What is SaaS Content Marketing & Why is it Important?

91% of B2B companies recognize content marketing as fundamental within the SaaS niche.

Are you making common content marketing mistakes that other businesses do?

How you organize content affects outcomes, so brands come up with special plans.

This article will explain SaaS marketing and show you how you can use it to grow your business predictably.

Let’s begin!

What is SaaS Content Marketing?

SaaS content marketing is a strategy where you acquire, educate, convert, and keep ideal consumers.

It's a long-term strategy that necessitates creating regular high-value material.

Why Is Content Marketing Important for SaaS Companies?

Content marketing addresses the special demands of SaaS audiences and guides leads through the conversion funnel.

This is why content is a crucial element in the overall marketing strategy for any SaaS business. 

Here's what content marketing helps you with:

• Educates the Audience - With content marketing your SaaS company can teach your audience about challenges and how your solutions can help.
• Builds Trust and Credibility - If you create well-researched content, your SaaS company can position itself as an industry authority.
• Boosts Organic Growth - Proper content boosts your company's online presence, while SEO techniques help your content rank higher in search results.
• Offers Cost-effective Marketing - You can cut costs up to 62 percent less with content marketing while generating three times as many leads.
• Improves Retention and Upselling - Your content supports existing customers by offering ongoing assistance to maximize software value, paving the way for upselling.
• Enables Data-backed Decision-making - Based on user feedback, content analytics can guide you to refine marketing strategies and enhance your software.
• Provides a Competitive Advantage - Effective content marketing highlights SaaS value and clarifies why your solution stands out in a competitive market.

How is SaaS Content Marketing Different Compared to Other Industries?

SaaS organizations have a unique approach to content marketing.

It is known for its audience-focused approach, addressing their specific needs, pain points, and preferences.

Content varies depending on the company's niche:

• Healthcare content often adopts a formal tone due to its significance.
• E-commerce content aims for direct sales.
• SaaS content primarily focuses on educating and advising prospects about the value of the solution before purchase.

SaaS content also typically:

• Use accessible and inclusive language, avoiding jargon and buzzwords.
• Prioritize high-quality SaaS content.
• Present essential points first, then dig into details.
• Pinpoint current primary research and data, including statistics and real-world instances.
• Provide step-by-step guidance using tools and frameworks.
• Focus on the instructional element and offering first, with sales pitches following later.

What Function Do Search Engines Play in SaaS Content Marketing?

In short, a search engine uses machine learning to evaluate published content.

The main point is to create content that people will read. It's about connecting with possible customers and handling their immediate needs.

When you understand what Google is looking for, the importance of Pillar-Based Content Marketing (PBCM) becomes clear.

You may be thinking, "What exactly is pillar-based content marketing for?"

Use pillar-based marketing to create a content hub on your website.

Each new piece of content you create about a specific topic boosts the SEO power of your main pillar page.

Pillar content typically has titles like “B2B SaaS Content Marketing - Everything You Need to Know”, which signals to readers that content goes in-depth.

A standard PBCM structure includes around 10-20 connected pieces of content:

• One Main Pillar - At least a 3,000-word pillar thoroughly summarizes a large topic.
• A few Sub-pillars - Each should have around 2,000 words that explore specific aspects of the main topic.
• Other Supporting Blogs - Each is dedicated to answering a specific question about the pillar/sub-pillar themes.

In the end, each blog under a sub-pillar should be linked to each sub-pillar and the main pillar page.

The Three Components of an Effective SaaS Content Marketing Strategy

SaaS content creation and marketing rely on having a solid plan and executing it well based on these components:

🔑 Develop a Content Marketing Strategy Framework

A content marketing strategy framework acts as the foundation for executing your content plan. It should be well-planned with realistic and impactful outcomes.

To create a successful content marketing framework, ask key questions:

• “Who is this content for?” - Create an ideal customer profile to determine the desirable content type and suitable tone or voice.
• "What solutions/value can we offer?" - Prioritize your ideal customer pain points.
• “How are we going to do this?” - Develop your strategy, create a content calendar, and identify necessary individuals and teams for collaboration.
• “Who does what?” - To guarantee successful execution, everyone in the team must understand exactly what is expected from them and when.
• “When will the strategy be completed?” - Set clear timelines, as this ensures efficient content creation to reach your audience.

🔑 Follow Tested Methods to Develop a Plan

A good B2B SaaS content plan involves four main steps:

Step 1: Set Your Objectives - Sort your objectives so they deliver content that is aligned with your audience's needs.

Step 2: Develop a Content Roadmap - Google values content that is created for human readers, so develop a content roadmap or calendar to assign specific writing tasks. 

so create a content roadmap or calendar to assign specific tasks to writers.

Step 3: Write Your Content - After setting content objectives and topics, delegate tasks to kickstart content creation.

Step 4: Publish and Promote - Use social media platforms to raise brand awareness and broaden the reach of your content.

