Your SaaS Content Marketing Toolkit to help you achieve more B2B B2B Marketing
Many SaaS (software as an service) firms focus on short-term wins. We've all been taught to focus on the short term. More customers, more sales, and for some companies...sheer volume! Volume was King (yes it was the same as content).
But the times are changing. SaaS companies are faced with shrinking budgets and a turbulent market where every single effort is highly valued. Translation: B2B marketers can do more with less. Volume plays don'ta sustainable, intent-driven marketing plan make.
There's a better approach to SaaS Content Marketing. In this article, we'll look at what's been discarded in the world of marketing content. You'll also learn about the experiences of real marketers who have tested and proved new channels and methods to take and run with.
A B2B Content Marketer's Playbook
- What's old in SaaS the world of content marketing
- The most efficient method to promote SaaS advertising and content
- SaaS marketing content instances to note
- Content marketing using video to B2B SaaS
- Content strategy ideas for SaaS firms
- Closing up
What's wrong with SaaS advertising of Content?
Let's look at some of the most abused media marketing techniques that we wouldn't advocate.
Cold outbound emails that are no supporting information
For those who aren't familiar of the concept Cold pitches are typically sent as an outreach email that doesn't include any supporting material or value proposition. Prospects don't understand why or what to do or respond, and isn't given an incentive to purchase your product or service.
This approach may have worked in the past when people had more openness to sales messages and always primed to buy, but it doesn't work anymore. Customers are continually being bombarded with these emails and a lot of them ignore them because they don't provide any real value or provide any information regarding what your product can provide to customers.
Phil Strazzulla, the creator of SelectSoftware Reviews, a website designed to aid HR professionals find and purchase the best SaaS platforms. He agrees with:
"The least effective method in 2023 is cold outbound emails with no support. Everybody receives too many emails that come from strangers we've never met due to programs like Outreach, Apollo, and SalesLoft which make it easy to automate and expand outbound email campaigns."
The writer added "Marketing teams must use this method in conjunction with brand advertisements targeted at those same clients as well as campaign calls as well as offline mailer campaigns if your budget supports the effort."
Generic content that doesn't address a specific audience
It's easy to imagine that every content will work across the entire audience. However this isn't the case. Your target audience has specific requirements, and that's why you have to customize the content you create to accommodate or exceed them.
B2B buyers want details on how best to utilize your product or service to resolve their issues. They're looking for evidence that it's effective However, they are also looking for tips to make the most of the product or service to its fullest.
One of the best examples is HubSpot. HubSpot's blog HubSpot blog features posts that address the questions that concern their readers, which include web-based salespeople, marketers as well as customer service specialists.
Content in long-form for the sake of it
Long-form content won't disappear anytime soon, but it's rarely a stand-out in the eyes of busy prospective customers and casual subscribers. Unfortunately, many B2B companies have similar content, and nurture sequences and gated offers aren't as effective they used to.
This is the case for lengthy documents such as research papers or white papers. They are also difficult reading because they're highly technical and only appealing to just a few potential customers. Long case studies are valuable for social proofbut they can also lose a prospect's limited attention. Nobody wants to become just another window open in the busy desktop of a marketer?
If you've invested money in long-winded written content, think about repackaging it into short videos to make it easier for people to consume and distribute.
As an example, the Omniscient Digital company, which is a content marketing agency Omniscient Digital offers short video case studies in along with their standard written case study. It is an excellent way to showcase results without requiring people to take the time to read the entire piece in case they enjoy video (which the majority of users would).
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Emulating blindly competitors
It's all too common: a company creates an online blog, and it replicates the blog posts of competitors in a series of one-by-one copies. It's a common SEO conten tplay and is most common among businesses that sell software to other businesses as those companies often view other SaaS companies as competitors even though they're operating in various business areas and.
Yash Chavan, who is the creator of the SaaS-based Influencer Marketing Platform Saral is of the belief that using other brands or marketing blogs isn't an effective approach. Chavan suggests:
"Understand that all products marketing, market, and products are different... that's why there are different strategies to work for every one of them. Make use of your strengths. If, for instance, your software is able to collect great new information (e.g. Survey tool) and then you can use that data to develop new information. If your offering requires inviting others to join it, you can use referrals as a strategy. Do not follow what the websites on marketing tell that you do. You decide!"
The most effective channels to use for SaaS content marketing
The most efficient methods to communicate with your customers are based on the needs of your clients and their demands, but there are four ways to prove effective and be employed for SaaS marketing with content, and yes even videos!
1. SEO and content that is evergreen
Examples of such material are:
- Product content
- Guides to how-to
- Industry-leading practices
- Customer success stories and testimonials
In order to expose your information to the search engines, it is necessary to increase its visibility to search engines for example, Google as well as YouTube. This means making backlinks (links from other websites) and crafting persuasive texts, and adding search terms to the body and titles of your articles to make it more relevant on the search engines.
