tips to use it more effectively.
An excellent example is HubSpot. HubSpot's blog HubSpot blog is a resource for posts that address the typical problems for their customers, which include online marketers, salespeople and professionals in customer service.
Long-form content for the sake of it
Content that is long-form won't disappear in the near future, however it's difficult to distinguish in the eyes of busy prospects and casual subscribers. Unfortunately, many B2B brands create similar guides, and so nurture sequences and gated offers do not have the impact they used to.
This is also true for more lengthy articles such as white papers and research reports. These can also be challenging reading as they're highly technical--and only interesting only to select prospects. Even lengthy case studies which are a great source of social proof, can lose the attention of a potential buyer. Do you really want to appear as an additional tab to open on a marketer's crowded desktop?
If you've invested money in lengthy written material Consider repackaging that content into short videos for quick use and dissemination.
For instance, the content marketing agency Omniscient Digital includes videos of their case studies in an addition to their usual written case studies. It's a fantastic method of showcasing results, without requiring folks to read the entire article if they prefer video (which the majority of us do).
Blindly emulating competitors
The scenario is all too common: a company creates a blog and starts copying its competitors' posts one by one. It's an incredibly common SEO conten tplay and is most common for companies that sell software to other business because these businesses often view the other SaaS businesses as rivals, even though they're in different market segments and markets.
Yash Chavan, founder of SaaS-based influencer marketing platform Saral believes that copying other companies and marketing blogs is not a good idea. Chavan suggests:
"Understand that all products as well as markets and marketing are different... so various things are effective for every one of them. Play to your strengths. For instance, if your product gets great new information (e.g. Survey tool), then use it to make unique material. If your product involves inviting other people to it take full advantage of referrals to increase your sales. Do not follow what the marketing blogs advise you to do. it's up to you!"
The best channels for SaaS content marketing
The best ways to reach your clients will vary depending the interests of your customers as well as their needs. However, here are four powerful channels that can be used for SaaS content marketing, yes, even video!
1. SEO and always-green content
A few examples of evergreen content comprise:
- Content from the product
- How-to guides
- Best practices in the industry
- Success stories of customers and testimonies from testimonials
For your evergreen content to be search-friendly, you have to increase its visibility across search engines like Google and YouTube. It is a matter of building backlinks (links from other websites), writing compelling copy, and including commonly-search terms in your article's text and title to boost the search engine's relevancy.
2. Email
Email marketing is one of the oldest methods of marketing through content and is still one of the most efficient. Like we mentioned earlier, email marketing tactics have changed over the years (bye cold pitching, bye), but the medium is still a great tool for SaaS marketers.
When you produce relevant content for every aspect of your customers' lives -such as nourishing blog users to onboarding new users with video and reminding them about renewal dates, to offering discounts on discount upgrades -- emails lets you send your messages to specific groups.
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 from Zoom illustrates how SaaS brands can leverage emails for upgrade or renewals.
3. Event (IRL as well as virtual)
Events that are held in person, such as networking events or conferences even though they were not as popular during the pandemic they are now back with a vengeance as folks are hungry for communities and live events.
Events can help you create connections with customers and potential clients, gain insight into the market, validate the new ideas for your brand or product, and network with potential collaborators, influencers as well as industry experts.
4. Social media
- Make use of your company's Facebook page or Twitter account to share important information to your intended public. People who follow your page on social media are opting to believe in you, and could buy from you in the future.
- Upload videos or other content (videos!) from customers who are using the product or service. The genuine content created by users can make users feel more connected to your brand and desire to know more.
- Interact with users who post comments on your posts or have questions on social media sites. You can even respond by directly messaging to establish more intentional relationships with prospects.
- Do not forget to mention influencers as well as business experts! Reach out to them through social media and ask them if they would be willing to share their expertise with others by writing blog posts, creating videos, 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 top content marketing success stories.
The company makes use of its blog posts to attract new leads and provide value for existing customers. Its Marketing blog covers topics like marketing automation and social media marketing. blogging.
What makes HubSpot distinguish itself is the fact that it uses various types of formats.
In this case, HubSpot uses a mixture of HubSpot ultimate guidebooks, podcasts, as well as videos within blog posts to give its audience an option.
HubSpot Academy is a different key element of HubSpot's strategy for content. The academy online offers short lessons on everything from fundamental marketing techniques like identifying leads through social media or creating an email drip campaign to getting to advanced certifications like the Certified Inbound Marketing certification.
The reason it works:
- The focus is on helping customers to solve real problems
- A variety of different types of content that appeals to different audiences and interests
- A genuine voice that doesn't try to try too hard to be amusing or clever.
Microsoft
With the Office 365 blog, Microsoft has created a hub of valuable content that helps customers comprehend their options as well as use-cases and supplies them with tips on how to get the most out of the subscriptions they have.
Microsoft has also performed amazing work with their Microsoft 365 University website. The site has been created as online communities for schoolchildren as well as teachers where they can learn more about Microsoft 365 products and services.
There is also an online course " Create Your First App," where you will learn to build apps using Visual Studio Code and Azure DevOps Services.
The reason it works:
Microsoft concentrated on developing an eBook or video-based series that could live for 18 months, allowing customers to browse through the content at their own pace. This approach eliminates the need to create constantly new content and allows Microsoft to focus on addressing demands of the customer.
Adobe
Adobe launched CMO.com, a publication/magazine that offers value to readers through content spanning the most critical issues for digital leaders. It encompasses articles from experts within the field, as well as opinions of Adobe on product, technology as well as industry-specific changes.
