SaaS Copywriter and Content Marketing Consultant, How to Choose the Best for your Business.

Software as a Service (SaaS) has come of age with a great new addition to its powerful toolbox – content marketing consultancy.  Any business owner looking for a SaaS provider needs to know that any service worth choosing will offer content marketing consultancy as part of the package.  This will help to set your business apart with an increased priority on social media and the enhanced authority enjoyed by those who consistently publish and push relevant and useful content that readers can rely on and engage with.

You need to be aware that randomly published content (with little thought put into the types of posts and media used) is unlikely to have much effect.  Business owners nowadays need a comprehensive and intuitive content marketing plan and this may be beyond the scope of a content creator.  Whilst formulating such a plan is not rocket science, any content marketing consultant or SaaS copywriter you consider should be capable of providing you with a simple, yet comprehensible content marketing strategy that will benefit your business.

So many companies have discovered that their content marketing is not as effective as they had hoped, so today we’re taking a look at some of the components of a successful content marketing plan which should give you an idea of what to look for when considering engaging the services of a SaaS/Content Marketing consultant.  We also have a handy checklist of what to look for when choosing your SaaS/Content Marketing consultant that you can download free of charge.

Assessment of Sales Funnel and Customer Journey

This presents a challenge that may be beyond the scope of a regular content writer but this is a vital part of the process.  There needs to be a stringent focus on lead generation which necessitates the planning and writing of persuasive content that addresses the problems and requirements of existing customers, comparison shoppers and interested prospects.

Big Content and Lead Magnets

Big content is content that delves deep, providing detailed information and powerful insights to the reader.  This means reports, e-books and downloads that offer an enhanced level of value that will enable companies to:

  • Collaborate with industry influencers
  • Capture leads with gated content offers
  • Attract links to the content
  • Create content that can be repurposed and republished, upcycling it to the next level

Upcycling Useful Content

Powerful content that is relevant and useful within your field should be redeployed and repurposed.  This means creating content that can be reused in different formats and as different forms of media (infographics, video presentations, checklists, downloads, etc.) and/or chopped into small chunks that can be reused and expanded upon to provide even more detailed information.

Audit Existing Content

You probably have more content than you realise and this past content has the potential to work again for your business.  Any SaaS copywriter should be able to review all of your content (emails, presentations, white papers, case studies, etc.) and develop a plan to create new assets around them for future use.  It’s also the case that your existing content can be tapped into and reused, for example:

  • E-books and white papers that did not convert well can be reorganised, retitled and reused.
  • Blog posts that performed poorly in search can be improved to rank higher in search results.
  • Landing pages with low conversion rates should be rewritten.
  • Presentations that are too long or contain too much technical detail can be simplified.
  • Autoresponder emails that strike out can be enhanced by giving them more powerful subject lines.

Revamp your Home Page

Take a look at the static pages (the ones you rarely change) on your website.  The most important pages (which includes your Home Page) can often be improved or updated.  The Home Page should contain featured elements, calls to action, hero shots, offers, etc.  An experienced SaaS copywriter should offer you some ideas on how to do this on a regular basis.

Landing Pages that Launch Success

You’re probably creating landing pages to support explicit campaigns, promote offsite content or downloadable content offers that require prospects to complete forms.   A professional SaaS copywriter will review these and improve the landing pages that aren’t performing as well as they should.

Focus on Features

The features of your software will be presented in various places on your website, including the home page, features pages, video, demonstrations, etc.  Your SaaS copywriter should be able to clarify your story and make it more compelling by:

  • Removing or re-ordering features
  • Simplifying feature descriptions
  • Translating the features into benefits
  • Improving the visual presentation.

Collateral Content

In recent times the demand for brochures, information sheets and traditional paper documents has declined.  However, the requirement for product-based sales materials is still there, but this needs to be offered in a more convenient format such as PDF downloads.  Make sure your SaaS copywriter is able to craft persuasive collateral that will generate hotter leads and deals.

Enhanced Emails

Email is the most effective tool in the toolbox when it comes to digital marketing.  Your SaaS copywriter should offer guidance (and writing services) for:

  • Newsletters
  • Autoresponder sequences
  • Thank you emails
  • Special offers
  • Abandoned shopping cart reminders
  • Ay emails necessary to nurture leads, increase sales and build stronger relationships with customers and prospects.

