How to Approach Content Creation for SaaS Providers
Every industry is unique and this is also true when talking about content marketing. What you write, where you publish and who reads your content will be based off your industry, niche and the goals you want to achieve. It’s no different for companies that provide software-as-a-service (Saas).
Depending on what you’re offering, Software-as-a-Service can be a highly technical field that can quickly become confusing for the average person. Quality content is your chance to bridge that gap.
Inspect Existing Content
The content could already be on your website. Before starting off a new eBook or whitepaper from scratch, look at the content you already have — on your website or any other platforms. It’s easy to forget what you have already published.
Look for common topics between blogs, case studies, and website content. Could those ten blog posts on data security be combined into a great whitepaper?
It’s not unlikely that a number of high-quality blogs can become a whitepaper. Or a particularly great case study can be re-purposed into an infographic explaining your process.
Know Your Audience
An important aspect for content creation is knowing who your readers are. For instance, if you’re writing an overly technical article directed towards IT professionals, you will probably use more technical notations and explore more of the details relevant the topic. This can include how to secure data, how to customize and modify settings, and other in-depth how-to blogs.
The situation is completely different if you are writing for a business owner who has limited time and minimal IT knowledge. You will have to avoid technical jargon and write about what’s important to them. You could discuss pricing options, key features, and how to choose between SaaS providers.
Understand the Publishing Medium
Another question you need to answer is where you will be publishing your content. A blog post that will appear on Facebook, LinkedIn, and your blog page will have a different format and style than a whitepaper behind a contact form. Consider that Facebook users click on an article in their news feed and won’t be sitting down to read extensive research. They might be looking for a few tips to solve their issue.
A more interested user who has already read a few articles is more likely to download a whitepaper. These readers are looking for in-depth information that tells them more about your product, services, education, or expertise.
If your focus is on content for SaaS social platforms, then you should keep your blog posts short, under 1000 words. This makes the article easier to read on a mobile device and less overwhelming.
If you’re writing a whitepaper for big buyers, consider writing in a chapter book format, with at least 3000 words, a table of contents and divided into several chapters. The platform you choose to publish your content on also reflects who you’re speaking to. Tailor your content both towards the medium and the platform when writing.
