While content marketing is typically thought of as a digital-first affair, the truth is that content marketing has existed for generations. Some attribute Benjamin Franklin publishing the yearly Poor Richard’s Almanack as one of the first instances of content marketing all the way back in 1732. What this means is that enterprising entrepreneurs have used content to directly show the benefits of their products and services across eras, and have used the power of their products or services themselves to demonstrate this. That’s not to say that content marketing of other eras represents what content marketing is on the internet – just that the concept has existed for a very long time.
For SaaS companies, content marketing efforts are not usually just a demo of their products. Rather, the goal of publishing informational content on their website in the form of blog posts, ebooks, whitepapers, videos, and more, is to entice potential users to sign up for a demo of the software or even a free trial. In doing so, your SaaS content marketing initiatives can help you to stand out from the crowd and draw some unique selling points to your SaaS offerings from your content.
One of the tricky parts of marketing a SaaS through content though is that a SaaS solution is inherently a software. The ultimate ask is to get a user to sign up for a recurring subscription to your software, which is usually somewhat antithetical to the content that a SaaS company is putting out. Instead of just asking people to sign up for a software they can’t tangibly own, SaaS companies should gear their content creation efforts toward problem-solving. What this means in practical terms is actually showing how their software can solve problems that users are having. For example, when Salesforce is marketing their SaaS CRM, they are not just selling a CRM, but they are also selling the value proposition that Salesforce themselves can offer the best way to manage contacts and business relationships.
As such, the goal of content marketing for SaaS companies is not just to gain signups. It’s also to build your brand. However, even if you build the best content ever created, it will all be for nothing if it is not discoverable. Using social media is certainty a great way to get things like whitepapers or ebooks out there. But SEO is better. Using keyword targets, you can actually gear your content marketing efforts toward specific search terms that potential users of your software may be looking for. This is not just helpful in terms of search – it can also help you hone your content marketing efforts.
Overall, SaaS companies can benefit immensely from creating content and distributing it through various marketing channels. Creating a value proposition of selling their software not just a technology but also as a potential solution to a user’s problems can help get it in front of the right people who may see a recurring need for the software. SaaS companies can also do well in investing in content that is both quality and informational in nature in order to target it correctly toward keywords and make sure that it is comprehensive.
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