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SummaryDigital marketing is constantly evolving - online businesses, especially those providing software as a service, must constantly find new ways to engage their audience to increase leads. Generating traffic to a business website and turning visitors into leads remains the biggest challenge for B2B businesses today .

This white paper explains the source of this problem by diving into how digital content marketing often used inefficiently. It will then outline an efficient method to develop an effective and efficient content marketing strategy that best fits SaaS businesses by breaking down the following:

Figuring out an appropriate target audience

Best practices for long-form blog posts

How to develop white papers or eBooks

Creating compelling case studies

Developing a highly converting email sales funnel

Repurposing the above content for maximum ROI

Finding a proficient writer to provide effective content

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A Missed OpportunityThe number of SaaS businesses and startups is constantly growing, making it increasingly difficult to stand out from the crowd.

According to a market research performed by Cobloom, SaaS businesses can stand out with content marketing for the following reasons :

Top performing SaaS blogs get an average of 45,700 organic visits per month

Blogs with an educational focus receive 14% more organic traffic compared to blogs solely focused on PR

Top performing blog posts are 20% longer than the worst performing posts and 12% longer than the average

However, many SaaS businesses are not using content marketing to its full efficiency :

Only 24% of SaaS companies are creating educational content on their blog

11% of SaaS companies currently don’t have a blog at all

This outlines the problem with content marketing in the SaaS industry - many businesses either do not use content marketing or use it ineffectively.

Industry Issues at a Glance

61% of businesses say their top challenge is generating traffic and leads

40% struggle at getting a response from prospects compared to previous years

30% struggle with closing deals with prospects

48% want to improve the efficiency of their sales funnel

According to Hubspot’s research on the state of inbound marketing in 2018, the highest quality leads are generated from inbound content marketing - in fact, this figure grew from 52% in 2016 to 60% in 2018.

Additionally, 38% of customers rely on eBooks, blog posts, white papers, and case studies to make a decision about a purchase. The only larger influences on purchases are word of mouth (55%) and customer references (46%).

What does this mean? Misusing or lacking efficient content marketing is a huge missed opportunity to solve the industry’s largest challenge - generating quality leads.

How can SaaS companies generate the best content for an increase in quality lead generation?

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1 Finding Your Target AudienceIn order for marketing content to make its mark, it needs to be tailored to a specific audience.

Content targeted at a general audience will cast too wide of a net, making it difficult to attract qualifying leads.

To find your business’s target audience, develop a buyer persona of your ideal client by asking the following questions :

1. What pain points does your client suffer from?

2. What motivates your client?

3. What are your client’s goals?

4. Which demographic does your client belong to? (Age, gender, country of origin, etc)

5. What is your client’s occupation without the targeted business? (CEO, engineer, etc)

6. Does your client have any hobbies? If so, what are they?

Based on the answer to these questions, you should come up with a concrete example of the ideal client for your business. The content you produce should be targeted specifically to this persona by:

• Solving their specific pain points

• Delve on topics that interest them

• Voiced to their demographic

Content targeted to any other type of audience will most likely fail to generate as many qualified leads.

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Long-Form Blog PostsAs a SaaS business, you have helpful expertise on a specific subject. No matter your niche and your audience, someone can benefit from the expertise you have to offer.

However, providing valuable content for your target audience will benefit your business as well. How?

Boost Your SEO Score

Quality content is one of the main factors for SEO in 2018 . Using appropriate keywords may still be important, but a keyword-optimized blog post without value no longer fools search engines.

Increased Discoverability

A SaaS website containing several blog posts has more chances of being discovered by potential pre-qualified leads - if they are searching online for a solution to a problem and your blog comes up, your brand can become a go-to platform for their questions and needs. And since 89% of B2B buyers turn to Google when they need to solve an issue, this is a highly likely situation .

Nurturing Trust

Prospects who constantly come back to your blog to find valuable content will come to view your brand as a trustworthy expert in your niche. When choosing their next SaaS solution, they will remember your expertise.

A Successful Business BlogContains several longer than average posts

As mentioned previously, longer blog posts perform better than the average. This is because longer content has more space to provide in-depth discussions about a subject.

Has a healthy balance of educational vs PR content

A blog oversaturated with PR and promotional posts will most likely turn off your audience since they are not getting much value from this type of content. Constantly being bombarded with promotions will hurt their trust in your brand.

Provides real value for your audience

True value leaves readers with knowledge and takeaways they did not previously have. If your audience reads your blog and does not learn anything new, this most likely means they are mostly fluff or re-hashed content. Long-form blog posts do not serve their purpose if they only contain fluff.

Has a consistent posting schedule

By gaining the trust of your audience, you also set up their expectations - loyal readers will constantly come back to your blog for more. Provide them with a consistent posting schedule to ensure they make your blog a part of their routine.

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3 White PapersIn his book on white papers, Gordon Graham defines this format as the King of Content and describes them as “a persuasive essay that uses facts and logic to promote a certain product, service, or solution to a problem” .

Typically, white papers are between 6 to 12 pages long and serve to establish your brand as an authority figure in your industry by providing solid, fact-based solutions.

A white paper provides a valuable resource for your leads and prospects to make a decision when they need to make their next purchase. If your business can prove its authority by producing a quality white paper, they will know you are a trustworthy brand that can provide the service they need.