2. Email
Marketing via email is among the most traditional forms of content marketing and it is one of the most efficient. We've discussed it before strategies used to promote emails have changed over time (bye cold pitching and bye cold pitching), but the medium is still extremely useful for SaaS marketers.
In the process of producing relevant content, we must meet the requirements of all aspects of the lifecycle of a customerincluding nurturing blog users to onboarding and educating new users through video, to reminding them about upcoming renewal dates and offering exclusive discount coupons for upgrades -- it is possible to distribute your messages to customers through targeted campaign.
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 will show how SaaS businesses can benefit by email-based content to facilitate upgrades and renewals.
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3. Events (IRL or virtual)
Events that are held in person, such as networking events, conferences and seminars, although they were not popular during the outbreak, they have returned and in full force since people want parties and social gatherings which are live.
These events allow you to establish relationships with potential and existing customers, as well as clients, gain fresh insights on your market and also validate the validity of any brand or product concepts, as well as network with potential partners, influencers and professionals from the field.
4. Social media
- Use your company's Facebook page or Twitter account to share valuable information with your target public. Users who like your page's social media are opting to stay loyal to you and might purchase from your company sometime in the near future.
- Upload content (videos!) from customers who are using your product or service. The genuine content of users can make customers feel more at ease with your business and would like to know more.
- Get in touch with the people who post comments on your posts or have queries via the social media channels. Respond to them via an email to create stronger relations with customers you are considering.
- Be sure to keep in mind influencers and business experts! Connect with them on social media platforms, and ask whether they'd like in sharing their knowledge by writing blog posts and videos or giving a talk at an event.
SaaS Content Marketing examples for you to learn from
HubSpot
Hubspot is producing blog content since 2014 and has grown into one of the top examples of success in content marketing.
The blog is used by the company to provide material to draw in new prospects as well as in order to offer value to its current customers. Marketing on the blog is covered by subjects including marketing automation and social media marketing. blogging.
What distinguishes HubSpot different is that it uses multiple types of formats.
As an example, HubSpot uses a mixture of HubSpot ultimate guides, podcasts as well as videos in blog posts to offer its customers with a choice.
HubSpot Academy is a different important component of HubSpot's Content strategy. The Academy online provides short classes on everything from the basics of marketing concepts like getting leads from social media or creating an email drip marketing campaign and on up to advanced certifications like The Certified Inbound Marketer distinction..
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The reasons it works:
- A focus on helping customers solve the real issues
- Variety of various kinds of content that appeal to various kinds of audience and driving
- Genuine voice that doesn't try to try too too hard to come off as funny or clever
Microsoft
In its Office 365 blog, Microsoft has built a site of informational content to assist users to understand their service features and usage scenarios and offers them tips for getting the most out of the subscriptions they have.
Microsoft has also done an excellent job on its Microsoft 365 University website. Microsoft has developed an online community to help teachers and students to understand the basics of Microsoft 365 products and services.
Also, you can take an online course called " Create Your First App," where students learn how develop apps using Visual Studio Code and Azure DevOps Services.
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Why it works:
Microsoft concentrated on creating an eBook or video collection that could last for up to 18 months, permitting customers to peruse the contents at any time they want. This eliminates the need to develop constantly new content and lets Microsoft concentrate on fulfilling demands of customers.
Adobe
Adobe developed CMO.com, a publication/magazine that offers the reader with value through content that cover the most crucial issues for digital leaders. It includes essays by thought-leaders on the topic and also opinions from Adobe on technology, products as well as industry-specific trends.
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It's an excellent illustration of how SaaS enterprises can leverage content marketing to drive and improve customer relationships that can lead to increased sales.
The reasons why it is effective
It's because CMO's content is non-product-specific, which means they aren't focusing on their company's products or services. Its content is solely concerned with trends, challenges and possibilities to avoid the disruption of digital.
SARAL
SARAL is a reputable marketing platform that connects influential people to brands. Their blog offers valuable info about the specifics of marketing via influencers. It is not just for promoting the products as well as to assist its intended audience (marketers) to create effective campaigns.
The founder of the business doesn't simply post blog posts He also promotes two concepts across 50 social media channels every week. This means he can reach a larger public.
What is the reason it works?
Yash Chavan Saral's founder as CEO has stated that changing his attention from writing two blogs per week to the promotion of two ideas on fifty social networks has significantly altered the way he markets content.
Chavan conducted an experiment which showed that traffic to the website dropped by 35% when the content was not distributed for an entire month. He also counsels new SaaS entrepreneurs and marketing managers to create high-value content instead of a lot of low quality and to share it as widely as they can.