Social Media Marketing

Are you making the most of social media?  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn can all be used to build relationships, engage members and promote content.  An experienced SaaS copywriter should be able to offer you some guidance on creating strategies to make social media activity an integral part of developing your brand.  They should be able to help analyse social media stats and suggest the appropriate resources, tools and approach to make the most of social media, and even create social media posts that will support content distribution.

Turning Visitors into Subscribers

There is always room for improvement in conversion rates – big or small changes can improve conversion.  Examine your key conversion plays to identify the weak spots and look for new solutions for the following items:

  • Home page copy
  • FAQs
  • Landing pages
  • Sales pages
  • Blog posts that have attracted traffic, but not subscribers
  • Offers
  • Call to action (CTA) copy
  • Site structure and navigation

Write Powerful Blog Posts that Top the Rankings

Conquering organic search is becoming more of a challenge – exploiting keyword research, on-page optimisation, competitive analysis and user experience are all key factors for success.  If you’re going to spend money on maintaining a blog, then you need to ensure that it ranks well or the money is virtually wasted.

Guest Blogging

Contributing blog posts on one of the leading industry websites is essential for producing more leads as it will result in enhanced recognition within your sector, valuable backlinks and an increase in referral traffic.

Make your Blog Sticky

This means keeping your visitors on your site longer so that they stick around and subscribe.  There are several elements that can be improved to do this – the design, page layout, writing and the architecture.  It’s also vital that visitors can easily find the option to subscribe.

Editorial Process Management

As you scale your content and blog to go beyond the blog, you’ll need to adopt a process of planning, preparing and editing content, assigning and scheduling.  An integrated and effective editorial process is vital for success.

Customer Content Counts

Compelling content comes from people and the more participation from customers, the more interesting and convincing your content will be.  As a business owner, you’re probably already aware that a strong SaaS marketing programme casts your customer as the hero of your story.  Interview your customers and partners to create meaningful success stories which feature your customers in your blog posts and other content offerings.

Mix it up with Multiple Authors

This involves expanding your blogging team.  Depending on your resources, you may consider using a combination of dedicated bloggers, experts in your field, guest bloggers and freelance writers.  If you don’t have an experienced managing editor to take care of the complete editorial process, outsourcing the work to a SaaS copywriter with experience of creating and leading a multi-author blog should be considered.

Work on Making your Website Work for your Business

A good copywriter will take a proactive approach and suggest areas of your website that need improvement, showing you exactly where, how and why various sections can be enhanced.

Create Convincing Videos

In many cases, the creative direction and script-writing of a video is entrusted to the video company which has little experience of your industry or your company.  A SaaS copywriter who has the experience to write video scripts will enable your company to tell a more cohesive story across all media types and platforms.

Artful Advertising Copy

Your SaaS copywriter should be able to write effective adverts that will create clicks for your company.

Spreading the Message

If you’re not in the habit of asking your SaaS copywriter to help distribute and promote your content, you’re missing a trick!  Engaging the services of your copywriter to help spread your message should result in your content being seen by a wider audience.

Enlisting Industry Influencers

Getting an industry influencer on board will have a dramatic impact on the marketing of your SaaS platform.  This means developing relationships with industry leaders and influencers to collaborate on content creation that’s mutually beneficial.  Here are some approaches to consider:

  • Video interviews with influencers (perhaps a series of these)
  • Guest blogs from and for influencers
  • Roundup or List type blog posts
  • User-generated content

The Hourglass Model

Generating leads is vital for business, but long-term success depends on adding value.  While successful subscription marketers increase retention, the funnel should not narrow at the bottom.  Instead, it should act as a feeder into a process that produces loyal repeat customers who:

  • Stay around and keep buying
  • Buy additional services
  • Act as brand advocates, recommending your brand to others which helps to market your brand.

An expert SaaS copywriter/marketing consultant will assist you in examining strategies that focus on the value nurturing processes representing the lower half of the hourglass.  The aim is to produce marketing assets that encourage the most persuasive type of marketing – word of mouth.

Developing and maintaining a cohesive content marketing strategy is complex matter that needs expert input.  If you want to bring the benefits of this to your business, why not get in touch and one of our expert experienced consultants will be happy to discuss your individual business requirements with you?

Richard Coen

With over 21 years of experience in Digital Marketing, 31 years in sales and 25 years in business development, Richard assists companies to develop key growth strategies on a local or international basis. He can assist marketers to achieve balance in their approach to key areas affected by the growth in digital marketing.