This is a great illustration of how SaaS companies can use content marketing to build and nurture customer relationships, leading to more sales.
Why it works
The reason it works is because the content of CMO is product-agnostic, meaning they do not focus on their company's products or services. Content is focused on trends, issues and opportunities for avoiding disruptive digital technology.
SARAL
SARAL is an influencer marketing platform that connects brands and influencers. Their blog is a valuable source of information on the nuances of influencer marketing. It's not only to advertise the products but also for helping its users (marketers) to run effective campaigns.
The founder of the company doesn't simply post blog posts - he promotes two ideas across 50 social channels weekly and thus reaches a wider audience.
Why it works
Yash Chavan the Saral's co-founder and CEO, has stated that changing his focus from publishing two blogs per week to promotion of two ideas on 50 social channels significantly impacted his strategy for marketing content.
Chavan carried out an experiment that revealed that his website traffic decreased by 35% once his content distribution stopped during a period of one month. He also advises the upcoming SaaS marketing and founders to create high-value content instead of a lot of content that is low quality and distribute it as often as is possible.
Marketing via video content for B2B SaaS
Video content marketing is an effective tool to use for B2B and B2C firms. That said, the content that you produce may have distinct goals for B2B and B2C (i.e. education as opposed to. entertain).
In actual fact, HubSpot Blog Research discovered that 15% of B2B marketers make the establishment of thought leadership as a key objective in their video marketing plan in comparison to only 9 percent of B2C marketers.
There are many other ways that B2B SaaS companies use video videos more frequently than B2C businesses:
- Explainer videos
- Product demos
- Live streaming of events
- Video clips of product
- Behind-the-scenes videos
- Stories and testimonials from customers
If you're running an B2C company the strategy for social media is likely to differ from that of one that is a B2B SaaS company. The former relies more on TikTok and Instagram as opposed to the latter which likely uses Twitter as well as LinkedIn most often.
This is because these channels are more suited for their audience: B2C brands want to interact with customers in person while B2B SaaS firms seek to engage with professionals in the industry that have longer sales cycles and larger decision makers.
Tips on content strategy for SaaS companies
Let's look at some content strategy tips for SaaS marketers in 2023.
Learn all about your audience
Before making content, it is essential to understand who you're talking to and what they're expecting from your company. For this, you must conduct market research and speak with potential customers or users of your products or services. Learn what kind of data they are looking for and how they consume it in the form of audio, video or via texts.
Create personas that represent your target audience's interests and requirements. Use those personas to help you make, design, and structure your content.
Conducting feedback surveys is a different option to get to know your customers. Surveys on feedback are helpful because they allow you to gather the thoughts and opinions from real customers to help shape future products and services.
Pro Tip:Look at Google Trends for your industry's keywords and use this data to determine which topics you'll cover in your blog posts or social media updates.
Updating what you have
For SaaS organizations, re-creating your content is a good option to keep your high-value content that is relevant and searchable.
As you publish written and videos, be aware of when it goes live, and track its usage as well as its impact. Each quarter, you should review your library for signs of declines in user engagement and prioritize those content for changes. Also, as your product evolves and grows it is important to ensure your library corresponds to the appropriate features and images.
Also, you can update existing content by adding new data and resources. This will make it more useful to visitors who might have looked for similar information in the past but weren't able to find what they needed on your site.
Prioritize distribution
If you don't make a plan to distribute your content, it will not be seen by users who require it the most. It's essential to identify the places where your intended audience hangs around online, be it websites, social media sites or even discussion forumscreate strategies to getting them to visit your site.
Find out which metrics are important to you.
It's crucial to determine which metrics matter for you, and also how you can measure them.
If your objective is to raise awareness about your brand that will benefit your audience and increase customer retention. Content marketing is 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 your target audience.
If you're looking to increase leads the content you create for marketing focus on bottom-of-the-funnel (BOFU) information that includes product details and opens in your points of conversion (e.g., demo requests or trial registrations that are free). Additionally, you can supplement your content strategies with advertisements that are paid to bring additional traffic to these assets as well as help you generate leads that are qualified.
Produce unique, data-driven content
Data-driven content is a powerful method of sharing insights with your audience. It's also a great option to stand out from the competition.
SaaS businesses have an advantage in this regard because they have access to a wealth of information regarding their customers and potential clients. By leveraging that data, you can create material that is directly addressed to them and helps them solve the issues they face.
SaaS marketer and the founder of AdEspresso Massimo Chieruzzi believes that AI-based writing tools will soon commoditize the production of content. And often, the production quality of these software tools will surpass those of copywriters. One way of beat the AI is to develop unique content.
"Quality can be a lot of items. It can include thought leadership with a unique (and why not controversial) viewpoint in the market. It can also be writing information-driven content using SaaS internal data ."
Massimo shares that at AdEspresso, they initially invested in writing content analyzing millions of dollars in Facebook Ads managed through the platform. This strategy paid off by building the brand's image by establishing trust, attracting return visitors and also attracting numerous backlinks.
Wrapping around
2023 will focus on offering your customers and prospects with relevant and unique content in multiple formats--including, and especially videos. SaaS customers are active and require content that has longevity and an original point of view.
Videos reflect your company's image and allow you to stand out against your competition, but keep in mind that if you offer specific, targeted information that gives someone real worth, you'll be able to beat the competition in content marketing.