Your SaaS Content Marketing Playbook to help you create better B2B marketing

Many SaaS (software as services) firms focus on short-term outcomes. In fact, we've been taught to focus on the immediate increasing customers, speedier revenue, and for certain companies...sheer volumes! The king of volume was (yes as was content).

However, the landscape is changing. SaaS companies are facing lower budgets, as well as an uncertain climate where each effort counts. This means that B2B marketers must to do more with less. The truth is that marketing based on volume doesn'ta last, a long-lasting, intent-driven marketing strategy make.

A better way to approach SaaS content marketing. In this article we'll explore what's been overlooked in content marketing and hear from real-world marketers who have tried and tested new channels as well as strategies that you can take and run with.

The B2B Content Marketing Playbook

1.     What's new in SaaS the world of marketing content
2.     The most effective strategies to market SaaS Content Marketing
3.     SaaS marketing content Examples to look at
4.     Content marketing using video to B2B SaaS
5.     Content strategy strategies to SaaS companies
6.     Closing up

What's the issue with SaaS marketing for content?

Here we'll take a look at some tired media marketing techniques that we wouldn't advocate.

Cold outbound email that has no additional content

For those not acquainted about the idea A cold pitch typically sent as an outreach email without any supporting material or value proposition. Prospects don't understand why or how to reply to the message and isn't given motivation to purchase your product or service. offer.

The strategy may have been successful in the past , when customers were more open to sales offers and were constantly lured to buy however, it's not working anymore. Prospects today are being bombarded with such emailsand many people aren't interested since they aren't providing real benefit or information about what you're offering could provide to them.

Phil Strazzulla, the co-founder of SelectSoftware Reviews, a website that aims to help HR professionals locate and buy the most effective SaaS platforms, agrees:

"The most unproductive method in 2023 will be cold-outbound mail that is without assistance. Everybody receives too many emails from people we don't know due to programs like Outreach, Apollo, and SalesLoft that allow you to automate and expand email marketing campaigns that are outbound."

He also said "Marketing teams must combine this method with advertising for brand targeted at the same customers, efforts to call, as well as offline mailer marketing campaigns if the budget will allow it."

Content that is generic isn't targeted at viewers in a specific method

There's a tendency to think that any item of content will be appropriate for everyone. However, it's not the case. Your audience has different needs so you have to modify your content according to the demands of your viewers and perhaps push them to the limit.

B2B buyers want details on how they can use your service or product to resolve their issues. They're looking for evidence that it is working, but they also require tips on how make use of it more effectively.

One of the best examples can be found in HubSpot. The HubSpot blog provides a reference for articles that directly solve common problems faced by their clients, which include online marketers, salespeople and professionals with regards to customer service.

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The content in long-form is to make a point

Long-form content won't go away in the near future, but it's hard to discern between the masses of potential customers and casual readers. It's unfortunate that a majority of B2B firms have similar content, which means that nurture sequences and gated sales aren't as effective they once did.

The same goes for longer articles like white papers or research reports. They are also difficult reads as they can be very technical, and are only relevant to a small number of potential buyers. Long case studies are valuable to build social proof, but could entice customers away. Are you looking to become just another open tab on a marketer's crowded screen?

If you've spent money on lengthy written material, consider repackaging the copy into short videos for quick access and circulation.

For instance, the Omniscient Digital company, which is a content marketing agency Omniscient Digital provides brief video case studies in addition to their usual written cases. This can be a wonderful way to showcase results without the need for people to take the time to read through the entire piece to see if they enjoy video (which most of us do).

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Emulating blindly competitors

It happens all the time it happens that a company starts blogs and then copies their competitors' blog posts every single one at a time. This is a popular SEO tactic and particularly common among companies who provide software to other businesses because the firms often see different SaaS companies as competitors, even though they're in different industries and.

Yash Chavan, who is the founder of the SaaS-based platform for influencer marketing Saral, is in agreement with the idea that the idea of copying blogs or businesses from other companies and about marketing isn't a good strategy. Chavan suggests:

"Understand that every single product's advertising product, the market and its products are different... therefore there are different ways to work with each. Make use of your strengths. For instance, if your product has great, unique details (e.g. the survey tool) make use of the tool to generate unique data. If your product selling involves inviting other people to purchase it, make the most of referrals to increase your sales. Avoid following what blogs on marketing tell what to do. "You are the one who is doing it!"

The most effective channels to market your SaaS content marketing

In the end, the most effective ways to reach your customers depend on the needs of your clients and their preferences, but there are four channels that could work well for SaaS content marketing--yes, including video!