Marketing content using video B2B SaaS
Video content marketing is an effective tool for B2B as well as B2C companies. The content that you produce might have specific goals to B2B and B2C (i.e. education vs. engage).
In actual fact, HubSpot Blog Research found that 15percent of B2B marketers consider the creation of thought leadership as the primary goal of their video marketing strategies in contrast to only 9 per cent from B2C marketers.
Here are a few more ways that B2B SaaS businesses can make use of video content in a way that's more successful over B2C firms:
- Explainer videos
- Product demos
- Live streamed events
- Video clips of product
- Behind-the-scenes videos
- Testimonials from our customers and personal stories
If you're running an B2C firm and you're operating as a B2C company, your strategy for social media usage is most likely to differ from the one of those of an B2B SaaS company. The former relies more on TikTok along with Instagram and the latter will likely use Twitter and LinkedIn more often.
This is due to the fact that these channels are better suited for their audience: B2C brands want to meet with customers in person and B2B SaaS firms are trying to connect with industry professionals with more time to sell , and are more decision-makers.
Content strategy tips for SaaS business
Let's look at some tips on content strategy to SaaS marketers in 2023.
Know all you can about your target public
When creating content, it is essential be aware of who you're writing about and what they're looking for from you. To do this, conduct market research and speak to potential clients or customers of your goods or services. Learn what kind of information they're seeking and how they prefer consuming it, whether through video, audio or even texts.
Create personas that represent your intended audience's preferences as well as needs. You can use these personas as a guideline for how you create designs, present and design your material.
Feedback surveys is another method to learn more about your customers. These surveys are beneficial since they permit you to gather the opinions and thoughts of actual users in order to develop the layout of future products and services.
Pro TIP:Look at Google Trends to find your keywords for your particular industry and this will help you decide what topics you'll discuss in your blog posts or social media updates.
Change your existing information
For SaaS companies, making changes to your content is an effective method of ensuring your content's relevance and discoverable.
When you create written or videos, you should be aware when your content becomes online and track its usage as well as its impact. Each quarter, examine your library and identify drops in the number of viewers and prioritize these content for upgrades. When your product develops and develops, make sure that your website is in line with the latest features of your product as well as the appropriate images.
Also, you can update current content, by adding new information and information sources. This makes it more relevant to users who might have searched for similar information in the past but didn't find what they were looking for on your site.
Prioritize distribution
If you don't make plans on how to share your material, it may never be seen by the individuals who need the most of it. It's essential to identify what areas of your market is on the internet whether it's on websites, social media platforms or chat groupscreate strategies to connecting with them on those platforms.
Make sure you are aware of the metrics which are important to you.
It is important to understand what metrics are important to you and how to gauge these.
It is possible that you want to raise awareness about your brand and offer value to visitors to your website and to increase retention. Content marketing is an effective way of achieving your objectives you'd like to attain, specifically when you take a planned strategy and develop high-quality material that can resonate with your target audience.
If you're hoping to bring in leads, then your content marketing approach should focus on bottom of the funnel (BOFU) content that naturally has product details and is set in your points of conversion (e.g. Demo request, trial registrations that are free). You can also increase the effectiveness of your content marketing plan with paid ads to increase visitors to these websites and aid in the generation of qualified leads.
Produce unique, data-driven content
Data-driven content is a great method of delivering the most recent data to your customers. Also, it's a fantastic method to distinguish yourself against your competitors.
SaaS businesses have an edge in this field due to their access to an array of details regarding the customers they serve and prospective clients. By leveraging that data they can create material specifically targeted at their customers and assists them in solving their issues.
SaaS marketer and the founder of AdEspresso Massimo Chieruzzi believes that writing instruments based on AI will soon commoditize content production. Most of the time, the writing quality produced by these instruments will exceed that of most copywriters. The only way to compete with the AI is to create a unique materials.
"Quality could refer to a variety of aspects. It can represent an opinion-maker with a distinctive (and surely not controversial) opinion on the field. This could also include writing information-driven content using SaaS internal database . "
Massimo claims that while the company was AdEspresso at the time, they first invested in the writing of articles which analysed millions of dollars of Facebook advertisements that are managed via the platform. This approach paid off in developing a reputation for the brand by building trust and attracting repeat users and also garnering many backlinks.
The wrapping the
2023 will be about providing your prospects and customers original and pertinent content in multiple formats--including, particularly videos. SaaS customers are active and require content that has an enduring value, as well as a distinct perspective.
Videos are a reflection of your brand's image and allow you to stand out against your competition, but remember -- when you offer targeted, personal content that provides someone with genuine worth, you'll be able to beat your competition in content marketing.
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