The Guide to B2B SaaS Content Marketing That Gets the Customers

Last updated on September 20th, 2024 at 12:11 am

Ever thought about snagging top-notch leads and boosting your sales with a solid B2B SaaS content marketing plan?

Sounds fantastic, doesn’t it?

That’s exactly what this blog is here for—arming you with the tips you need to use killer content that attracts your ideal customers at just the right moment for your SaaS business.

By aligning your content with a customer journey (yeah, it’s called the Customer Value Journey), you can zero in on prospects at every step.

Whether you’re teaching customers in the awareness phase or sealing the deal in the conversion stage, this strategy helps you craft content that connects and reels in customers.

Skip this strategy, and you might end up with content that misses the mark—leaving potential leads on the table and stalling your growth.

We don’t want that, do we?

Let’s dive in and see how you can streamline your content creation process to drive those all-important customer acquisitions!

What is B2B SaaS Content Marketing?

B2B SaaS content marketing is a smart way to create and share valuable stuff that speaks to a specific group.

The goal?

Attract, engage, and keep other businesses returning for more of your SaaS solutions.

It helps SaaS companies get more leads, keep customers interested, and boost brand awareness.

Why is this so important?

Content marketing is key to becoming a leader in your field.

When you consistently put out helpful and relevant content, people start seeing your brand as trustworthy.

This builds confidence in what you offer and can lead to more customers.

Here’s a cool fact: Content marketing can cost 62% less than outbound marketing.

Yet, it can bring in three times as many leads for SaaS companies. (Source)

That’s a big deal because you’re saving money while growing your customer base.

So, not only is it cost-effective, but it’s also super efficient in getting results.

In the world of B2B SaaS, that’s a win-win.

Now, how can a roadmap help you make that happen?

Using the Customer Value Journey to Guide Your B2B SaaS Content Strategy

The Customer Value Journey (CVJ) is a powerful framework that helps businesses build strong customer relationships.

It takes customers from the first moment they become aware of a brand to becoming loyal advocates through a targeted customer journey.

For B2B SaaS companies, the CVJ greatly impacts content strategy.

It shows the importance of creating the right content for each step to engage and convert effectively.

Here are the eight stages of the CVJ:

1. Awareness
2. Engage
3. Subscribe
4. Convert
5. Excite
6. Ascend
7. Advocate
8. Promote

Mapping your content to these stages ensures you’re meeting customers where they are and guiding them through their journey with your branded content.

Content marketers can use the Customer Value Journey (CVJ) to create targeted content for each stage of a customer’s relationship with a brand.

Here’s a breakdown:

Awareness

The goal is to introduce potential customers to your brand, making them aware of your existence and offerings.

At this stage, it’s about catching their eye and sparking interest.

For the awareness stage in a B2B SaaS business, educational blog posts are highly effective.

A blog post helps potential customers understand industry trends, challenges, and solutions, positioning your company as a knowledgeable resource.

By offering valuable information that answers their search intent, you build trust and entice prospects to learn more about your products.

Here are some best practices:

• Focus on topics that address common industry challenges.
• Use clear and straightforward language to explain complex ideas.
• Incorporate data and research to support your points.
• Invest in a robust strategy for search engine optimization by utilizing keyword research tools.
• Include calls to action that guide readers to more quality content on your site.

Engage

The aim is to deepen the initial connection, transforming awareness into interest by encouraging interaction and connection through engaging content.

Interactive quizzes are a fantastic way to engage your audience in the B2B SaaS space.

They provide a fun and interactive way for potential customers to learn about your product while also gathering valuable insights into their needs and preferences.

Here are some best practices:

• Design quizzes that are relevant to your audience’s interests and challenges.
• Keep the quizzes short and engaging to maintain interest.
• Provide personalized results or recommendations based on quiz responses.
• Use quizzes as a lead generation tool by collecting contact information.
• Share quiz results and insights with participants to encourage further interaction.

Subscribe

Here, the goal is to convert interested visitors into subscribers by obtaining their contact information and starting a direct line of communication.

For the subscription stage, creating gated content like whitepapers or eBooks is highly effective.

This type of content provides valuable insights or solutions that are relevant to your audience, encouraging them to subscribe to access the material.

It helps gather information about leads and segment them based on their interests, which can be crucial for targeted marketing efforts.

Here are some best practices:

• Offer a clear value proposition that explains the benefits of accessing the gated content.
• Use compelling calls-to-action to prompt visitors to subscribe and access the content.
• Ensure the content is high-quality and provides actionable insights or solutions.
• Promote the gated content through various channels, such as social media and email marketing.
• Follow up with a welcome email series to engage new subscribers and set expectations.