1. SEO and the content are evergreen

Examples of content that are forever-green are:

• The contents of the item
• How-to-guides
• The best practices for the business
• Customer success stories and testimonials

In order to improve the search engine optimization of your website it is essential to increase your popularity on search engines such as Google as well as YouTube. It's a matter of creating backlinks (links from other sites) and creating engaging content, and including search terms in your article's title and body to enhance the relevance of your search engine.

2. Email

Marketing via email is among the oldest methods of marketing content, as well as is one of the most effective. As we discussed above the tactics used to market via email have been modified in the course of time (bye cold pitching and bye cold pitching) However, this method can still be a useful instrument for SaaS marketers.

Produce material that is able to meet the needs of each phase of the lifecycle of a customer -such as educating blog users and introducing new customers to the company with videos to reminding them about upcoming renewal dates, to offering discounts on upgrade discounts -- email lets you distribute it through specific campaign.

Email also provides a unique one-on-one experience between you and your prospects or customers...something SEO and social media lacks.

This illustration from Zoom shows the ways SaaS businesses can take advantage of email content for upgrades as well as renewals.

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3. Events (IRL as well as virtual)

Events for networking in person, such as or conference, although not as popular during the epidemic, are back and with a bang as individuals seek community and live celebrations.

Events can help you create connections with your clients and potential customers gain fresh insight into your industry and validate notions for new products and brand names and network with potential partners, influencers, and experts in the field.

4. Social media

• Utilize your company's Facebook Page or Twitter profile to communicate useful information to your targeted customers. The people who are following the page of your business on social media tend to believe in you, and they may make purchases from you in the future.
• Upload images (videos!) from people who use your service or product. Content made by users who are real will help customers feel attached to the company they use and like to know more.
• Get in touch with users who post comments on your posts or have questions via social media sites. It is possible to respond with a direct message to build more intentional relationships with prospects.
• Be sure to keep in mind influencers and the industry's top experts! Connect with them through social media and ask them if they would be willing to share their expertise with others via blog articles making videos, writing blog articles, or perhaps giving a talk at an event.

SaaS Content Marketing examples for you to learn from

HubSpot

Hubspot has published blog entries since the year 2014 and has since become one of the biggest success stories of storytelling in content marketing.

The business makes use of its blog posts to attract new customers and also provide value to existing customers. The marketing section of the blog covers issues like automation of marketing, social media marketing, blogging, and more.

What is it that makes HubSpot distinguish itself is its use of multiple formats.

For example, HubSpot uses a mixture of HubSpot ultimate guidebooks, podcasts and video included in blog posts to give users the choice of selecting.

HubSpot Academy is a further vital element of HubSpot's content strategy. It offers quick tutorials on everything from basic marketing skills like finding leads on social media, or making an email drip marketing campaign, all the way up to more advanced certificates like that of the Certified Inbound Marketing certification.

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Why it works:

• A focus on helping customers solve the real issues
• A variety of different types of content is appealing to various audiences and interests
• Genuine voice that doesn't try too too hard to come off as amusing or clever.

Microsoft

In its Office 365 blog, Microsoft has put together a library of useful content that will help users understand their product features and usage scenarios as well as provide them with suggestions about how to make the most of their subscriptions.

Microsoft has done a fantastic job with its Microsoft 365 University site. Microsoft has developed an interactive community for students as well as teachers to learn more about Microsoft 365 features and services.

They also offer the online course " Create Your First App," where you can learn how develop applications using Visual Studio Code and Azure DevOps Services.

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The reasons it works:

Microsoft had its sights set on the creation of an eBook or video collection which would be available for 18 months while letting consumers browse the content whenever they want. This eliminates the need to produce new content all the time and allows Microsoft to focus on addressing requirements of its customers.

Adobe

Adobe is launching CMO.com, a publication/magazine that offers value to its readers with articles that cover the top topics that matter to digital managers. It features articles written by experts who are experts on topics and also opinions from Adobe regarding the latest technology, products and technological developments in business.

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It's an excellent instance of the way SaaS companies can use content marketing to improve relationships with customers that will result in increased sales.

What is the reason it works?

The reason is that CMO's content is not product-specific. This means that they aren't focussing on their business's products or services. Its content is solely focused on current trends, challenges and opportunities in preventing the digital disruption.

SARAL

SARAL is an influencer marketing platform which connects brands and influencers. Their blog is an excellent source of information about the intricacies that influencer marketing has to offer. The blog isn't just for advertising the services they offer, but helping its customers (marketers) create successful campaigns.

The CEO of the business does not just write blog articles and spreads the news of his two primary concepts through more than 50 social media channels on weekly basis - thus reaching an even larger audience.

The reason why it works

Yash Chavan the co-founder of Saral claims that switching his focus not just to write two blogs every week, and focusing on the advertising two concepts on 50 social channels significantly impacted the way he approached content marketing.