🔑 Distribute Team Members’ Roles and Responsibilities

You can do content marketing in-house, hire freelance authors, or use a B2B SaaS content marketing agency.

Different companies have different structures, but smaller firms will often benefit from a more streamlined structure.

Here are the primary roles and responsibilities to account for:

• Director of Content Marketing - This person is responsible for identifying and prioritizing content marketing objectives and assigning responsibilities within the team.
• Content Marketing Manager - Creates an actionable roadmap based on marketing objectives and distributes roles among team members.
• Content Writers - They develop the actual content that makes the entire plan function.
• Editors and Editorial Assistants - Editors handle copy-editing or proofreading, while editorial assistants manage content uploads, including hyperlinks and images.

Strategies for a Successful Content Approach in 2024

1. Generate Leads Through Content Marketing

The better your content marketing plan, the more leads you'll get.

Here are tips to ensure high lead rates:

• Begin extensive market research.
• Do proper keyword research.
• Videos are great at getting leads because social media is where everyone is these days.
• Satisfy your audience's search intent with meaningful content they wish to read.
• Create useful lead magnets.
• Craft and repurpose content.

2. Consider Adopting a Versatile Content Writer Team

To develop a high-performing content team, search for talented writers first.

Look for these attributes when recruiting writers:

• Do they have the industry knowledge to create authoritative content?
• Are they able to write high-quality and actionable content?
• Do they possess research and analytical skills?
• How much do they value collaboration?
• Can they proofread their work?
• Can they accept criticism and be willing to improve?

3. Prioritize Content Quality Over Quantity

Quality content should evoke emotion and prompt action.

Here’s a guideline to consider on how content affects your audience’s journey:

• Maintain Your Production Quality - Ensure top-notch technical quality and consistent style, tone, and quality across all content formats.
• Make Content Engaging and Clear - Hook your audience with the first few lines of text and ensure the overall experience is digestible to readers.
• Tend to be Original and Authentic - Create something that truly represents you, even if it goes against the norm.
• Measure the Performance - Analyze audience response to shape future content. Encourage feedback for valuable, constructive criticism.

4. Don’t Use Keyword Research as the Only Method to Generate Content

A survey reveals that 90% of businesses possess a customer insight report, with 95% of respondents considering them beneficial.

Keyword research is hands down the key source of new content ideas.

Because of AI's rapid advancement, consider more direct options like customer feedback to determine topics of interest.

Listening to customers reveals their genuine thoughts and emotions, uncovering unique content ideas not found through keyword analysis.

Consider customer insight reports for a deeper understanding of customer needs and motivations, benefiting both product and marketing strategies.

5. Diversify Your Content Strategy

When you diversify and mix up your strategy, you keep your present viewers interested and attract new audiences.

Here are some ideas on how to diversify your content:

• Social Media Diversification - Mastering social media helps engage current customers and attract new followers. Invest wisely in platforms preferred by your audience.
• Personalize Your Content - This affects customer buying behavior, increasing the chances of purchase which generates loyalty and long-term value.
• Explore Long-form Content - Besides blogs, focus on engaging content like webinars, podcasts, and YouTube videos.
• Experiment with Visual Content - Pick some of your top-performing blogs and repurpose them into educational, tutorial, introduction, or showcase videos.
• Try Interactive Content - 81% of marketers think Interactive content is better at getting people's attention than regular static content.

6. Perform Content Audits Every Quarter To Improve Your Content

61% of marketers do content audits twice or more each year.

The SaaS content audit can show you how your content performs in terms of traffic and conversions and help you figure out what needs fixing, improving, or removing.

This content audit checklist will help you understand the nature and relevance of your content:

• Identify Content Types - Categorize content types (blogs, articles, guides, etc.) to evaluate each one's performance separately.
• Evaluate Content Quality and Performance - Determine if the content is current and aligned with goals, answers audience needs, and how it performs.
• Assess for SEO Best Practices - Review content for SEO. Is it optimized for keywords and follows on-page SEO best practices?
• Determine Improvements to Implement  - Define what are the places that can be improved, and note down what should be updated for each piece of content

The main goal of a content audit is to find weaknesses in your content and adjust your content plan according to your website's marketing goals.

7. Measure Content Marketing ROI

Use this five-step process to calculate your content marketing ROI:

Step 1: What amount did you spend on content creation? Include tools and software, personnel salary, and outsourcing expenses.

Step 2: How much did you spend distributing your content? Include paid advertising, social media advertising, and the expense of tools and software.

Step 3: Add together your expenses to calculate the cost of producing your content. This represents your overall investment.

Step 4: Add all of the sales that occurred from the content. This is your return.

Step 5: Use the following method to calculate your content marketing ROI.

To Conclude

Content marketing is a lucrative long-term marketing technique.

Consistently providing high-quality, targeted content will pay off in the long run.

Need help developing regular content for your SaaS blog?

Omnius can help.

Schedule a 30-minute session to learn more about what is SaaS content marketing and how it can help you improve your business growth.