Convert

The goal is to turn subscribers into paying customers by encouraging them to make a purchase, building on the trust already established.

For the conversion stage, case studies are an effective type of content.

They showcase real-world examples of how your product or service has successfully solved problems for other businesses, building trust and credibility with potential customers.

Here are some best practices:

• Focus on relatable success stories that align with your target audience’s challenges.
• Highlight measurable results and specific benefits achieved.
• Use quotes and testimonials from satisfied clients to add authenticity.
• Include visuals like charts or graphs to illustrate key points.
• Make the case study easily accessible on your website and promote it through various channels.

Excite

The focus is on delighting new customers to ensure they are satisfied and enthusiastic about their purchase, reinforcing their decision.

Success stories from other customers can also be a powerful content type for the excite stage.

They provide real-world examples of how your product has positively impacted other businesses, helping new users envision similar success for themselves.

This type of content builds trust and excitement by showcasing tangible results and benefits.

Here are some best practices:

• Select stories that resonate with your target audience’s industry and challenges.
• Highlight specific outcomes and metrics achieved.
• Use engaging storytelling techniques to make the content relatable.
• Include quotes and testimonials from the featured customers.
• Share these stories across multiple platforms to reach a wider audience.

Ascend

The aim is to encourage customers to invest in higher-value products or services, enhancing their experience and relationship value.

Product demos can be an excellent content type for the ascension stage.

They provide a hands-on experience of the advanced features and benefits of higher-tier plans, helping customers visualize the added value and encouraging them to upgrade.

Here are some best practices:

• Tailor demos to showcase features relevant to the customer’s needs.
• Keep the demo interactive to engage the audience.
• Highlight real-world applications and benefits of premium features.
• Offer live Q&A sessions to address any concerns.
• Follow up with personalized recommendations based on the demo.

Advocate

The goal is to convert satisfied customers into brand advocates who willingly share their positive experiences, thereby boosting your brand’s reputation.

For the advocate stage, encouraging customer testimonials and reviews is highly effective.

These testimonials leverage satisfied customers to promote your software, building credibility and attracting new customers.

They serve as authentic endorsements of your product’s value, making them a powerful tool for advocacy.

Here are some best practices:

• Reach out to long-term customers for candid feedback.
• Make it easy for customers to submit reviews through a simple process.
• Highlight testimonials on your website and marketing materials.
• Encourage customers to share their experiences on social media.
• Regularly update testimonials to keep the content fresh and relevant.

Promote

The goal is to encourage customers to actively promote your brand, turning them into loyal promoters who expand your reach.

User-generated content (UGC) is a fantastic way to promote your B2B SaaS product.

It leverages the creativity and experiences of your users to create authentic and relatable content, enhancing trust and engagement.

Here are some best practices:

• Encourage users to share their experiences with your product on social media.
• Create contests or challenges to motivate content creation.
• Feature user content on your website and marketing channels.
• Provide guidelines to ensure content aligns with your brand.
• Engage with users by commenting and sharing their content to build community.

By using the CVJ as your guide to strategize your content according to the stage that your customer is in, you can effectively engage customers throughout their journey, helping increase the effectivity of each content, fostering stronger relationships, and driving growth.

But aside from knowing what content to create for each stage in your customer’s journey, it is also important to leverage what informs truly valuable content.

How to Develop a Data-Driven B2B SaaS Content Marketing Strategy

In B2B SaaS content marketing, data and analytics will help you better understand customer behavior and content performance.

By utilizing this, creating content becomes more productive.

If you use data when creating content, you can refine your content strategy to connect with your audience and achieve improved results more effectively.

Just like what Ann Handley says:

“Data-driven marketing is the difference between simply broadcasting messages and truly connecting with your customers.”

Ann Handley

This section will guide you through developing a data-driven content marketing strategy aligned with your B2B SaaS company goals.

Here’s how to make your content work smarter, not harder.

Set Clear KPIs and Metrics

Setting clear KPIs and metrics is vital in a data-driven approach to B2B SaaS content marketing.

They help measure success, guide strategic adjustments, and ensure your efforts align with business goals.

Here are five key metrics to track:

• Website Traffic: This metric gauges your content’s reach and audience interest. Higher traffic indicates that your content is attracting more visitors, suggesting effective visibility.
• Conversion Rate: It measures how well your content drives desired actions, such as sign-ups or purchases. A higher conversion rate indicates compelling and persuasive content.
• Engagement Rate: This assesses how well your content resonates with the audience. High engagement means your content captures interest and encourages interaction.
• Customer Acquisition Cost: Evaluating this helps determine the cost-effectiveness of your content strategies. Lower costs suggest efficient resource use in acquiring new customers.
• Customer Lifetime Value: This metric helps understand the long-term value generated by your content efforts, ensuring sustained business growth.