Chavan carried out an experiment that demonstrated that the site's traffic fell by 35% after the content was not shared over the course of a month. He also counsels new SaaS marketers and founders to make high-quality content instead of a lot of material that's poor quality, and to share the content as widely as feasible.

Marketing via video content for B2B SaaS

Video content marketing is a powerful tool to use to promote B2B and B2C companies. That said, the content that you create may not be able to meet the requirements for B2B and B2C (i.e. educational or. to entertain).

In reality, HubSpot Blog Research observed that 15 percent of B2B marketers consider creating thought leadership to be a major purpose for their video marketing strategy compared to only 9 percent of B2C marketers.

Here are some more methods which B2B SaaS companies use videos in a manner that's more successful in comparison to B2C enterprises:

• 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 run a B2C company, your social media strategy could differ from the one used by an B2B SaaS company. It is the former that depends on TikTok along with Instagram and Facebook, as opposed to the latter, which most likely uses Twitter as well as LinkedIn frequently.

The reason is that these channels better suit the customers they serve: B2C brands want to engage with customers directly and directly, while B2B SaaS companies want to engage with professionals in the field with longer selling cycles, as well as bigger decision makers.

Tips for content strategy SaaS businesses

Let's look at some content strategy tips for SaaS marketers in 2023.

Learn details about the people you are targeting

Prior to creating content, you need to know who you're talking to and what they want from your company. To do this, conduct research on the market and then talk about potential buyers or consumers of your services or products. Find out what information they require and the way they use it , whether in video, audio or text messages.

Create personas that represent the preferences of your target viewers and their needs. Use those personas as a guideline on how you can create, design, and format your content.

Giving feedback surveys is an alternative method of getting familiar with the customers that use your products. The surveys on feedback can be helpful because they allow you to collect the thoughts and opinions of actual customers in order to shape the future of your products and services.

Professional Tip:Look at Google Trends to find your keywords for your specific industry and use this data to decide what topics you'll discuss on your blog and in social media blog posts.

Making the necessary changes to what you've got

For SaaS enterprises, regularly the process of updating your content is good option to keep the high-value content you publish discoverable.

If you're publishing video and written content, you should be aware of when the content goes live, be aware of its popularity and impact. Each quarter, you should go through your library to spot any decreases in engagement and prioritize the relevant content to be updated. If your product is growing and develops, be sure your content reflect the latest attributes of your product as well as suitable imagery.

Also, you can make changes to your current content by adding fresh content and details. This can be beneficial for those who have looked for similar information in the past but did not find what they were looking for on your site.

Prioritize distribution

If you don't already have a strategy to disseminate your material, it's likely not reach those who need the most of it. It's essential to identify the locations where your desired audience hangs around online, whether that's social media websites, sites for blogs or even discussion forumscreate ways to get them to visit your site.

Make sure you are aware of the metrics that matter to you.

It is crucial to know the metrics that matter to you and the best way to gauge them.

There is a chance that you want to build brand awareness and offer the best value for your customers as well as increase retention. Content marketing is an excellent method to accomplish these goals particularly when you employ a well-planned strategy and produce high-quality content which will resonate with the target audience.

If you're trying to generate leads, your content marketing must focus on bottom of the funnel (BOFU) content that contains information about the product and leads to your conversion points (e.g. demo request or registrations for trial trials). In addition, you could enhance the effectiveness of your content marketing plan through paid advertising in order to boost traffic to these websites and help in generating qualified leads.

Produce unique, data-driven content

Data-driven content is an effective way to convey the latest insights to your customers. It is also a great option to stand out against your competition.

SaaS businesses have an advantage with regard to this since they are able to access an array of details regarding the customers they serve and prospective clients. This information allows them to design content that is tailored to their requirements and assist them in solving their issues.

SaaS marketer who is also co-founder AdEspresso Massimo Chieruzzi believes that AI-based software for writing will be soon used for monetizing the production of content. Many times the output quality of the software will be better than those of copywriters. The only way to be competitive against AI is to create distinctive material.

"Quality can refer to a range of things. This could refer to the thought leadership of a new (and therefore isn't controversial) view of the market. You can also develop content that is data-driven using SaaS internally-developed databases . "

Massimo says that in AdEspresso the company first invested in the writing of articles that looked at the millions of Facebook ads that were managed by the platform. This strategy paid off by aiding in building the brand's reputation by creating trust, getting back customers, and also gaining a lot of backlinks.

The closing is around

2023 will be focused on providing prospects and your customers unique and relevant content in multiple types of formats, especially video. SaaS customers are engaged and demand content that has a shelf-life and has a distinctive POV.

Videos are your branding and can help you differentiate yourself against the competition. However, ensure you provide specific, targeted material that is of real worth. You'll be in a position to outdo your competitors in the field of advertising through content.

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