The benefits of content marketing

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The SaaS industry is experiencing an unprecedented period of growth.  

Private SaaS funding in Europe is rising by 3.2X year on year. And in the USA, venture capital firms are backing over 4,000+ new SaaS start-ups every year, with total annual investment surpassing $90billion. 

But all that opportunity comes with challenges. And one of the biggest is making sure you stand out from the competition. 

Here's a look at some ways content marketing can make that happen. 

How content marketing separates your business from your competition 

1. Provides quality, useful information to your prospects 

What's the first thing you do when you need to find something out?  

That's right. You Google it.  

Your customers and potential prospects do precisely the same. And, just like you, the information they find is a significant factor in deciding what to do next.  

Consumers and B2B decision-makers want to review all different types of content before making any purchase decisions. They're looking for content that answers their specific search queries, addresses their concerns, and solves their biggest pain points. 

Give your potential customers the information they're looking for, and they will start buying from you. That's a guarantee.  

2. Generates more leads 

According to the Content Marketing Institute, an effective content marketing campaign generates three times as many leads as traditional outbound marketing.  

But that's not all.  

It gets better. In fact, it gets much better.  

Content marketing trebles the number of leads while reducing your marketing budget by more than half - 62%, to be exact! 

3. Attracts high-quality leads 

Let's work through a little hypothetical. 

It's the last week of January. You're still ten sales short of your monthly bonus.  

‍You close your eyes and pray to the god of sales for help. 

That night he appears in your dreams. He bears a striking resemblance to Richard Branson, which is weird.  

The god of sales offers you two options: a list of 100 quality leads or a superhuman dialing ability to contact 2,000 complete randoms per day until the end of the month. 

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Which do you choose? 

‍It's a no-brainer.  

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Quantity is essential in any sales campaign. But finding quality leads is what makes the difference. And that's exactly what a content marketing campaign is designed to do. 

Think about it. 

You're producing and publishing content structured around your target customer's wants and needs—the people who click on it and the people who are most likely to buy from you. 

4. Build trust, then sell 

We do not buy if we do not trust.

We seek out credible sources of information and return to the people and organisations we trust and hold in high regard. 

If you try to sell to someone before earning their trust, you might sell to them once, but in all probability, you will struggle to sell at all. 

Show them you're the real deal before asking for a penny, and you'll sell to them over and over again. And you'll probably sell to their friends, family, and work colleagues, too. 

Content marketing is one of the most effective ways to build trust and establish brand credibility. Content marketing doesn't tell customers how great you are; it shows them how great you are. 

By producing blogs, how-to guides, eBooks, and whitepapers, you're pumping out a stream of free content that repeats the same message: "this is what we do, how we do it, and why do it better than the rest. Come and give us a try." 

5. Helps you to become a thought leader 

Thought leadership content is a precious strategy for establishing yourself as an industry expert or an authoritative source of information that customers need. 

Thought leaders produce regular content on industry topics, offering original analysis and practical insights. They respond in real-time to news and events, communicating and engaging with their target audience via social media. They turn existing customers into community members and transform organisations from businesses that 'sell stuff' into relatable brands that stand for something. 

How content marketing can support your account-based marketing 

Content marketing and account-based marketing can supplement each other perfectly, creating a more impactful and cost-effective marketing strategy that targets the right customers in the right way.  

And here's the proof.  

It can target the key decision-makers 

Account-based marketing targets high-value prospects within a company or organisation. These are the senior managers and decisions with enough authority to say, "OK, we'll buy from you." 

Quality content created specifically for these high-value clients is an excellent tactic for nudging them toward that positive decision. 

They will read it. 

IT managers and other senior decision-makers at SaaS-based companies read at least one whitepaper per week. They also subscribe to industry newsletters and blogs on the latest trends.  

If your content is excellent, they'll share it with the rest of the senior management team. And they'll probably post it on Twitter or LinkedIn, where all their other senior manager friends can click it and share it. 

Help your sales team land more high-value accounts. 

We've talked about how content can bring the right type of clients and customers to your websites. 

But that same content can also help your sales superstars secure more high-value accounts.  

So let's talk about that. 

Calling up prospects to see what they think about the latest whitepaper is a golden opportunity to learn more about their business. You'll gain some super-valuable insights and feedback, including what these priority clients might need from you in the future. 

So much of a successful account-based sales approach comes down to having meaningful conversations. And great content is an ideal way to get more of those conversations started. 

6. Speeds up the decision-making process 

Salespeople spend hours trying to arrange phone calls with the decision-maker. A content campaign targeted at senior decision-makers cuts out a lot of that wasted time and energy.  

Why make dozens of phone calls when you send out a blog, whitepaper, or webinar invites by email?  

Let your prospects read and absorb the content on their own time and schedule. They will appreciate it.  

Then, when your sales stars do get them on the line, these high-value customers are primed with all the information they need to make a decision there and then. 

7. Personalises the sales journey 

You're just one of many trying to grab the attention of these premium clients. They receive hundreds of emails, invites, and requests every week. Most of them will look or sound exactly the same. It's why they never get clicked. 

Stand out from the spam by personalising your content to the client. 

Going that extra mile (or two) for a potential client proves that you really want and value their business. Plus, the personal touch feels nice, especially when we know that someone is trying to sell to us. It makes us feel like a person instead of 'another' customer. Even high-flying CEOs or IT managers are not immune. So go on, give their egos a little tickle.  

Try account-specific subdomains or micro-sites to promote the benefits of a webinar, or outline the key findings in your latest newsletter.  

And get creative when thinking about the kind of content you can send.  

These high-value prospects are bombarded with blogs and newsletters. Why not pique their interest with a quiz, interactive guide, assessment, survey, or personalised video message? 

Remember: These are not generic accounts that you're chasing. So why are you using generic content to target them?  

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Let AXD help
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We are a B2B content marketing agency based in Manchester, we specialise in helping SaaS and tech companies come first on Google.

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We create content that illustrates precisely what you do and why you do it better than anyone else. It's simple. More clicks, more leads, and more sales.

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We help companies like yours get what they need to grow fast. To find out more, book your free discovery call today.

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