Conduct Audience Research and Identify Pain Points

Understanding your audience before creating content is also an indispensable element in effective B2B SaaS content marketing.

Here’s why knowing their pain points can make all the difference:

1. Targeted Content: Addressing specific needs makes your content more relevant and impactful.
2. Trust Building: Providing solutions builds trust and positions your brand as a go-to resource.
3. Increased Engagement: Content that resonates with your audience encourages more interaction.
4. Higher Conversion Rates: Tailored content effectively drives desired actions, like sign-ups.

To achieve this, the customer avatar canvas is an invaluable tool:

• Demographics: Define who your audience is based on age, gender, and location.
• Goals: Understand what they aim to achieve and what drives their decisions.
• Challenges: Identify their pain points and barriers to success.
• Preferences: Learn about their content preferences and how they consume information.

Using the canvas ensures your content strategy aligns with audience expectations, making your efforts more effective.

Content Distribution Strategy

A content distribution strategy is essential in B2B SaaS content marketing to reach the right audience and maximize the impact of your content.

In a sea of content, without a clear plan, even your best content can go unnoticed on the web.

Here’s why it matters and how you can leverage different distribution approaches:

1. Target Audience Reach: Ensures your content reaches the right people at the right time.
2. Maximized Value: Increases the return on investment by ensuring content visibility and engagement.
3. Consistent Messaging: Maintains a unified brand message across all platforms.

To make sure each content gets noticed by the right people at the right time, here are three different distribution channels to leverage:

1. Owned Media – Refers to the channels a company directly controls, like its website, blog, and social media profiles. Share regular updates and engage directly with your audience through your channels.
   Examples: Company blog, email newsletters, social media profiles.
2. Earned Media – Earned media is the exposure gained through word-of-mouth, press coverage, or influencer endorsements without direct payment. Build relationships with industry influencers to amplify your reach.
   Examples: Guest blogging, press coverage, user-generated content.
3. Paid Media – Paid media involves paying to promote content through channels like PPC ads, sponsored posts, or display advertising. Target specific demographics with tailored content for increased visibility.
   Examples: PPC campaigns, sponsored posts, display ads.

Blend these approaches to craft a solid distribution plan, making sure your content effectively connects with your audience in the B2B SaaS industry.

Now that you know that data is what informs the most valuable content on the web, it’s time to check back on your most best-performing content.

What else can you do with them?

The Importance of Content Repurposing and Refreshing for B2B SaaS

Repurposing old content is a smart strategy to boost your content marketing ROI in the B2B SaaS space.

By giving your existing content a new life, you can reach new audiences without starting from scratch, essentially maximizing the resources you already have.

This approach not only saves time but also enhances the value of your initial investment by extending the lifespan of your content.

How much time could you save by repurposing your existing content instead of creating new material every time?

Case Study

In this case study, a B2B affiliate marketing Shopify app was facing significant challenges.

The app struggled with poor search engine visibility and difficulties in acquiring users.

One of the main issues was its reliance on a single landing page, which wasn’t enough to engage users or drive traffic.

Additionally, the app’s listing on the Shopify platform had poor UI/UX, further contributing to its low visibility and limited user base.

To tackle these problems, a three-month content marketing strategy was implemented.

The measures included setting up a WordPress blog and creating valuable content like blogs, guides, and enhanced Shopify app listings.

The content strategy focused on educating potential users and establishing topical authority in the affiliate marketing space.

Social media presence was also ramped up across platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and the team engaged in online communities like Quora and Reddit to answer relevant questions.

The results were impressive: a 30% increase in user acquisition, a 36% rise in organic traffic, and significant growth in social media followers.

Readers can learn that by focusing on content marketing and audience education, even apps struggling with visibility and engagement can see dramatic improvements.

The case demonstrates the power of a well-structured content strategy in transforming business outcomes.

FAQs

Key Takeaways

In summary, B2B SaaS content marketing is a powerful tool for driving growth and building meaningful relationships with your audience.

By mapping your content to the Customer Value Journey, you can ensure your messaging resonates at every stage—from awareness to promotion—boosting leads, conversions, and customer loyalty.

Implementing a data-driven strategy that focuses on key metrics like engagement and conversion rates will further optimize your results.

Now is the time to refine your content marketing strategy and start reaping the benefits of increased ROI.

Take these actionable insights, and begin creating targeted, valuable content that speaks directly to your audience.

For even more value, be sure to explore our other blogs on digital marketing, business strategies, and personal growth.

Stay ahead in your industry and discover new ways to enhance your brand!