Dos and Don’ts of White Papers

• DO use hard facts, statistics, and logic to persuade your audience

• DON’T use a conversational, opinionated voice

• DO offer a solution to an industry problem using your expertise

• DON’T directly promote your service

• DO update your white paper every 2-3 years at the minimum

• DON’T use outdated information (over 10 years old)

4 Case StudiesBecause the highest influencer on purchases remains word of mouth, it is clear that buyers need social proof before choosing their choice of SaaS providers.

Case studies are a showcase of your happy clients - they tell the story of how your service solved their problem or helped grow their business.

They are typically 1 to 2 pages long and contain visual elements like photos and graphs.

Tips to Nail Your Case Studies

• Approach the success story from a specific angle to tell a focused story

• Make sure the writer of the case study is the person who interviews your client directly

• Write in an engaging voice to capture the attention of the reader and make them want to know what happens next

Without case studies in their content marketing strategy, SaaS businesses are lacking one of the most cost-effective content types available . Long-form blog posts may help to nurture the trust of your leads, but case studies are the only concrete proof of the results your services can provide.

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5 Email CampaignTo ensure potential prospects become engaged leads, your business needs to absorb them in an email campaign. This campaign serves many purposes, but its main goal is to funnel your prospects into leads, and your leads into buyers.

Why are email campaigns an effective form of content marketing?

• The average ROI of email is 4x higher than other marketing formats at 122%

• A responsive, behavior-targeted email campaign is a perfect way to directly engage with leads

• Email can provide a follow-up to other content your website provides - this ensures your leads are continually engaged with your brand

• An effective email campaign can stitch the rest of your content together to create a highly converting sales funnel

How can SaaS businesses produce high-quality email campaigns for their leads?

• Provide helpful, exclusive content to cultivate loyalty from your readers

• Make sure your emails are more than product pitches - as with blog posts, maintain a sensible ratio between promotional and valuable content

• Optimize your email formats for mobile - this is how many millennials read their email, and millennials make up nearly half of B2B researchers

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Repurposing Content for Maximum ROICreating quality content can be a hefty investment of resources, especially for startups.

This is why repurposing content is the key to an effective content marketing strategy. Each piece of content should be polyvalent, as well as dedicated to a particular step of your sales funnel.

Repurposing Long-Form Blog Posts

Convert to an Ebook

Long-form blog posts make great eBooks due to their length and level of detail. Make sure to add visual elements if the original post did not contain many images.

Your Ebook can be used as a lead magnet on your website to generate leads.

Use Snippets in Email Campaign

A sub-section of your post can be used as is or slightly reworked to be added to an email - if the text is standalone, the snippet can be a standalone email, otherwise make sure to add more copy for context.

Repurposing White Papers

Series of Blog Posts

Separate the subsections of your white paper and develop a blog post series. Feel free to simplify its content and adapt the tone of the copy if your white paper is highly technical.

Use Snippets in Email Campaign

Use interesting facts and statistics from your white paper when developing your email copy to improve conversion rate, saving research time.

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Repurposing Case Studies

Implement in a White PaperWhite papers are based on facts and logic. Your case studies are real and honest experiences that help support your white paper’s claims.

Use Snippets in Email CampaignInserting powerful social proof into your email copy will help your conversion rate - make sure to use snippets and keep it brief.

Develop Into a Blog PostRework the format of your case study - instead of having 2 pages with sidebars and multiple columns, shape your text and visuals as a blog post.

Developing a Sales Funnel

Top of the Funnel

The purpose of the top of the funnel is to capture prospects and convert them into leads.

• Share blog posts on social media to attract prospects

• Offer white papers as lead magnets on your website to capture your prospects’ email

• Provide an introduction to your email campaign when leads access your lead magnet

Middle of the Funnel

This is the time to nurture your leads and develop trust.

• Provide valuable tips that relate to your lead magnet and your services through an email campaign

• Continue providing valuable, in-depth blog posts

Bottom of Funnel

At this stage, leads have gained your trust and know everything they need to know about your product or service.

• Use case studies as social proof

• Provide a call to action through your email campaign

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7 Find a Great WriterHaving a solid content marketing strategy is not enough to boost your sales - your content must be top-notch quality and consistent across platforms.

Your SaaS business needs a great writer to produce this type of content. When looking for your writer(s), make sure they have the following:

A real name and face - do not present themselves anonymously

A professional attitude

Use a professional website with a custom domain to offer their services

Reply quickly to emails and calls

Take their business seriously

An understanding of content marketing, not just how to write the content itself

Testimonials or case studies of their previous clients

An ability to develop ideas for your content on their own

Beware of the following:

• Writers who do not treat their work as a business - how can you expect them to take your business seriously if they do not take themselves seriously?

• Pitches filled with typos - this shows that the writer will need constant proofreading to provide quality work

• Generalist writers - your business needs someone who knows the SaaS industry and can provide content targeted to your audience

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About the AuthorCharlene Boutin is a B2B freelance writer and blogger behind Kinetic Content, a business specialized in creating engaging SaaS content for all stages of a sales funnel.

To find out more about Charlene’s services and how she can help boost your business,

Click here

Sources https://www.stateofinbound.com/ https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/the-changing-face-b2b-marketing/ https://www.cobloom.com/blog/saas-content-marketing https://thatwhitepaperguy.com/white-papers-versus-case-studies/ https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/seo https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/the-changing-face-b2b-marketing/ https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/buyer-persona-definition-under-100-sr